{"product_id":"friends-of-harry-perkins-hb-w9","title":"Chris Mullin: The Friends of Harry Perkins [2019] hardback","description":"'Harry Perkins was buried on the day that America declared war on China.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e '\u003cb\u003eBrexit\u003c\/b\u003e Britain was a gloomy place.  True, the Armageddon that some had prophesied had not occurred, but neither had economic miracle promised by the \u003cb\u003eBrexiteers\u003c\/b\u003e.  Instead there had been a long, slow decline into insularity and irrelevance.  The value of the pound had fallen steadily against the Euro, the dollar and the Yuan.  The much vaunted increase in trade with the Commonwealth had not materialised.  The Americans, too, were proving particularly obstreperous.   Even now after a nearly decade of negotiations no significant agreements had been reached. At the UN there was talk of relieving the UK of its seat on the Security Council.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Thirty-five years after the publication of \u003cb\u003eA Very British Coup\u003c\/b\u003e, former Labour MP \u003cb\u003eChris Mullin \u003c\/b\u003ehas written a compelling and timely sequel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In a near-future, \u003cb\u003epost-Brexit Britain\u003c\/b\u003e, the fault lines forged in the white heat of the \u003cb\u003ereferendum\u003c\/b\u003e have become entrenched features of \u003cb\u003eBritish political life\u003c\/b\u003e. Britain's standing in the world has steadily diminished as its problems have grown. Into the maelstrom steps Fred Thompson, former aide to left-wing prime minister \u003cb\u003eHarry Perkins\u003c\/b\u003e and his successor as MP for Sheffield Parkside. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As he ascends the greasy pole of British politics, Thompson must deal with corruption, the threat of the \u003cb\u003eFar Right\u003c\/b\u003e and personal tragedy. Along the way, he learns that power does not come without a personal price and that shadowy forces are at work behind the scenes...which, this time, appear to be on his side. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At once a gripping political thriller and a chilling prognostication of where we may be headed, this taut, insightful and engrossing novel is essential reading for our troubled times. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The definitive post-Brexit novel, and long-awaited sequel to the bestselling \u003cb\u003eA Very British Coup\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Terrific...measured, heart-stopping, moving, clear-eyed'. \u003cb\u003eStephen Frears\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Brilliant, chilling and all too plausible.' \u003cb\u003eAlastair Campbell \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e '\u003c\/b\u003eA very knowledgeable and pleasurable political thriller.' \u003cb\u003eMark Lawson, The Guardian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Readable and very entertaining, and should appeal to both sides of the divide. A book that seeks your X in the ballot box.' - \u003cb\u003eThe Spectator\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e '\u003c\/b\u003e'A book for our time - uncertain, sympathetic, tragic.' \u003cb\u003eAndrew Adonis, The House Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e '\u003c\/b\u003eThe briskly paced tale is spartan in style, and most affecting in its stark declarations of grief when Thompson experiences \u003cb\u003epersonal tragedy\u003c\/b\u003e.' \u003cb\u003eThe Irish Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'An excellent book, and a worthy sequel to a true classic of political fiction.' \u003cb\u003eMatthew D'ancona\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Frighteningly believable and surprisingly tender.' \u003cb\u003eKevin Maguire\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Mullin, Chris","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":42043176321209,"sku":"9781471182488","price":8.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/products\/mullin-chris-friends-of-harry-perkins-hb-w9-9781471182488-32171544412345.jpg?v=1655944209","url":"https:\/\/theirishbookshop.live\/products\/friends-of-harry-perkins-hb-w9","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}