‘An astonishing achievement’ – Andrew Marr

Blunder, n. A gross mistake; an error due to stupidity or carelessness. There are a handful that we remember all too well – Margaret Thatcher’s poll tax, Blair’s Millennium Dome – but the list of jaw-dropping government blunders is disturbingly longer than most of us realise. With unrivalled political savvy and a keen sense of irony, Anthony King and Ivor Crewe open our eyes to the worst government horror stories and explain how, far from being unique, these gross mistakes share common patterns. Groupthink, constantly rotating ministers and weak parliaments all contribute to the blundering of modern governments. But, the authors argue, it doesn’t have to be this way. Informed by decades of research and dozens of insider interviews, their razor-sharp diagnosis of flawed government and spirited prescription for more foolproof policy make this required reading for every UK citizen.