The good, the bad and the cynical – how to get ahead in Irish politics It might appear strange that a 16th-century Italian political philosopher should provide us with a roadmap to political power in Ireland, but as John Drennan's tongue-in-cheek account Paddy Machiavelli makes clear, the gap between the parish pump and the Renaissance palazzo is a narrow one indeed. In fact, observe the Irish body politic for long enough and the lines between the Florentine's faceless hero and our own Dái...

From the debates of the 1950s that were strikingly similar to what we face today – struggles against bankruptcy, emigration and abuse of power by the State – through the wars in the 70s and 80s over divorce and abortion, to the Jacobean dramas surrounding the fall of Haughey in the 1990s, this essential book finally traces the fall of the first Republic via the tragic-comic dénouement of the Cowen era and the first breaths of hope provided by a new administration. John Drennan's Standing b...

From penalty points to water charges, funding cuts to tax hikes, The Great Betrayal is a cutting assessment of the upheavals, egos and scraps that shaped the 31st Dáil by Ireland's most sagacious political pundit-turned-political operatorAs the curtain falls on this government's term in office, it has fallen drastically out of favour, something that is hard to believe if we cast our minds back just a few years to 2011, when Fine Gael and Labour rode a wave of populist sentiment all the way...

DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF NETWORK MARKETINGAre you contemplating or currently active in network marketing? Are you challenged by other people's opinions or self-induced doubts? If you are delaying or second-guessing your commitment to network marketing, read on to discover how countless people are enjoying the fruits of networking marketing, including lifestyles of freedom, personal development, and being an inspiration to others.Author and accomplished netwo...

In this memoir Mary O' Rourke writes, with remarkable candidness and humour, of personal and political events; of the many senior political figures with whom she worked, including Charles Haughey and Bertie Ahern; of her life with her beloved husband Enda; of her two dear Brians, both of whom died before their time; of her successes and disappointments. She does all this with honesty, energy and an absence of self-pity or self-justification. The book is like the woman herself: open, warm a...

Should England be independent from Scotland?May 1999. The Scots have their first opportunity in 300 years to elect their own parliament. In 2014 that referendum will finally take place.To many in England, the continuing rise of Scottish nationalism causes unease. Scotland could well choose to leave the United Kingdom. In this provocative polemic, Simon Heffer argues that England must let Scotland go. The lessons of trying to coerce Ireland should have been learnt: there is ...

We were a motley mob, we sans-culottes of Canberra …In this vastly entertaining book, Mungo MacCallum captures the spirit of a nation-changing time. He portrays the Whitlam government’s key figures – from Gough and Margaret to Lionel Murphy, Bill Hayden and Jim Cairns – as well as “the other mob” in opposition – Billy McMahon, John Gorton, Malcolm Fraser and many more.The Whitlam Mob addresses some crucial questions: What was the night of the long prawns? ...

From the Sunday Times bestselling authorWhich fifty people made Britain the wreck she is? From ludicrous propagandist Alastair Campbell to the Luftwaffe's allies, the modernist architects, it's time to name the guilty.Quentin Letts sharpens his nib and stabs them where they deserve it, from TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh, the dumbed-down buffoon who put the 'h' in Aspidistra, to the perpetrators of the 'Credit Crunch'.Margaret Thatcher rupture...

'Against the Tide' is a story told with honesty and great emotion; the narrative of a life in which tragedy and good fortune succeeded each other with bewildering speed. After training as a doctor, Noël Browne experienced at first hand the devastating ravages of tuberculosis both personally and professionally. Drawn to politics, he was appointed Minister for Health on his first day in the Dáil at the age of thirty three. His single-minded campaign for reform of the health system encountere...

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of 50 People Who Buggered Up Britain, Quentin Letts, comes his blistering new book on how Britain's out-of-touch, illiberal elite fills its boots.'HILARIOUS' Daily Mail'With its vicious takedowns, Quentin Letts' laugh-out-loud Patronising Bastards will have the lefty-elite running scared' The SunNot since Marie Antoinette said 'Let...

In an age of colourless bureaucrats, Nigel Farage is a politician who is impossible to ignore, provoking controversy and admiration in equal measure. A fun-loving iconoclast whose motto is work hard and play harderA", Farage's charismatic leadership and determination to battle the forces of anti-libertarianism have made him a Robin Hood figure to many, and propelled his party, UKIP, into a position of real power in the country. Never one for a quiet life, this paperback edition includes th...

From the personal to the political, this is the much-awaited memoir from Tim Pat Coogan.Ireland's best-known journalist, broadcaster, historian and bestselling biographer Tim Pat Coogan has not only reported the news - he's been the news. Through the Irish Press, where he served as editor for twenty years, he is renowned for bringing social and political change to Ireland. He went on to play a vital role in bringing the IRA/Sinn Fein to the peace talks table, and h...