The Rage of Party - Cambridge Launch Event

'The Rage of Party: How Whig Versus Tory Made Modern Britain' by George Owers tells the rollercoaster story of Britain's first age of party politics, the battle royale between Whig and Tory that rocked the nation from 1679-1714, especially during the reigns of William III and Queen Anne. From duels and sensational accusations of lesbianism to outrageous whoring and brutal riots, it's a wild story. This is the Cambridge launch event for the book: there will be a talk from the author, a q & a with the audience, and then drinks/nibbles.

Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rage-Party-George-Owers/dp/1408719096

A Trinity Twist

This event will be held in Trinity College 320 years after that very college became the centre of the red-hot partisan Whig v Tory action. During the 1705 General Election, the Whigs, temporarily in favour with Queen Anne, threw the kitchen sink at Cambridge University seat in an attempt to oust its Tory MPs. One Whig candidate was Isaac Newton - and in order to bolster his electoral chances he was even knighted just prior to the election. The other Whig candidate was the son of the Lord Treasurer, Sidney Godolphin. The contest became mired in controversy - and we will look at this incident as a window in to the glorious, rambunctious world of the Rage of Party.

Reviews of 'The Rage of Party: How Whig Versus Tory Made Modern Britain'

'The real joy of this tremendous book lies less in his thesis, persuasive as it is, than in the glee and vigour with which he tells his story. From the first page I found myself absorbed into a world of clubs and coffee houses, claret-quaffing squires and port-swilling financiers, seething crowds and shrieking preachers. And as you can tell, I absolutely loved it' ― Dominic Sandbrook in the Sunday Times

'A fine book...detailed and lively...rich in history' - Ronald Hutton in the New Statesman

'Owers writes with wit and biff; he's not an academic historian so doesn't disappear into obscure debates or suffer from citation-itis . . . The book brims with the era's savage invective, conspiracy theories, sectarianism, religious mania, xenophobia and money-grubbing' ― The Times

'George Owers' tremendously entertaining new book is an unabashedly narrative account of the twists and turns of Whig and Tory through a period of immense turmoil . . . It makes for a heady cocktail of policy and personality. Owers' enthusiasm for the period and its characters is palpable' ― History Today

'This is Owers's first book, yet it's accomplished, funny, and does a clever job of implying comparison with the present without being obvious' ―Tim Stanley in The Daily Telegraph

'The most exciting publishing event of the year!' -- Tom Holland

'A magnificent account of England three centuries ago' - Andrew Gimson in Conservative Home

Endorsements for The Rage of Party

'This is a lucid and exciting account of high and low politics in the crucial years of Whig and Tory battles following the Glorious Revolution, when Great Britain was created, and a new world of money, war and empire dawned. George Owers grippingly recounts the culture wars, paranoia, self-seeking and skulduggery that are "both recognisable and strange". Recognizable because "we are all still, in our heart of hearts, either Whig or Tory", and we are still grappling with their legacy' - Robert Tombs, author of The English and their History

'A brilliant, absorbing, rollicking read. George Owers captures all the intrigue and idealism, as well as the loucheness and libertinism of the age of Queen Anne - when modern Britain was born and the literary and political worlds were consumed by sulphurous rivalries that still burn today' -- Michael Gove

'This book is a delight. Written with vivacity and veracity it sheds light on the miracle of English party politics' -- Maurice Glasman

'We tend to think of our current age as uniquely fractious but as George Owers shows in his engrossing new book, it is a kindergarten compared to the "Rage of Party'' this country experienced in the late seventeen and early eighteenth centuries. The story he tells so vividly has it all: political divisions, religious strife, immigration controversies, fake news, arguments over foreign policy, Anglo-Scottish tensions - polarisation all round!' -- Brendan Simms, author of Europe: The Struggle for Supremacy, 1453 to the Present

'A highly readable account of the beginnings of the party system in Britain, with insights that are relevant for understanding of politics in any era. George Owers's vivid recreation of the conflict of Whigs and Tories illuminates what was a crucial period in the rise of Britain as a major European and global power' -- David Hayton, editor of The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1690-1715

'Today's party politics absorbs us. When did British party politics begin and how? George Owers's book provides a compelling analysis, brilliantly interweaving vivid vignettes into a masterly narrative' -- Mark Goldie, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Cambridge

'A delicious and fascinating book for those who love politics in the raw. George Owers details the plots, the intrigue, the ambition, the deception and the corruption from the early years of our two-party system - the Whigs against Tories, plus numerous warring factions. The Rage of Party also involves an extraordinary cast of colourful and eccentric characters - in an era when leaders who failed could still face the gallows!' -- Michael Crick