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Ed West
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Small Men on the Wrong Side of History: The Decline, Fall and Unlikely Return of Conservatism Kindle Edition

by Ed West (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 201 ratings

'An entertaining, wide-ranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world . . . suffused with generosity and wit' Catholic Herald

Brought up by eccentric intellectuals, Ed West experienced what he believed was a fairly normal childhood of political pamphlets as bedtime reading, family holidays to East Germany and a father who was one political step away from advocating the return of serfdom. In his mid-twenties, West found himself embracing a mindset usually acquired alongside a realisation that all music post-1955 is garbage, agreeing with everything said in the Telegraph and all the other bad things people get in middle age. This is his journey to becoming a real-life Tory boy.


Forgoing the typically tedious and shouty tone of the Right, West provides that rare gem of a conservative book - one that people of any political alignment can read, if only to laugh at West's gallows humour and dry wit. Crammed with self-deprecating anecdotes and enlightening political insights, Tory Boy discloses a life shaped by politics and the realisation that perhaps this obsession does more harm than good.

'Anyone - liberal, conservative, whatever - would enjoy [this book]. It is full of the most fascinating facts, all mixed in with Ed's inimitable displays of self-mockery' Tom Holland

'A self-deprecating and often hilarious memoir of a born conservative watching the world go wrong. Sprinkled with gallows humour, like a political version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch' The Critic

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  1. Print length
    479 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Constable
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    March 19, 2020
  6. File size
    1.7 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

An entertaining, wide-ranging defence and explanation of the conservative way of seeing the world. Alongside some fine knockabout polemic, there is a colourful and lively account of the development of conservatism as a coherent tradition, and a good deal of amusing memoir showing the development of West's worldview . . . West's undoubtedly robust conservatism is nevertheless suffused with generosity and wit. Small Men is not only full of self-deprecating asides but is laugh-out-loud funny―Catholic Herald

Insightful, poignant and at times hilarious―The Times

Most enjoyable―John Rentoul

A self-deprecating and often hilarious memoir of a born conservative watching the world go wrong. Sprinkled with gallows humour, like a political version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch or a humorous version of John O'Farrell's Things Can Only Get Better, it is also crammed with history, political philosophy and social science . . . Behind the dry wit and self-mockery, [West] has something important to say―The Critic

Funny and thoughtful―Sam Leith

About the Author

Ed West is a regular for the Spectator and has written for a range of publications including Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Week, Guardian, and many more. He is the only person to have worked for both a lad's mag and Catholic Herald, a record he is likely to hang onto for some time. Although this book is the product of several years of reading polemics, political philosophy and even evolutionary psychology, the real inspiration is his favourite book of all time, Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, which turned a hobby and obsession many found odd and distasteful and made it human and humorous.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07KF97LBS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Constable
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 19, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 479 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1472130808
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 201 ratings

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Ed West

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4.3 out of 5 stars
201 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Jim W
    5.0 out of 5 stars Equal parts challenging, enlightening, and witty
    Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    There are few authors that write with the clarity and wit to match Ed West. This book asks why there has been such a lack of seemingly natural gravitation toward conservative principles among Gen Xers who've just entered middle age and the millennials on the cusp, and explores the answers in a thoughtful, semi-autobiographical manner. This is not a run-of-the-mill work of polemics that one might expect from so many on the Right. It's a thoughtful, reflective, and often self-deprecating look at the state of conservatism in both Britain and America. Just as another reviewer mentioned, reading this while in quarantine at the start of COVID-19 in the US, West's observation that conservatism faces a bleak future, barring "a religious revival or the sort of apocalyptic event that pushes us back to the Dark Ages" seems prescient. This is an excellent read. While it's currently only available on Kindle in the US, I'll be buying it again in paper form. It's really that good.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • A. Waite
    4.0 out of 5 stars Useful for understanding... with some cross-Atlantic quibbles
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    An excellent autobiography of British conservatism with reflections on other parts of Europe and those of us in America as well. Warmly written, relatable, with most of my quibbles having to do with America's own unusual brand of conservatism not quite matching up to British/European stereotypes. Still very helpful, not just for understanding how things have changed over the years, but to remind some of us who are looking forward to the next few years with trepidation how old these arguments really are- there is a treasure trove of support and direction to be brought up from the past to help us figure out where to go now.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Jerry Jay Carroll
    3.0 out of 5 stars I'd pass on this
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is written by a conservative who seems ashamed of himself for being a conservative. I couldn't finish it
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Sirtony
    3.0 out of 5 stars A right wing Londoner in a left wing world
    Reviewed in Australia on October 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is a reasonably personal account and to enjoy it fully I think you need a strong familiarity with England and it would help if you were up with the U.K. popular culture of 1990-2010.
    It is an easy read and the author comes across as likeable - he is not ranting about the world going to hell in a hand basket. Growing up in London and continuing to live in a strongly left wing area, I suspect that he is not quite as right wing as he thinks he is - it's just the contrast to everyone around him. For example, he is talking about how most of the people on the right are not all that admirable and says "And last but not least Donald Trump, a man who seems to possess the unique gift of having no redeeming human qualities whatsoever. Oh, and Nazis obviously."
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  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Appreciation of the book
    Reviewed in France on September 4, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Excellent book but probably only for conservatives or otherwise right-leaning thinkers. Why this? Well, the "woke" brigade and other left-leaning thinkers simply would not be able to make head or tail of "Small Men", in my view. They would be quite simply flummoxed by the whole drift of the book. Ed West makes the cogent argument that conservatism (at least in the UK) appears to be going the way of paganism if you take the long view of Christianity in European history. That observation speaks fascinating and thought-provoking volumes. Book is outrageously funny and brilliantly argued if, regrettably, rather "British" centered. Although his central arguments are universal, the context provided makes most sense to a British audience. Translation into other languages would be great ( I live in France where there are also "small men") but difficult for those not very familiar with the British political, social, cultural and economic environment. Pity that, but this book is a must-read for intelligent thinkers. Looney-left and wildly-woke abstain. If you are in either or both of those categories you might, on reading this book, melt away like, eh, you know, a snowflake.
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  • Gilbert Wakefield
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful reflections of a humane man
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    There are lots of books about what conservatism is or what the arguments for it are, and of course there are lots of books articulating conservative responses to given social questions. Although West touches on these things from time to time, this book is not really about any of these things: it is, rather, a study of why people are conservatives, and why, increasingly, the professional classes are not.

    There is a lot here that is really unexpected and interesting. West has assembled a remarkable body of evidence about the steep decline in conservatism among professional groups since the 1990s, and especially its decline among teachers and academics. He draws on work in political psychology to explain why this has happened and what its ramifications will be. In one of the most intriguing sections of the book he also discusses the small but significant countercurrents, the phenomenal popularity of Jordan Peterson among the young being only the best known example.

    The book is unusual in its tone as well as in its content. West is thoughtful, sceptical, self-deprecating and melancholy. Although he is a conservative, he has a rare capacity for making light of his own views, and seeing the perennially ridiculous aspects of conservatism. He is also uneasily aware that as the intelligentsia, the upper-middle classes, the young and women abandon conservatism, it will change, becoming more male, more provincial, older, more resentful and more dominated by concerns of cultural identity. The radicalisation of conservatism seems to disturb West as much as its decline.

    This is not a perfect book. Although it has a loosely autobiographical structure, it still tends to meander, and there is some repetition. He focusses completely on the British and US experience, missing an opportunity for what would surely be some profoundly interesting comparisons to the situation elsewhere. Nevertheless, it is something special. West believes that his side is going to lose, but he writes in sorrow and puzzlement rather than in anger. The result is an unusual and humane book. We can only hope that the Coronavirus does not prevent its getting the attention it deserves.
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  • David J Warden
    4.0 out of 5 stars A very personal and self-deprecating take on conservatism
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Very enjoyable. This is a penetrating analysis of what the author calls 'political sectarianism' which has been getting worse, much worse, over the past four years and since the rise of social media. He compares it to a new religious war, with conservatives on the losing and anathematised side. He doesn't exactly set out his own conservative manifesto but clearly it's a caring conservatism quite distinct from the extremes of Fox News and Breitbart, and quite distinct too from the globalised neoliberalism which has hollowed out the social capital and trust on which conservatism stands, and which in any case has been more or less absorbed by progressive Blairite Europhiles. Ironically, the liberal left is no longer liberal or left as it hates dissenters and it appeals to high-status nowhere individuals, and it has been left to the conservatives to appeal to low-status left behind somewheres. The book ends on a downbeat pessimistic note which is a pity. Surely we need more people like West to continue articulating decent conservatism.
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  • Mr. C. McBride
    5.0 out of 5 stars An great book that should be of interest regardless of your politics
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2020
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I've often regarded Ed West as the one conservative writer that all non-conservatives should consider reading - even if you might not agree with what he says, it's always well written and argued, and you're always likely to come out with a better understanding of matters than when you started.

    "Small Men..." is West's attempt to explain the appeal of conservationism, why he believes the things he does, and ultimately where it is likely to go. Conservatives will enjoy it due to its overview of the history and evolution of conservative thought, and might sympathise with West's struggles to reconcile his beliefs in a world which he believes the prevailing narratives are anything but conservative. Liberals should enjoy it as it will help them to understand why those who consider themselves conservative think the things that they do, and will probably enjoy his conclusion that conservative is not going to win in the long-term, a massive and unexpected shift of society aside. And everyone should enjoy this book as it's an engaging & surprisingly funny book, with well researched information to support the arguments made, as well as having touching moments throughout, especially when he talks about his family.

    Depending on your biases, you may come out of this book either agreeing with or disagreeing with everything that has said, but either way, you'll come out with a greater understanding of the eponymous "Small Men".
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