
The Bonfire of the Insanities
How Does This Government Thing Work Again?
John Crace(Author)
Guardian Faber Publishing
Published on 6. November 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-78335-315-6 (ISBN)
Description
A new serving of satire from bestselling author and beloved Guardian columnist John Crace.
'I lap up everything John Crace writes gratefully: I love his cleverness, his wit, and his heart.' NIGELLA LAWSON
It ended as it began. With Downing Street under grey leaden skies. Someone's idea of a cosmic joke. Only this time the rain had eased to a light drizzle rather than a torrential downpour. If you're a Tory, you take your blessings where you find them on days like these.
After fourteen years of Tory rule, John Crace has seen it all: a bucket-load of sleaze and scandals, myriad questionable policy decisions, and an ever-revolving door of impressive* candidates trying to get themselves to the top of a sinking ship.
With a bumpy start, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and the Labour Party have taken the reins while Kemi Badenoch and the Tories slink off to regroup in opposition. Many proclaim that the United Kingdom's political landscape has changed - but are those fabled sunlit uplands finally in view? Selected from Crace's much-loved Guardian column, The Bonfire of the Insanities lights up a new chapter of governmental absurdity with mordant wit and caustic humour.
(*terms and conditions apply)
'I lap up everything John Crace writes gratefully: I love his cleverness, his wit, and his heart.' NIGELLA LAWSON
It ended as it began. With Downing Street under grey leaden skies. Someone's idea of a cosmic joke. Only this time the rain had eased to a light drizzle rather than a torrential downpour. If you're a Tory, you take your blessings where you find them on days like these.
After fourteen years of Tory rule, John Crace has seen it all: a bucket-load of sleaze and scandals, myriad questionable policy decisions, and an ever-revolving door of impressive* candidates trying to get themselves to the top of a sinking ship.
With a bumpy start, Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and the Labour Party have taken the reins while Kemi Badenoch and the Tories slink off to regroup in opposition. Many proclaim that the United Kingdom's political landscape has changed - but are those fabled sunlit uplands finally in view? Selected from Crace's much-loved Guardian column, The Bonfire of the Insanities lights up a new chapter of governmental absurdity with mordant wit and caustic humour.
(*terms and conditions apply)
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 219 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
442 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78335-315-6 (9781783353156)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2025
Guardian Faber Publishing
€19.99
Available for download
Person
John Crace is the Guardian's parliamentary sketch writer and the author of several books, including Taking the Lead: A Dog at Number 10, Depraved New World, Decline and Fail, and I, Maybot.
@johnjcrace | @mrjohncrace.bsky.social
@johnjcrace | @mrjohncrace.bsky.social