The Age of Unreason

With capitalism in deep crisis, this urgent and impassioned book shows how and why growing populist nationalism across the world threatens the bonds that keep our societies prosperous, strong and united. Across the globe support for free markets, globalisation and liberal democracies is in steep decline. In this 'Age of Unreason' experts are denigrated while prejudice is celebrated. The simplistic cries of anti-market populism resonate with those who have been left behind in a new landscape of technological change, near-zero interest rates and recovery from financial crisis. Insecurity is fuelled by mass migration, with more displaced persons across the world than at any time since the end of World War II. New social media amplifies these fears and gives voice to extremes. As Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010-2016, George Osborne was not simply a front-row observer, but an active participant in the West's struggle to respond to these challenges.
The book draws on his experience of the motivations, contradictions and internal conflicts that shaped UK government policy for the past six years; the referendum campaign and how the events of June 2016 have forced him to examine the assumptions around popular support for free markets and liberal democracy that he has championed all his life. In an age dominated by economic insecurity, mass immigration, lost identity and powerlessness, this book sets out a radical, alternative vision.