I have worked with Tony King on many election nights. His knowledge of British politics is profound and his insights into the workings of our curiously informal system of government invaluable. No one is better equipped to assess the nature of our constitution and the changes needed to it. This is a fascinating and thought provoking book from a master of the subject. The Prime Minister should have it by his bedside.

David Dimbleby

It's very hard to get the British Constitution to rise up and walk and talk. Tony King succeeds magnificently. There's shrewdness, wryness and insight on every page. This is a terrific book.

Peter Hennessy

This is a very fine book, one Bagehot would have loved. It is learned without ever being pompous, precise but not pedantic, often rude but never crude and bang up to date in a way that will last. Tony King is a rare man, a proper constitutional historian who writes natural, gripping English, and who, though very experienced, remains thoroughly shockable too -- which, given his subject, is useful. This account contains all the tough issues of recent
decades, from the change in behaviour of mandarins, through the jangling inconsistencies thrown up by devolution and the crushing of local government. I suspect that Gordon Brown won't fully agree with King about a constitutional convention, but I would be amazed and disappointed if he doesn't read this book.

Andrew Marr