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Unleashing Demons: The Inside Story of Brexit

Craig Oliver

3.79 · Rating details · 453 ratings · 58 reviews

As David Cameron's director of Politics and communications, Craig Oliver was in the room at every key moment during the EU referendum - the biggest political event in the UK since World War 2.

Craig Oliver worked with all the players, including David Cameron, George Osbourne, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Theresa May and Peter Mand

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Kindle Edition, 432 pages

Published October 4th 2016 by Hodder & Stoughton

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Brexit & The EU In/Out Referendum

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Feb 05, 2017 Andrew Smith rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoirs-biographies, non-fiction, history-politics

The Brexit wounds are still fresh, so what better time to get the views of David Cameron’s communications chief on how the whole thing played out. The book takes the form of daily diary updates. After opening with the cataclysmic climax to the UK’s vote, we are taken back to the beginning of the referendum campaign. Most of the events covered here seem familiar (and why not, they were covered comprehensively on the wall to wall television and radio news updates I avidly watched) but it was inter The Brexit wounds are still fresh, so what better time to get the views of David Cameron’s communications chief on how the whole thing played out. The book takes the form of daily diary updates. After opening with the cataclysmic climax to the UK’s vote, we are taken back to the beginning of the referendum campaign. Most of the events covered here seem familiar (and why not, they were covered comprehensively on the wall to wall television and radio news updates I avidly watched) but it was interesting to get the inside track as the campaign momentum ebbed and flowed.

The key elements for me boiled down to:

- The vote quickly boiled down to the economy (the remain team) versus immigration (the leave team). In the end the latter was deemed to be the issue that carried the vote.
- The leave team lied, consistently and comprehensively. They made up facts and got away with it.
- The remain team failed to garner proper support from Labour and from the SNP.
- The remain team failed to gain the support of any effective media champions. The popular press came out mainly in support of leave.
- The polls were all over the place and failed to provide the information that might have caused the remain team to adjust their campaign strategy.

Craig Oliver is clearly an intelligent man and a highly articulate communicator, but he comes across as a bit holier-than-thou here. He may well have known more than just about all the MP’s he sought to coach on how they should get their points across, but he does go on and on about how poor the politicians seem to have been at grasping the key messages. David Cameron and George Osborne escape this criticism, but just about every other MP on the remain side comes in for some stick.

Oliver also criticises the BBC (the biggest communication engine in the UK) for letting the leave team get away with lies and for failing to give equal airtime to truthful facts (remain) and made-up facts (leave). But I can't help thinking that as director of communications part of his role must have been to manage this relationship. In this he patently failed.

Predictably, both Michael Gove and Boris Johnson come out badly (as does Theresa May), but more than that most politicians come across as being more concerned with their own career aims than they were about the ultimate outcome of the vote. Again, Cameron and Osborne escape this criticism.

Overall an interesting account of a key event in British political history. Rather depressing, but insightful nonetheless. ...more

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Oct 06, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing

Subtitled, “The Inside Story of Brexit,” this is the first in what will, undoubtedly, be many books about the referendum. It does, however, have a very interesting author – both in terms of his level of involvement and his access to the major players and in his obvious commitment to the Remain campaign. Craig Oliver was David Cameron’s Director of Politics and Communications and this book takes us through January, 2016, with Cameron renegotiating a deal with Europe, up until the aftermath of the Subtitled, “The Inside Story of Brexit,” this is the first in what will, undoubtedly, be many books about the referendum. It does, however, have a very interesting author – both in terms of his level of involvement and his access to the major players and in his obvious commitment to the Remain campaign. Craig Oliver was David Cameron’s Director of Politics and Communications and this book takes us through January, 2016, with Cameron renegotiating a deal with Europe, up until the aftermath of the referendum.

The beginning of the book opens on the 23rd of June, 2016, with early suggestions that Leave has lost and Remain has won. Oliver is feeling that it will be close, but he is confident and, indeed, Nigel Farage concedes defeat. However, in politics, as we know, anything can change and, as the results begin to come in, optimism turns to pessimism. The Prime Minister texts, “How worried should we be?” Of course, we now know the result and this book then asks what went wrong and why…

The referendum was a central promise in the Conservative 2015 election manifesto. It is clear, from this work, that Oliver believed that the electorate would not vote against their own pockets and that the economy would trump immigration as the primary concern. It was also assumed that the three million voters who had not voted in the recent general election would not turn out to vote in the referendum, when, many disaffected voters did, in fact, turn out to vote Leave. History is usually written by the winner – this is the story of the referendum from the losing side.

This book begins with cries for the Remain Campaign to be more proactive and this is a theme which follows through the book. Another theme which resonates through the book is the disunity within the Conservative Party. So, within these pages, you read of the difficulty of getting the Labour party involved with the Remain campaign, and you can really sense Oliver’s sense of frustration with Jeremy Corbyn and the members of the Labour Shadow Cabinet, of his dislike of Michael Gove (which deepens as the book progresses), of Boris Johnson and his late decision to campaign for Leave and of Theresa May’s attempts to sit on both sides of the fence – a ‘submarine’ strategy of not being dragged into any particular side which worked very well for her.

This was a campaign which many people, including myself, followed avidly. Through it all, though, you cannot help feeling that Oliver is often aware of what, ‘the man on the street’ thought, but just did not know how to answer their concerns. The Remain Campaign threw everything they had into the argument for the economy, but never really addressed the issue of immigration in a way that made much of a difference against those campaigning for Leave. Also, although Nigel Farage is mentioned, he is often mentioned disparagingly, or not taken seriously; despite the fact that he was seen, and heard, everywhere in the campaign. Whatever Oliver thought of him, it was obvious that he was ignored at Remains peril. Lastly, he often seemed to misjudge how things were seen by those undecided voters. For example, he applauds Obama’s visit to the UK, in which he warned the country that they would be, “at the back of the queue.” He is keen to say what a useful visit it was, how Obama would change minds and how positive his message was for Remain. Yet, many people at the time commented to me how disgruntled they were at Obama’s ‘interference’ and I felt that was one thing which really backfired in the Remain campaign.

Overall, though, this is a really fascinating view of the campaign from the inside. Oliver comes across as incredibly hard working, focused and dedicated. He obviously thinks highly of Cameron and is keen to promote him as both an excellent Prime Minister and a down to Earth guy (when he calls Cameron he is invariably with his children or mowing the lawn). Although there is lots of insider gossip, Oliver is never really unpleasant about anyone. You sense he quite likes Boris for instance, although the one person he really criticises for being disloyal is Michael Gove. I found this a really interesting account of one of the major political events of my lifetime. I was, literally, glued to the news reports and newspapers throughout this period. As Oliver himself admitted though, the most listened to news report is the 8am bulletin on Radio 2 and he seemed to be pitching his message elsewhere. With the politicians obsessed with broadsheets and in-fighting, they really failed to capture the imagination of the average person, which cost them dearly.

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Jun 06, 2019 Lena B rated it liked it · review of another edition

I read this to get out of my " leftie echo chamber" and am proud to announce that I've successfully made it through 400 pages of this torie's diary entries! ...more

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Feb 11, 2018 Joseph Cope rated it it was ok

I didn't get very far with this. Written from diary entries, there is little context or reflection. An extra star though for comments re some new carpets and what was had for lunch in the back of a car. Clearly this is one persons perspective, quite raw, and written very close to the action. As that it probably works OK if you have the patience and an interest in the minutiae of politics (Andrew Marr loved it). For sure it is an interesting topic- how did it all go so wrong? - but for myself I w ...more

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Nov 05, 2020 Graham rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, politics

The story of the Brexit referendum, as told from the point of view of an aide to David Cameron working on behalf of the Remain side. UNLEASHING DEMONS is as fast-moving, powerfully told and exciting as you'd expect from this febrile period, and no matter your views on the eventual outcome, this makes for a gripping read. Oliver delivers a down-to-earth and naturalistic prose style in which character is everything, while at the same time offering more than reasoned criticism towards the various f ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Old Bob rated it liked it

This is an interesting account of one of the greatest days in recent British history. The people ignored Remain's lies and voted for independence. ...more

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Nov 27, 2016 Kharis rated it it was amazing

Excellent book and a real glimpse into Downing Street at a crucial time. I learned a lot about the plotting of communications and their relationship with the press. What I didn't realise was how 'rehearsed' the cross party debates were and how scripted some of them had to be - it is a worry that MPs cannot answer questions without a script that is written by someone else. It also totally highlights Labour leadership lack of engagement in the whole campaign. Was the leader a 'closet leaver?'. Man ...more

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Sep 02, 2019 Michael Heath-Caldwell rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: all

Shelves: history, britain

In the age of the crabby electorate that voted for 'Boaty McBoat Face the 'Remainers' dogmatically persist in down playing the migration issue, which has impacted on so many UK residents.

'Remainer' organisers tried using fear tactics, threatening a one-off referendum, no second chances, to coerce the electorate to vote 'remain,' but are now backsliding non-stop to reverse the decision.

Cameron's last meeting with Merkel after the referendum show how dogmatic about open migration she was. this sh ...more

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May 24, 2017 Jennifer rated it liked it · review of another edition

This certainly is what it claims to be - an insider's view on Brexit!
I guess that wasn't really what I was after when I ordered it, though. It is such an insider's view that we are introduced to a huge range of characters, the vast majority of whom were not major players in the events. And for someone who is just interested in an analysis of why it all happened the way it did, I must admit it was a case of massively too much detail.
It seems to me that you would have to be a complete political This certainly is what it claims to be - an insider's view on Brexit!
I guess that wasn't really what I was after when I ordered it, though. It is such an insider's view that we are introduced to a huge range of characters, the vast majority of whom were not major players in the events. And for someone who is just interested in an analysis of why it all happened the way it did, I must admit it was a case of massively too much detail.
It seems to me that you would have to be a complete political tragic, and an English conservative voter to be interested in this much detail, or to be familiar with most of those names or interested in their daily meetings and views on the daily grind of government.
The reason why I say I think you need to be a conservative voter to fully enjoy this is that it is a bit hampered by the usual attitudes held by those who go into politics: total conviction that they are the sole proponents of intelligent, well informed opinions; that there were few, and only minor options other than those taken by their side; that their other allies and the press let them down, and an over emphasis on the admittedly shameful and underhanded tactics of the Leavers.
I would have appreciated a little more soul searching about the reasons why the Remainers' campaign failed, the limitations of slogan and fear driven politics, and a more concerted effort to understand the reasons for the disenchantment of the Leave voters. I think someone with more nuanced views, like some of the figures in the conservatives who campaigned for the Leavers, or the Labour people who were perhaps roped into a position which didn't entirely suit them, may have had more insightful thoughts to offer. Oliver doesn't go any deeper into this question than an analysis by pollsters and statisticians of the reported views and turnouts of various voting groups. For these reasons, I think that this will be fully read, and with enthusiasm by a very small audience.

That said, if the above description fits you - you will almost certainly enjoy this record; and the analysis at the end of the voting trends, and some of the breakdowns of votes which are not otherwise readily available, are interesting to the casual observer from another English speaking country with a mild interest, like me. ...more

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Oct 12, 2020 Ali Ilman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Unleashing Demons, the inside story of Brexit by Craig Oliver.

When the referendum took place over 4 years ago, I was only a wee lad. Still am! 😂 British politics weren’t one of my interests, I was playing games all day long and I was still homeschooled.

Though ever since I grew older, coupled with my increasing fondness for England, I had read more about Brexit and right now am witnessing a terrific comedy show going on at Number 10. It’s an utter shambles. I’ve always thought that Leave winning ...more

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Jun 14, 2020 Chris Hall rated it really liked it

I suppose that any book about Brexit is going to have to deal with at least two issues:

1 - Brexit isn't over yet so it's too early for any conclusions

2 - Impartiality will be difficult on such a divisive issue

The book gets around the first point by not actually being about Brexit - it's actually about the EU referendum. (The cover image has a subtitle '... of the EU Referendum' though my copy says '... Brexit')

With regard to the second point: There's absolutely no attempt at impartiality. To be ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 C. A. Powell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this fly on the wall account of the losing Remain team's efforts to win the EU referendum. One is taken through the various stages of the build up to the referendum. The negotiated new EU deal etc. It obviously points out the reasons why the Remain team wanted to stay in the EU with its economic argument. There still seemed to be the failure to recognise why the majority of the UK electorate would not be swayed. What I mean is they accept they lost and why, but there still seemed to be ...more

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Dec 31, 2017 Alejandro Shirvani rated it really liked it

Excellent political diary from an insider. Oliver has had time to reflect on the reasons behind Remain's defeat in the referendum and reading this account you can see the problems building. It does leave you feeling like Cameron and his associates were burned by complacency and thought they could switch from an equivocal stance or being Eurosceptic when it suited them for political reasons, to endorsing EU membership and felt they would take the country with them. A chapter on 'how it feels to b ...more

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Nov 06, 2018 Neil Lakeland rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 03, 2021 Raluca rated it liked it

The book is written like a journal, which sometimes can mean events are not presented as linked together. I found myself a few times having to go back to recheck the chain of events.

David Cameron is presented in a very positive light and clearly the author has a very good opinion of him. I am not entirely sure it is justified.

The part I appreciated the most was the realistic presentation of the bafflement of the Remain campaign in regards to the lengths the Leave campaign was willing to go to an ...more

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Sep 22, 2017 Adrian S rated it liked it

The author, who is the former Director of Communications under British PM David Cameron, presents his book as an inside account of the events leading up to the Brexit vote in the summer of 2016.

Craig Oliver's experience as a senior government media representative who is talented at preparing and communicating extremely complex and emotional political facts for the public at large is immediately recognizable, so I don't have a lot to add.

The only thing I would highlight, perhaps, is the following ...more

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Dec 09, 2018 norman stewart rated it liked it

Behind the Black Door of No. 10

I found the book somewhat repetitive as the months leading towards the final date in June 2016 are detailed. At times it seemed to be a very one sided story and even now trying to remember some of the news items it was difficult to recall the facts. I had no idea how much emphasis was placed on speech writing, creating Bullet Points to push without definitive explained detail, and the amount of rehearsal to be carried out....if you wore a jacket , it sent a message ...more

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Jan 22, 2021 Ramesh Abhiraman rated it liked it

In this book, David Cameron's campaign manager for the Remain initiative describes how he retched and vomited after the referendum and the "morning after" at No.10 Downing Street, as people prepared to resign.
As in the entire Brexit saga, nothing too edifying.
Not even British prose with its supposed differences from the American can save the reader from the trainwreck that was Brexit. At least, without flinching or making excuses, Craig Oliver explains why momentum inevitably led David Cameron t ...more

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May 04, 2017 Tara Brabazon rated it it was ok

This book captures the slow motion train wreck of the EU referendum. Written by Cameron's Director of Politics and Communication, it covers the day-to-day shambles that was the racist, xenophobic and post-fact campaign to leave Europe. The futility of fighting racism with evidence is captured in these pages. But the incapacity to create a strong communication message from the Remain group is also very clear.

It is not well written and it is a bit baggy like an unedited diary, but the daily debacl ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Russell Whiting rated it it was ok

This is a pretty interesting account of the EU Referendum but only from the Tory side. The only references to anyone outside the Tory party either comes in passing or with criticism. It's written more in the form of long notes rather than a details account or diary, and is full of moments when Oliver can apparently see something bad coming, but does nothing to try and stop it.

Be prepared to read phrases like "Everyone agreed with me" and "Everyone said what a great job I was doing" and constant ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Josep Marti rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of the best political thrillers I have ever read. Having finished Owen Bennett’s account, which focuses on the Leave campaign, Oliver’s insights were useful and interesting to understand the Remainers. It has the right anecdotes to make it funny, the narrative is good enough to keep the reader turning pages, and the position of the author as Cameron’s spin doctor makes room for some good reflections and thoughts on the referendum and the campaign— and the results, in the expanded ver ...more

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Feb 12, 2019 Caroline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-reads

This book confirms that the ridiculous reasons to justify both the referendum and Brexit itself were even worse than they appeared. Nobody comes out of this looking good, but the author directs particular ire at BoJo, Gove and Corbyn. Cameron just seems a bit tired and bewildered, and Osborne is nowhere to be seen. Confirms my belief that there is an immense vacuum of power in British politics. I only hope we survive the hateful process over the next few weeks, and that the unleashed demons can ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 Laura Buckley rated it liked it · review of another edition

I found this an incredibly interesting account of the Brexit mess, told from the inside. I don't think the writing was great - there were a few anecdotes related that were set up as if they were funny, and I personally found most of the book incredibly dry - but it wasn't bad either. Solid, middle-of-the-road story telling, and the story was wild enough to carry the whole thing off.

Definitely frustrating at times, but I think that's more a function of my feelings about Brexit than my feelings ab ...more

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Jul 09, 2019 Geoff Cantrell rated it it was amazing

A fascinating read, lifting the lid on behind closed doors events before and in the aftermath of the EU Referendum. It helped to fill in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge of what happened in this momentous campaign, although obviously a little biased, but nonetheless a very helpful commentary, recording events as they happened and revealed that the truth was sometimes the last consideration when it came to winning minds and votes.
Some well known people come out of this story well, certain other ...more

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Jul 12, 2017 Nicholas Smith rated it it was amazing

Fascinating insight into a a frantic 6 months in Craig's life dealing with the Brexit debate and campaign and all the characters involved. It reads like a story rather than a diary, which is much more interesting, and I guess was written on the run. It is fast-paced, descriptive, and I enjoyed the honest approach. How he and his team kept going is quite remarkable. The best political book I have read - although I repeat it is written as a story. I knew Gove was and is a weasel.... ...more

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Sep 13, 2020 Jason Wilson rated it really liked it

Oliver was David Cameron’s communications advisor after Andy Coulson, foisted on Cameron by Murdoch, was thrown to the wolves to take the rap for the phone hacking scandal. His account of what went on is electric. There is some good analysis, balance, and I couldn’t agree more that whether or nit hesitant works out well for us in the end, the real damage is the dividing of both government and country ideologically.

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Oct 14, 2020 Ziad Daoud rated it really liked it

Reads like a diary – an insider’s chronology of the events from the beginning of 2016 to the Brexit referendum. Raw information without much analysis but plenty of references to bad food and bias. Cameron is always composed and in control; not a single bad media performance. The others? Boris is an inconsiderate attention-seeker, Gove is disloyal and toxic, Corbyn is weak and indecisive, May went absent during the campaign.

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Feb 15, 2021 Marsilla Dewi-Baruch rated it really liked it

Oliver propels his tale of Strong In campaign, from daily polls to combatting the hard myths spewed by the leavers. My expectation is more of projected impact on UK economy, although the story took place before brexit referendum. It would give an idea how the future economy was perceived pre-referendum, as to what is seen coming Jan 2021. Too bad Oliver who is dedicated to his work, had to leave HMS which his talent could contribute more to UK.

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Jul 19, 2017 Lisa Norcross rated it liked it

I found this book interesting but also intensely annoying. I think that Brexit is a disaster for the UK and the Remain campaign was a shambles. Here is one of the perpetrators of said shambles basically blaming everyone else (mainly the BBC and the newspapers) for their failure. A bit more introspection would have been nice

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Oct 25, 2017 Nicola Ray rated it it was amazing

An incredible insight in to how the political machine operates during a major campaign. Set against the febrile atmosphere of the referendum, Oliver takes you through the daily grind of meetings and phone conversations whilst maintaining an engaging pace. I found the "behind the scenes" revelations fascinating and well written. This is a must read if you're interested in politics. ...more

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