Who Runs this Place?: The Anatomy of Britain in the 21st Century

Anthony Sampson

John Murray, 2004 - Great Britain - 418 pages

Government power: Attorney-general and Blair crony, Lord Goldsmith, confirms the legality of war in Iraq in the face of convincing counter-arguments.

Media power: Politicians resign regularly to satisfy media bloodlust and sales figures, while long-term democratic endeavour is irreparably damaged.

Corporate power: FTSE100 fat-cats enjoy salary hikes of 92% over the past 10 years to £579,000, while inflation rises only by 25%.

Every citadel, from the murky intelligence service to the boardrooms of business moguls, is stormed. The results are remarkable for their uncompromising awareness and penetrating depth. Anthony Sampson's direct access to powerful figures, his decades of power-watching, ensure unprecedented insights into Britain's ruling elites.

But, above all, Who Runs This Place? is written for the here and now. When, in the backlash against institutional corruption, the call for accountability is becoming increasingly vocal and heartfelt. Anthony Sampson shows that only by examining who manipulates our lives can we begin to make them answer.

About the author

Anthony Sampson was educated at Westminster and Oxford, and after a spell as a naval officer he went to Johannesburg and edited the black magazine Drum, becoming a friend of young ANC revolutionaries. He then joined the Observer, but left to write The Anatomy of Britain and became a full time author, writing best-sellers investigating oil companies, arms dealers and bankers. He was editorial adviser to the Brandt Commission, director of the New Statesman, trustee of the Guardian and chairman of the Society of Authors, and he wrote the authorised biography of Nelson Mandela.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Who Runs this Place?: The Anatomy of Britain in the 21st Century
• Author: Anthony Sampson
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: John Murray, 2004
• ISBN: 0719565642, 9780719565649
• Length: 418 pages