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The Dark Knight and the Puppet Master (Penguin, 2020) is a polemical essay. It critiques the three core myths that drive populism within progressive politics. And it makes the case for pluralism on the left.

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The book was originally published under the name Warring Fictions, by Rowman and Littlefield.

Praise for The Dark Knight and the Puppet Master...​

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'Richly nuanced, the most stimulating book I have read on Labour in ages' Martin Kettle, Guardian

'A brilliant book ... a reading of left-wing politics that suggests a road ahead' John Rentoul, Independent

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'The best book written about the Labour Party in recent years... An indispensable guide to Labour's internal politics and a must read for those of us wanting the Labour Party to learn from recent defeats and become once again a Party of Government' Douglas Alexander

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'Anyone on the centre and centre left of politics could do much worse than read [Warring Fictions]... Clarke argues for what he calls "pluralism" on left and right. This is a recognition that, though better worlds can be created, they have to be fashioned through persuasion, strategy, and the capacity to deal with complexity' David Aaronovitch, Times

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'Wide-ranging, clever and original;... a vital read for anyone interested in not just left populism, but any sort of populism at all' Andrew Sparrow, Guardian

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​'A splendid critique of left-wing populism and Labour's electoral woes ... a thesis that
convincingly accounts for the defeats of leaders as outwardly disparate as Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock and Ed Miliband, not to mention Jeremy Corbyn'
James O'Brien, TLS

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'Chris Clarke’s thought-provoking examination of the populist issues that have bedevilled the modern left is a bracing corrective to such complacency. This dismantling of myths and memes alike, along with dispelling the belief that the left has any kind of monopoly on decency or morality, is an essential read' Alexander Larman, The Observer

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'A highly original take on Labour mythology and how this impacts the party's ability to connect with the voters ... offers one of the most innovative explanations of how Labour has lost its way over the past decade' Anthony Broxton, The Critic

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