Unspeakable cover art

Unspeakable

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for £0.00
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Unspeakable

By: John Bercow
Narrated by: John Bercow
Try for £0.00

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 31 July 2025 23:59 GMT. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

When John Bercow retired as Speaker of the House of Commons on 31 October 2019, he had become one of the most recognisable and iconoclastic figures in British politics, occupying a ringside seat during one of the most febrile periods in modern British history. In his no-holds-barred memoir, he offers verdicts on the leading figures of his era - from Tony Blair to David Cameron, Theresa May to Boris Johnson, and charts his extraordinary political journey. Unspeakable is essential listening for anyone interested in politics and how our democracy is - or should be - run.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 John Bercow (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Politicians Politics & Activism Thought-Provoking Inspiring

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Turning Points cover art
How They Broke Britain cover art
The Abuse of Power cover art
The Insider cover art
My Life, Our Times cover art
A Life in Questions cover art
The Blair Years cover art
Keep Talking cover art
Blue Murder cover art
Inside Story: Politics, Intrigue and Treachery from Thatcher to Brexit cover art
How Westminster Works...and Why It Doesn't cover art
Ten Years Hard Labour cover art
Bob Hawke cover art
The Fall of Boris Johnson cover art
Election Notebook cover art
The Decade in Tory cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
I did not know much about Bercow and only remember him for one speech in the 1990's.

After becoming speaker, his neutral and fair posistion during Brexit votes made him noticed.

In this audiobook he takes you from his early days through to now. Whats really outstanding is the way he describes all the events with incredible clarity and most importantly sincerity.

If you feel that politics is all the same and there are no politicians with principle then you should take time to listen to this book.

I enjoyed book and will recommend it.

Very Informative and Enjoyable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
interesting at every point
gives real insight
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone interested in UK politics

AMAZING

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Whether you love or loathe John Bercow, you have to respect the blunt honesty in the way that he has approached the subjects laid bare in his book. He has not been afraid to promote his successes as a person, but neither has he been shy to admit to the errors that he has made and apologise for them. His views on his colleagues and government policies are certainly not to everyone's taste, but they are his honest opinion and quite possibly, that of many others too. This book will appeal to many who are interested in UK politics and the functioning of Westminster, and will possibly rile the 'Dyed in the wool' Brexit supporter. For those without blinkered political views in these strange times for the UK, this book should appeal - even if just to help give a little broadening of the whole picture. I had not been a massive fan of John Bercow whilst in the chair, though my respect for him grew with his handling of the Brexit fiasco. His book has allowed me to increase my level of respect for him and I hope that others will feel the same if they read/listen to this book. Many of those that have given the lowest review score, quite probably have either not read/listened to the book or were never in the mind to give a positive review due to hard bias towards the man and his methods! I would urge doubters to give the book a proper chance and to make their own options once completed, rather than to take it for read, that you should not bother! Controversial, but honest and overall an eye opener about the people that we vote in and trust to run the UK. It will make you think carefully about who you should help to elect next time around.

No holds barred

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I found this an interesting listen. At no point did I find it a struggle. It is well delivered and touches on areas that are of interest from this interesting character. The peaks behind the veil of impartiality are also good and sprinkled throughout.

Better than David Cameron's effort.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of the most interesting books I have ever read. Certainly to be read multiple times !!!

Must be read several times

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this audio book. whether you agree with his views or not you cannot argue with his broad knowledge and experience in the houses of commons. Felt I had a better understanding of our political system at the end of the book. excellent Mr Bercow.

Much better than expected

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A candid, honest and enlightening read, would recommend to all, my teenagers and my father have all devoured it.

Unspeakable? No Way!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Bercow admits to being somewhat long-winded even within the book. At times I feel he ought to have been more concise than he was but anyone who is a fan of Bercow knows not to expect that of him.

I deduced 1 star from Theresa May’s book due to her excessive attacks on Bercow, and I feel compelled to do the same to Bercow in response to his excessive attacks on May. Evidently, the two detest each other.

Other than the above, I feel this book is a good account of Bercow’s life and it covers both his personal life and his political career. I enjoyed this book very much.

Given all the above: a 4-star rating is in ordeeeeeerr.

A good account of Bercow’s personal and political life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In this book, John gives us an excellent insight into our democracy, our MPs on all sides and the processes within our Parliament. He opens up about his background and personality with bare honesty, showing us his journey to position of Speaker, the responsibilities of the role and highlights of his 10 years. Many of us have taken a newly found interest in our Parliament due to the contentious events of the last 5 years and John's book also enlightens us to the progression of how we got to where we are today!

Brilliant informative book, superbly read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Quite how John Bercow managed to get his memoirs published so quickly after leaving office I do not know. What I do know is that he comes over as a non nonsense, straight to the point chap that will be no surprise to anyone who has taken an interest in the soap opera that is the Mother of Parliaments over the last couple of year.
Many political memoirs are a bit dull and the reader wants to skip to the juicy bits and miss out all of the background galumph. I suspect John Bercow knows this and whether it was he, or one of his advisers, who suggested the book should open with a "prorogue" of what is the most fascinating time in British politics for several generations is, quite frankly, a genius. The opening salvo of this book is akin to watching the first 27 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, it is explosive and combative and emotional and compelling. When it is over, however, it does make you feel that you have been to a music concert and seen your favorite band open the concert with their "greatest hit" and it is a bit of a come down when Bercow follows it up in more conventional autobiographical manner by talking about his childhood and early political life. Many listeners or readers would possibly want to switch off at this point but Bercow's journey (why does everyone have to have a "journey"?) is neither conventional or traditional.
It was quite disturbing to hear of his formative political motivation of the Monday Club and Enoch Powell, I really was not expecting that. Bercow's politics have mellowed over the years and, unlike many who become more conservative (with a small c and a large C) as time progresses, Bercow drifted towards the centre ground and then to the left which seemed to infuriate his colleagues in the Conservative Party. He worked tirelessly to gain a seat in Parliament and managed to secure the safe Buckingham seat after countless attempts elsewhere. It was when he entered Parliament that he realised that he did not actually like or respect many in his own party and was more impressed with politicians from other parties. In this book he savagely appraises the merits (or lack of) of many high ranking politicians. He does not hold back and his description of Theresa May, in particular, is ferocious. He also mimics the hapless William Hague and brutally attacks every Conservative leader from Major though to Howard, IDS and Johnson.
Bercow's tenure as Mr Speaker will be studied and examined by those interested in our democracy for years to come and, in this book, he talks about the inner mechanisms and peculiarities of our Parliament and the work he did to modernise and improve it. He will be forever remembered in the context of the Brexit debate of which, unfortunately, will rumble on for years to come.

The eyes to the right and the nose to the left

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews