Simon Heffer read English at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He joined the Daily Telegraph in 1986. In 1991 he became Deputy Editor of the Spectator. From 1994 to 1995 he was Deputy Editor of the Daily Telegraph and the paper's political columnist. Since 1994 he has been a columnist for the Daily Mail and a prolific contributor to other newspapers and periodicals. He has written acclaimed lives of Thomas Carlyle and Enoch Powell, and is the author of Nor Shall My Sword: The Reinvention of England (1999). He is married with two sons and lives in Essex.

• Introduction. 'All men were created equal' John Ball speaks to the rebels of the Peasants' Revolt. 'We few, we happy few' Shakespeare's Henry V emboldens his troops before the Battle of Agincourt. 'I have the heart and stomach of a king' Elizabeth I inspires her troops to face the Spanish Armada. 'Remember, I am your King' Charles I at his trial for treason. 'Ye are a pack of mercenary wretches' Oliver Cromwell lambasts members of the Rump Parliament. 'A flatterer you do not wish for' Edmund Burke on the responsibilities of a Member of Parliament. 'The representation of the many by a few' John Wilkes on the need for Parliamentary reform. 'The total abolition of the slave trade' William Wilberforce advocates the ending of slavery. 'The pure principles of toleration' Charles James Fox on the need for religious liberty. 'I stand up to defend Thomas Paine' Thomas Erskine defends The Rights of Man against charges of 'sedition'. 'Man has the fundamental right to state his opinion' Charles James Fox on the freedoms of speech and association. 'The deliverance of Europe' William Pitt the Younger on the need to resist French expansionism. 'The arduous and most desperate struggle' William Pitt the Younger on the need for strong defences against possible invasion. 'Armed with the liberty of the press' Richard Brinsley Sheridan on the freedom of the press. 'The blast the name of an English queen!' Henry Brougham defends the reputation of Queen Caroline. 'Worship of a hero' Thomas Carlyle lectures on the role of 'great men' in history. 'The immediate suspension of the law' Sir Robert Peel on the need to repeal the Corn Laws. 'Civis Romanus sum ... the strong arm of England' Lord Palmerston on defending British citizens and British honour abroad. 'The Angel of Death has been abroad' John Bright on the sufferings in the Crimean War. 'The noblest government in the world' Benjamin Disraeli on the virtues of monarchy and the House of Lords. 'It is his duty to protest' William Ewart Gladstone on Disraeli's foreign policy and the Eastern Question. 'Ireland stands at your bar expectant' William Ewart Gladstone on the need for Home Rule in Ireland. 'Methods of barbarism' Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman on the treatment of the Boers. 'Their day of reckoning' David Lloyd George attacks the vested interests of landowners and landlords. 'A fit country for heroes to live in' David Lloyd George on Britain's prospects following the Great War. 'Glittering prizes' Lord Birkenhead on the need to counter 'Idealism' in foreign affairs. 'The king has made his decision' Stanley Baldwin on events surrounding the abdication of Edward VIII. 'The woman I love' Edward VIII on his decision to abdicate. 'The suppression of all that we hold dear' George VI at the first Christmas of the war. 'Blood, toil, tears and sweat' Winston Churchill on becoming prime minister and the challenges of war. 'We shall fight on the beaches' Winston Churchill on the evacuation from Dunkirk and the spirit of resistance. 'This was their finest hour' Winston Churchill on the British determination to resist German invasion. 'Never in the field of human conflict' Winston Churchill on the Battle of Britain and the current state of the war. 'An iron curtain' Winston Churchill on the post-war world and the division of Europe. 'Never had it so good' Harold Macmillan on the dangers of overheating in the economy. 'Naked into the conference chamber' Aneurin Bevan on the detrimental consequences of unilateral nuclear disarmament. 'This affair at Hola Camp' Enoch Powell on the treatment of suspected Mau Mau in Kenya. 'The wind of change' Harold Macmillan on the rise of black African nationalist feeling. 'Fight and fight and fight again' Hugh Gaitskell on the folly of unilateral nuclear disarmament. 'The end of a thousand years of history' Hugh Gaitskell on Britain's status within a converging Europe. 'Never glad confident morning again' Nigel Birch on the implications of the Profumo affair. 'The white heat of the technological revolution' Harold Wilson on the economic potential of technological innovation. 'The River Tiber foaming with much blood' Enoch Powell on the consequences of race relations legislation. 'A seraglio of eunuchs' Michael Foot opposes reform proposals for the House of Lords. 'The lady's not for turning' Margaret Thatcher on the achievements of her Conservative government. 'The grotesque chaos of a Labour council' Neil Kinnock on the Labour Party's electability. 'Let Europe be a family of nations' Margaret Thatcher on her vision of Europe. 'Conflict of loyalty' Sir Geoffrey Howe on his reasons for resigning from Margaret Thatcher's government. 'The extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana' The 9th Earl Spencer on the life of Princess Diana. 'The forces of conservatism' Tony Blair on 'reactionary' forces in British society and politics. Index.