In one of the most explosive, hotly debated books of the past year, Sir Peregrine Worsthorne presents a reactionary and playful look at the origins, evolution and demise of the aristocracy and what we can expect to replace them. Britain that it is in the process of removing the last vestiges of political power from one of the most ancient hereditary aristocracies in the world, and one, moreover, whose record of public service has been impeccable? Britain's aristocracy has in the past earned most of them in some degree or another. But Sir Peregrine Worsthorne, one of our most influential and respected political commentators, argues that not only does the good far outweigh the bad, but that our aristocracy has contributed mightily to our stability and prosperity, and that without it we would have neither. demonstrates the shallowness of those who would celebrate the abolishment of hereditary peers in the House of Lords. envy of the world, and which, crucially, 'had enough in-built authority -- honed over three centuries -- and enough ancestral wisdom -- acquired over three centuries -- to dare to defy the arrogance of intellectuals from above and the emotions of the masses from below; to dare to resist the entrepreneurial imperative; to dare to try to raise the level of public conversation; to dare to put the public interest before private interests; and to dare to shape the nation's will and curb its appetites.'