"There are very few people who know more about Britain's uneasy historic relationship with the EU than James Elles. For three decades I have turned to him for his insiders' knowledge. Based on insights gleaned from his long and distinguished service with the European Parliament and other key EU institutions, he explains why the United Kingdom has been a significant beneficiary of EU membership and why fundamental misunderstandings of the EU have cost the UK dearly, including in the results of the In/Out referendum. His book is a call to UK citizens to appreciate what they have had and can still protect by being in the EU".
— Anthony Gardner, former US Ambassador to the EU
"Fiction, Fact and Future is one of the few truly readable books on our troubled relationship with the European Union and how Brexit has come to dominate British politics. Cool and crystal clear, it's based on a deep, personal practice-based knowledge of the EU as a working economic and political organisation. James Elles shows why the British Conservative Party (of which he's long been a loyal member) has found 'Europe' almost impossible to understand and how it was induced, by a small number of hardline 'Eurosceptics', to commit to a 'yes-no' referendum which David Cameron then lost, splitting the nation in half in the process. The quotes here from key figures during these years of strife make one's toes curl. Elles looks forward to a future in which Brexit may not be the last word. Another vote on our relationship to the EU is not to be ruled out. Whether this happens or not, his book explains how we got to this place and what needs to be addressed as we stumble towards an uncertain fate."
— Anthony Glees, University of Buckingham