This book argues that the development of political leadership as emotional management is essential to the defence of democracy against terror, boredom and demagogy. This lucid and original work combines recent studies of politics and the media with a psychological approach to the relationship between leaders and the public. It offers a model of a new style of leadership, based on the idea of 'emotional governance' - deliberate and sophisticated attention to the emotional dynamics of the public. The model is explored in a detailed study of public emotion around terrorism, but has application in all fields of politics. It is also key to the general task of engaging with electorates, often seen today as indifferent to politics yet still as vulnerable to manipulation.