I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in British politics - particularly our elected politicians and civil servants. I tend to blame most of this country's shortcomings on the Conservative party, but, after reading this book, my views have changed. Yes, the Tories and Thatcher, in particular, have fucked things up. But it's not all their fault: it's the way our institutions have evolved, from the prime minister's office in No. 10 Downing Street; to the way that patronage in the House of Commons has skewed the incentives for MPs; to the way that power has become more centralized as local government funding has been cut; and the way that the media covers politics. I expected this book to make me feel angry; but I actually felt more enlightened. And it does actually make some good suggestions about how our system of government could be reformed.
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