A Narrow, Depressive Reading and Misrepresentation of Our Politics!

<br />Rawnsley can write, but I believe having read him for years in 'The Observer' and with his first book on New Labour, 'Servants of the People', that he does not really understand fully politics and politicians. To Rawnsley, politics and what motivates people is all about gossip, backbiting, access to and exclusion from power. Never, ever is it about ideas and interests.<br /><br />'The End of the Party' is an 800 page tome about politics as gossip, which does not stop once to recognise the role of ideas in New Labour and the current political dispension. Given New Labour were influenced by ideas - and I am not arguing they are the right ideas - but influenced nonetheless by them - this is a partial, very partial and unsatisifying account of the last decade.<br /><br />Rawnsley's account of politics cannot really explain satisfactorily how Blair and Brown created New Labour - which was to accept the legacy and ideas of Thatcherism and moderate and humanise them and add an agenda of social justice (however incomplete). In Rawnsley's account, the only explanation plausible is that they wanted power, they wanted to be the ruling caste, and were prepared to do anything to get it.<br /><br />Given the journey New Labour have taken this country, our politics and democracy on this is an inadequate book to explain and explore the multiple crises the UK faces. Instead, it is a book in tune, with the hollowed out, spaced out, alienated democracy, accentuating and amplifying all of these and more, without addressing the causes.<br /><br />A very poor and very overlong book - which means we must wait a while for a more nuanced book which attempts to offer the definitive account of New Labour.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Positive read

I was unsure what this book would give me. however after reading this book through I found that it was a kind of self help self belief tool. From start to finish it provided a lot of good information and stories from various persons. Forget the hype about the book as it offers a lot more than what is expected from it. <br /><br />Overall I enjoyed reading this book and will keep it for reference, though you will learn a few secrets about YOU from it.

Awe inspiring read

This is an amazing story and one that should never be forgotten! I have made sure my children know all about Alistair's journey so they can appreciate the horrors of war and the determination of the human spirit. What an incredible man he is!

Nothing Like The"Davinci" Code

I bought this product expecting another great read along the lines of"The Davinci Code", however, my luck was not in. This book actually gives advice on how to obey the laws of the roads in the UK. I must say, that being a father of 12, this book is not what any of them want reading to them as the drift off to Bo-Bo land. Come on Department For Transport, you are obviously a clever woman, so write a novel and I will be happy!

It certainly is awe inspiring

After reading many tag lines on book covers such as the"best book this year",or"a most remarkable read",or as 3 cups of tea has"awe inspiring", it is refreshing to read a book that really lives up to these grandiose selling introductions.<br />This book is not only a incredible story about an incredible man doing incredible things in a much maligned country, Pakistan, but it is also a well written and riveting read. I thoroughly recommend it to anybody.

Unique and interesting.

This is a very interesting read. Of course, it's about a young woman turning prostitute, but she does so without any shame for it. That makes it very interesting. The read was unique in that I've never read anything quite like it. The story of Belle also evolves for the reader and takes the reader to places they've never been--the keystone of a good read. While this isn't a life I could ever envision for myself, it was very fun to read! A definite recommend, as well as Take Your Shirt Off: A Novel of Hollywood.

A Must Read

Even though the story has ben told in film with Clifton Webb and the film is shown at regular intevals this book gives a far better understanding of the whole project.

A Model of Clarity

Published under the title"Whoops!" in the UK, this is a 200-page aerial-photo of an economic bombsite, explaning the what, how, why and who of the global financial crisis. Each page brings jaw-dropping revelation, laugh-out-loud asides and a deep under-current of anger. A model of clarity and expositionary journalism. Required reading.

They seek it here, they seek it there, the cursed equality ephemeral

This book come with such ringing endorsements that it seemed folloy not to read it. <br /><br />After all, each and every day our senses are battered by commercials and infomercials about how to rid ourselves of those pesky tedious problems such as weight or insufficient income just by picking up the phone and using our credit cards. <br /><br />This book is packed from cover to cover with facts, figures, graphs and statistics, each pointing to the solitary theme that the problems of our lives are caused by the division of inequalities in our lives. Almost every facet of our existance examined across nation-states and across the United States of America points to this glaring fact that inequality, to a large degree, has a major impact upon our lives and of course, the policy prescription must inevitably be that inequalities must be reduced. <br /><br />I am not going to try and dissect the data, nor disagree with the implications of the analysis. If I had the time and the inclination, it may be worthwhile to check the data and the links and the references but the authors seem professional and experienced enough so there seems little point. <br /><br />Where I part company with the diagnosis of the problem is in the policy implications prescribed for the patients and their recovery. <br /><br />One cannot agrgue against the need for improvements in the lives of those who are unable to enjoy the benefits of others. Indeed the welfare state has had those improvements at the centre of it's being, which for Britain at least, was 100 years ago next year. As people are still unequal, one must question whether or not the welfare state is the correct vehicle to deal with such problems? <br /><br />However, I digress. My first issue concerns the view of people as aggreagates. The analyses is broad, looking at totals yet in doing so it effectiveley shows why, for all it's batteries of data, it is inappropriate for the task. People are individuals who think, behave and act differently. Trying to force equality on people will not be effective. For one basic example, giving more money to some could result in increased expenditure on consumption of products such as beer and cigarettes, thus actually making the situation worse, while others may save the money. Secondly, the notion of equality can only be supported by the use of force - the force of law, the force of regulation, the force of policing, unless you are living in a socialist utopia but if you are then there should be equality anyway. Next, who decides on the means to achieve that equality, how do you deal with those who have done well and want to maintain that position? How do you deal with elite administrators for whom the rules do not apply. <br /><br />Ultimately this is a great book, a great read and one which supplies much food for thought. However, it raises many more issues than it answers and those issues must be addressed in a broader arena.

Basic

As an experienced driver I bought this for my daughter to learn. The programme is clunky and looks like it was derived from the Windows 95 era. It is only viewed in a small screen box and the menu & choices are annoyingly simplistic. There is so much more that could be done with this subject using modern techniques, movie shots, accident statistics, etc, to make better young drivers. That said it includes the theory test (which is as basic as the programme) and the Highway code - in pdf.

Powerful and persuasive

Although dealing with complex legal concepts, Bingham writes so clearly and elegantly that this book is a joy to read and is perfectly comprehensible to a lay person. (Indeed, this is the readership at which it is aimed.) The 'rule of law' is a vitally important subject and this book should be read by anyone who seeks to understand better the meaning of the concept and who is concerned about the erosion of human rights in this country. Though the writing is balanced and measured throughout, Bingham pulls no punches in his observations about the legality of the Iraq War and the justifications put forward by Bush, Blair and their cronies - his commentary on the war is as incisive (and as devastating) as anything I have read on the subject. The book is a legal tour de force, written by this country's most distinguished jurist.

Did NOT deliver the ordered book

I ordered the book early in december 2009, and as of today, it has still not been delivered. Wether it has been shipped or not. I dont know, but it has NOT been delivered to me.<br /><br />As it is I can defintly not recommend buying with this supplier. <br />If I receive the book, I will rewrite this review. until then. Stay away form this seller.<br /><br />Jan Ebert JENSEN<br />Luxembourg

Super Superfreakonomics!

Built on a portmanteau of a title, and a pun-too-far, Superfreakonomics is the sequel to the global publishing phenomenon of a year or two ago, based on the concept, familiar, of the relationship between curious fact, anecdote, and unintended cause. With a usual, conversational style - akin to reading an informal chat between a mathematician with personality and curious and fascinated audience - makes it easy and straightforward to understand the hidden, and often obscure, reasons behind unrelated incidents : rises in children born with birth defects relating to the Ramadan festival that causes fasting for the first month of incubation, for example, or perhaps the ways in which people make decisions upon their purchasing power, and conditions of sale such as proportional pack sizes. <br /><br />Whilst the book breaks no new thematic ground, it further illustrates the original principles of the first text with examples of how perspective is everything - and how newspapers and others distort the facts of the matter to make their reports more effective or shocking - such as"The 38 Witnesses" to a murder who were almost all asleep at the time of the attack. All these facts combine to create a world of lies, lies, and damned statistics, told in a way that is embellished with practical examples and extrapolations to show the weakness and strength of presentation, of which Levitt & Dubner are aware are happy to exploit to prove a point. Overall, if you love Freakonomics, this is a fine sequel, a continuation, as good as the original - whilst not quite as original - and very worthy of an investigation. <br />

hmmm

i bought this bok for a mate.<br />So, i only flicked through it<br />it's ok but you need to read the book to appreciate it<br />or not

Well written

An interesting read, I think it's aimed at the more socially useless amongst us but I couldn't fault the advice, it's all sensible and anyone who made the effort to try would do better than they did before.

Go feminism

The only thing that drew my attention to this book was the cover. Female objectification even sells feminism it would seem.

Insightful

Foley writes lucidly and with much thought on some of the deeper issues facing western (and potentially other) societies, touching on areas such as the impact of advertising, the role of drugs companies in creating new"disorders", and lack of personal responsibility. There are no easy answers, but he does come up with suggestions that can help embrace the absurdity of modern life and use it to your advantage.<br /><br />Not a self help book, but a mix of social commentary, philosophy, life coaching and other things. It has a serious purpose (or does it?), but uses brevity and wit to get it's point across.<br /><br />This is the first book by Foley that I've read but it definitely won't be the last!

Excellent, can't be faulted

Got this software in the hope that it would save me having to read the highway code book and other relavant books, easy to install, doesn't take a powerful computer to run. The software uses actual questions from the tests and using the internet can keep up to date with the most current questions. Used for 4 weeks and did a mock test once a day and got 49/50 in the theory test and 58/75 in hazard perception, so passed it by quite a margin, the software makes it very simple and easy to learn. Definately 5*.

DSA Theory Test and Highway Code

Bought this for my son who is about to learn to drive. He wasn't put off by the size of the book (it is very thick) at all and is slowy reading his way through it.

Hard to believe this is the same author

I only picked up a copy of this book recently, and having read the original"Belle de Jour" a few years ago, I was hoping this would be an equally entertaining read.<br /><br />Huge mistake.<br /><br />The original Belle was feisty, clever, witty and funny. In the second book however, Belle decides to give up the game and go on a long holiday, somehow leaving her personality behind in the process to become an exceptionally boring person. She hooks up with the Boy again, and upon learning that he is unfaithful, starts obsessing over everything he says and does. I wouldn't have a problem with this if the subject was over and done with in the space of one or a couple of diary entries, but the moaning goes on, and on, and on, and then some more for literally hundreds of pages. It's about as entertaining as watching paint run dry.<br /><br />There is no story whatsoever to this book; it's just a big, dull, bitter whinge-fest. I wish I had taken notice of the reviews on here before I started reading what must be one of the most boring books in recent history.