Book Reviews: February 2024
I discuss the books I’ve read this month - from James O'Brien’s 'How They Broke Britain' to Armen Sarkissian's 'The Small States Club'.
I thought I’d try out a new format here. Instead of dedicating a whole article to one book review, I wanted to try discussing more books in the one article.
‘How They Broke Britain’, by James O’Brien
LBC host James O’Brien’s new book ‘How They Broke Britain’ paints a detailed yet damming portrait of ten figures who have been omnipresent for at least the last fourteen years in the British political system. To be frank - I was initially concerned that this book may just read like a 300-page negative google review for a bad restaurant, the restaurant being ‘The Last Fourteen Years of Tory Rule’. Nonetheless, there was no need for this concern as O’Brien sets out with the aim of criticising some of the very people who have made our politics so tribal. As opposed to setting out with a tribal agenda - he is highlighting where it all went wrong.
The book is split into ten chapters, each focusing on an individual who O’Brien argues played a key role in the ‘breaking’ of Britain. One chapter I found particularly illuminating was the second, on Paul Dacre, who is the former editor of the Daily Mail and current editor in chief of DMG Media - which publishes the Mail among other publications. Although I have always been sceptical of the Daily Mail - I was unaware as to the level of toxicity that the Mail especially injected into the zeitgeist and of Dacre’s role in it.
I also initially was concerned that the topic of the book didn’t really warrant a book. This may seem like an unusual concern - most likely founded by my concern it would primarily serve as a tribal tirade. Or maybe I thought the topic just wouldn’t have the legs to successfully fill a book worth reading. But once again I stand corrected. The more I read, the more I awoke to the importance of the issue. I spend much time writing here about political failings - yet I was unaware, or perhaps yet again naïve as to the scale of the task that lies ahead. This is a testament to the detail O’Brien can delve into when given a whole book to play with.
That being said - the book isn’t without fault. I personally take issue with the presupposition that things are uniquely bad now and that there have never been issues with the political system. Sure, nowadays dishonesty is the new honesty. Whereas politicians would have historically had to resign in disgrace over being caught out lying - they are now able to make it a quirky character trait. That being said, there have always been bad politicians. Were there never issues with misconduct and sleaze prior to 2010? Are things in a more dire political situation than they were during the Iraq War? Or the Cold War? Or World War II? I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll also be the first to agree that the political situation in this country is dire. But again - I don’t quite agree with the apparent suggestion that things are uniquely bad now (if I am correct in my interpretation of the text), despite O’Brien’s devastatingly accurate illustration of some of the very people who as he would say, ‘broke Britain’.
In summary I enjoyed the book. I think it’s important, at the very least to highlight the abject failings of many who have held, or continue to hold great power and the ability to exert unrivalled levels of influence. Without people like O’Brien, to highlight these issues and to call them out - the political landscape, not just in this country, but around the world, would be even bleaker.
‘The Small States Club’, by Armen Sarkissian
Next up we have Armen Sarkissian's 'The Small States Club'. This was certainly an interesting read, written from an equally interesting and unique perspective. Sarkissian, former President of Armenia, discusses ten different 'small states', highlighting their often overlooked innovation - arguing that small states are oftentimes uniquely positioned to play an oversized role in solving global crises, especially if they club together in what Sarkissian brands a ‘Small States Club’. Think Singapore - and their unique position to ease US-China relations, or Jordan, and their position in easing tensions in the Middle East. The book is also interspersed with autobiographical elements from Sarkissian’s broad and fascinating life, from growing up in the Soviet Union, to creating a successful video game, to leading his nation. It's certainly a fascinating read.
My only critique would be that I feel as if the reasons for the discussed impressively rapid economic growth among many of these small states is somewhat overlooked. It's easy to achieve rapid economic growth when your nation is sat upon large oil or natural gas reserves. To be fair however - Sarkissian does highlight in many cases that the economic reliance of many of these nations is becoming less emphatic. That being said, it's certainly still an interesting read, on an often overlooked topic, from a unique perspective.
‘The Wild Men’ by David Torrance
Before the likely impending next Labour government (for those of you in the US, the Labour party is our equivalent to the Democrats), in 'The Wild Men', David Torrance shines a light on the rarely discussed first Labour government. This book is meticulously researched, yet accessible and intriguing. I personally didn't know much about Ramsay MacDonald and Co before this book and maybe that's why I found it so interesting. Torrance makes the argument that at the very least, that first Labour government demonstrated the party was a viable governing alternative, setting the scene for the two party system we have now - which was some achievement given the fact they formed their government when Baldwin's Unionists had more MPs. I found the discussion about how MacDonald was both Prime Minister and his own Foreign Secretary particularly intriguing - as that’s not something you’d see today. Some even suggested MacDonald was a better Foreign Secretary than Prime Minister. I'd certainly recommend this to anyone remotely interesting in British politics.
‘How to Steal a Presidential Election’ by Lawrence Lessing and Matthew Seligman
Last but certainly not least we have this most prescient of books. Against the backdrop of Trump’s ‘attempt’ to overturn the results of the 2020 US Presidential election, Lessing a professor at Harvard and Seligman, a fellow at Stanford, outline the very real ways the results of a presidential election could be overturned - if those at the helm display more competence than Trump and his allies did back in 2020. The book is effective at highlighting the potential paths to doing so - whilst also discussing paths which would not prove too fruitful for a wannabe election denier, such as how the Vice President has little power to overturn the election results, as Trump failed to understand. I found the chapter discussing the danger of rogue governors potentially certifying alternate slates of electors particularly interesting and chilling.
The authors acknowledge at the start that surely there is a danger of this book being used against the forces of democracy, i.e., as a guide to steal a Presidential election. But they make the case that it is up to the good to get there first and to ensure that it doesn’t happen. By highlighting the cracks in the wall, the defenders of democracy know where to focus their efforts. My only frustration is that it does oftentimes get stuck down legal talk rabbit holes. Given the authors and nature of the book, this is wholly understandable, but it does make this the least accessible book of the lot. That being said - for US based readers, this may be the most relevant of the discussed books for you.
Many thanks to the respective publishers for the review copies.