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'Absorbing . . . an intelligent and clear-eyed account of much that goes on in our country' Sunday Times Getting to grips with Great Britain is harder than ever. We are a nation that chose Brexit, rejects immigration but is dependent on it, is getting older but less healthy, is more demanding of public services but less willing to pay for them, is tired of intervention abroad but wants to remain a global authority. We have an over-stretched, free health service (an idea from the 1940s that may not survive the 2020s), overcrowded prisons, a military without an evident purpose, an education system the envy of none of the Western world. How did we get here and where are we going? How Britain Really Works is a guide to Britain and its institutions (the economy, the military, schools, hospitals, the media, and more), which explains just how we got to wherever it is we are. It will not tell you what opinions to have, but will give you the information to help you reach your own. By the end, you will know how Britain works - or doesn't. 'Stig Abell is an urbane, and often jaunty guide to modern Britain, in the mould of Bill Bryson' Irish Times… (more)
User reviews
I think he fails to consider why the loss of faith in public provision has been so complete, all this privatising. Can we make public provision work? Also says little about local government but sees the opportunity to move Parliament away from London. Amazingly cheap on Kindle.
Unfortunately Mr Abell cannot resist putting in his own political bias and, even when I agreed with his line of reasoning, I found that I did not need, or want, his views.
Skip the message and read this as an explanatory tome and there is much to commend in this book.
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941.08612 |