SPOKESMAN BOOKS
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Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation
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Catalogue
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Haditha Ethics - From Iraq to Iran?
The Spokesman, 91
Reviews
Giles
Edwards, British
Politics Unravelled, Politico’s
Publishing, 176 pages,
If
you are looking for a blistering exposure of British political power in New
Labour’s 21st century un-cool Britannia then this is not the book for you.
If, however, you are looking for a cautious outline of the workings of the
constitutional bodies and attendant political formations of that state,
together with some of the national and international issues with which it has
been pre-occupied, then it could be a good starting point.
The
first section explains the historical hotchpotch that goes under the name of
the British constitution with its constituent elements covered, not forgetting
quaint features such as Erskine May and the Royal prerogative. There are many
enticing sub-headings to guide you through the thicket of information, such as
‘What does the Church of England Do?’ and ‘Where does the Mayor of
London fit in?’ The arcane procedures of the Houses of Parliament are
explained succinctly and the changes at Number 10 under the ‘presidential’
and ‘sofa government’ of the Blair dispensation are listed and the
consequential veneer of cabinet government touched upon. There is not very
much about the Downing Street press office, Alastair Campbell’s brush with
the BBC, ‘dodgy’ and ‘sexed-up’ dossiers, in fact surprisingly little
on the BBC in general. But perhaps this is to be expected, as the author is a
working BBC journalist and the book has a Foreword by Nick Robinson: dangerous
territory – and who wants to end up like Greg Dyke? In fact all of the
issues in the book get the ‘balanced’ BBC treatment with knobs on.
The
constitutional changes of New Labour, from the 1998 Human Rights Act
right through to the impending Supreme Court, are listed and the
devolved Regional Assemblies and their varying and differing powers explained,
together with electoral mechanism. The long-forgotten Blair espousal of
‘open government’ is hardly mentioned and the only reference to the
Freedom of
Information
Act is in a listing of constitutional innovations. Perhaps that is as well,
given its thirty-five individual categories of exemption. The final section of
the book is about the state’s role in economic management, setting out the
argument about private industry’s involvement in government activities in
terms of the desire for it to be ‘done more efficiently’. The vast
disparities in wealth and income contaminating our political practice are not
touched upon, even when they undoubtedly feed the feelings of public political
powerlessness and cynicism, which have intensified under New Labour with its
sleazy antics and ‘news management’ proclivities.
In
conclusion, the book will hardly act as a clarion call for increased political
involvement for all those searching for political action to address big issues
such as social inequality and the dangers of war, those whose involvement has
been partly neutered by the New Labour take-over. But if you want to know
about the responsibilities of the Privy Council and what an EDM is, this guide
will be of help.
John
Daniels
