Non-fiction: Politics
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It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. Let’s just say 2017 was a challenging year and leave it at that. I’m starting with Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, lent to me by a friend. The book looks at ten areas of the world and how the geography affects foreign policy and strategic interests.…
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The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future by Victor Cha Published by Vintage in 2013 The Impossible State is an examination of North Korea and whether it will ever change. In the wake of the Arab Spring and the popular uprisings against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East and North Africa, Victor Cha wonders if…
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The Rent Trap by Rosie Walker and Samir Jeraj Published by Pluto Books in 2016 The Rent Trap explores the world of private renting and how rising house prices make home ownership out of reach for many renters. It looks at the instability caused by short term contracts and the impact on families. The book…
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Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire Published by Random House in 2003 I went to Rwanda last year on a work trip and it inspired me to learn more about the genocide in 1994. I visited the excellent Genocide Memorial and bought several books. Shake…
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The Secret State by Peter Hennessy Published by Penguin in 2002, updated in 2010 The Secret State is about Britain’s secret plans to respond to an attack on the UK during the cold war and beyond. It covers the rationale behind investing in nuclear weapons and why UK governments chose that rather than a civil…
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Honourable Friends by Caroline Lucas is a tour through her experience as a Green Party MP over the last five years and a look at the work she’s tried to progress. Part of the book describes what it was like to enter Westminster when Lucas was first elected, with no party machinery in place to…
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In The Establishment, Owen Jones argues that the establishment is not so much a group of wealthy people in cahoots to keep everyone else down, but rather a collection of people with shared beliefs who benefit from being able to influence each other. The establishment hasn’t remained stable over the years and those that…
Boudica Marginalia 