What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
Pillar 2, which is the government Lighthouse Labs and other private labs, is doing a huge part of all the testing now. It's nuts just how huge that capacity has grown, as almost all of it is new.
Hancock today was talking about sequencing scaling up even further from where it is now, so that we can ideally test every positive result. We already do far more sequencing than anybody else, and we intend to do even more.
When this is all over the UK is going to have a ridiculously huge testing and genetic sequencing capability. I wonder what we will do with it, tear it down, mothball it, or is there are "peacetime" use?
Sequencing is the next big value thing - genomic, proteinomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic data is what will enable us to design and produce high value biologics using synthetic biology. Currently, China (and BGI in particular) dominate in this field. It is great that the UK might come out with at least a chance of cashing in on high value biological data.
BGI is a bit at the commodity end though. Really sexy companies are those like Quest’s Blueprint Genetics or the UK’s Congenica.
Yeah, I hooked my step-daughter up with a summer internship at GWU's computational biology centre. There she learnt that all sequences done in China are suspect until confirmed by other sources.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
Private Island by James Meeks. Excellent look at who owns what when it comes to our former nationalised assets in the UK, and how it came to be that way, and what the hell we can do about it.
I suppose it's more policy than politics, but it's well-written and capable of lighting a burning fire.
The government really has to get tough on the fatties from now on. This plague has shown us that obesity and severe overweightness are not a joke. Not a ‘different size of beautiful’. An ugly fat blobster of a human looks ugly for a reason. They are ugly inside. And coz they can’t stop eating f*cking chocolate eclairs and pizza they have cost this country 400 BILLION and decimated the economy. Literally
Enough. And enough talk of incentives to go on a bloody diet. PUNISH them for being fat. Exclude them from pubs and restaurants. Exclude them from public transport so they HAVE to use their horrible fat pimply legs. UGH
I’m entirely serious. We tolerated these lard-arses too long. Now they have ruined the nation’s bank balance and we all have to pay for their swinish greed.
Payback.
Alcohol rather than pubs alone is a part of the problem but restaurants aren't much of a contributing factor to most peoples obesity and making the few overweight people who use public transport walk will probably do almost nothing.
Everyone needs to do a bit of exercise regardless of weight but the problem with peoples weight is largely the crappy food people eat or the crap they drink (alcohol included)
You can change peoples habits and the ones of companies that produce anything by adjusting prices. Healthier food is cheaper, subsidised by increased prices on unhealthy food. Same with greater taxation on alcohol but less on any healthy drinks.
Make it much cheaper to eats lots of fresh single ingredient foods (still time consuming though) than some processed junk. Been on a healthy eating kick for a while and the amount some vegetables, rice and chicken/turkey/fish fills you up for the calories is amazing if you want to lose weight. I actually find it to be too filling for its calorie output to the point where I have to eat/drink something less healthy to get as many calories as I need/want.
If people are eating decently a minimal amount of exercise will keep most people with relative normality, losing lots of weight though is probably a bit more effort.
Edit: Teach people (at least kids in school) some basic ideas about nutrition!!
Plenty of people are clueless and don't even know the harm they are doing!!
And honestly, how does a 15 year old 'hate Thatcher'?
At a guess, her mother has spent 15 years telling her that Thatcher was evil.
There is a powerful folk memory in the Valleys that is passed down from generation to generation. We are brought up on the stories of the Miner's Strike and Aberfan and the Tonypandy Massacre and the Shootings of the Llanelli Railway strikers.
(Tony Judt is a good idea).
As a tangent, more people should know about Aberfan. Not necessarily as a party political point, but as a lesson in the dangers of incompetence. I think it's easy to forget how serious the consequences to workplace errors can be, and the occasional reminder that our actions really matter to even life or death extent is a good one. It's easy to think only firefighters or soldiers are playing such a dangerous game, but lots of deadly disasters stem from people in more tame environments becoming lax. The Herald of Free Enterprise sinking, Grenfell Tower, and many more.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
But not climate change science one assumes?
The View From Number Eleven was written before he went mad.
So how many people have we got who can’t actually have a jab, people with weak immune system, advanced MS perhaps, HIV? What’s the plan for freeing them from captivity?
So how many people have we got who can’t actually have a jab, people with weak immune system, advanced MS perhaps, HIV? What’s the plan for freeing them from captivity?
The same as with all other vaccines - that plan is for everyone else to have had it.
"Should we have a fat tax – or even make it an offence to be fat? Such a suggestion will, of course, rightfully raise hackles among people of liberal mind. Given the suppression of liberties of all kinds over the past year, such possibilities are a lot closer than they would have seemed prior to Covid. Just as lockdown policies were heavily influenced by the Chinese response to the original outbreak in Wuhan, it is inevitable that policymakers will start to look to Japan which, since 2008, has imposed legally-binding waistline checks. All adults are obliged to have their waistline measured regularly and can be compelled to attend counselling sessions if they stray over set limits. Since the law was introduced, Japan has brought its obesity rate down to 3.5 per cent and has seen markedly lower rates of Covid deaths than in Europe and North America, in spite of less-severe lockdowns and without the tight test and trace systems of Taiwan and South Korea.
Public resistance to such a law could be severe in Britain – given that 28 per cent of the population is officially obese it could mean some very overcrowded counselling sessions. But after suffering one of the highest rates of Covid deaths in the world it is perhaps inevitable that such a policy is going to be advanced by some policymaker at some stage."
The government really has to get tough on the fatties from now on. This plague has shown us that obesity and severe overweightness are not a joke. Not a ‘different size of beautiful’. An ugly fat blobster of a human looks ugly for a reason. They are ugly inside. And coz they can’t stop eating f*cking chocolate eclairs and pizza they have cost this country 400 BILLION and decimated the economy. Literally
Enough. And enough talk of incentives to go on a bloody diet. PUNISH them for being fat. Exclude them from pubs and restaurants. Exclude them from public transport so they HAVE to use their horrible fat pimply legs. UGH
I’m entirely serious. We tolerated these lard-arses too long. Now they have ruined the nation’s bank balance and we all have to pay for their swinish greed.
Payback.
I'm afraid it's not going to be at all easy to discriminate against them politically - their demographic carries great weight...
Singapore built the world's first bubble facility so people can travel for business without having to quarantine — and it's in an expo center. We got a sneak peak of the rooms, facilities, and food.
The government really has to get tough on the fatties from now on. This plague has shown us that obesity and severe overweightness are not a joke. Not a ‘different size of beautiful’. An ugly fat blobster of a human looks ugly for a reason. They are ugly inside. And coz they can’t stop eating f*cking chocolate eclairs and pizza they have cost this country 400 BILLION and decimated the economy. Literally
Enough. And enough talk of incentives to go on a bloody diet. PUNISH them for being fat. Exclude them from pubs and restaurants. Exclude them from public transport so they HAVE to use their horrible fat pimply legs. UGH
I’m entirely serious. We tolerated these lard-arses too long. Now they have ruined the nation’s bank balance and we all have to pay for their swinish greed.
Payback.
Where would you put the dividing line ? BMI > 30, 40 inch waistline ?
Surely the deciding factor is whether the pizza in question has pineapple on it?
Watching the Newsnight show on a bit of a delay, bit frustrating to see 76.3% over 65 uptake in Central Blackburn MSOA given how Pendle in the NW has fared.
I think we need to be very wary about these localised figures. It looks to me as if they are being worked out simply by dividing the vaccinations given in an area by the number of people supposedly living there, without any adjustment for people who have moved or gone or got vaccinated elsewhere instead.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
(CNN Business) London has been the unrivaled king of European finance for more than three decades. Brexit is starting to change that.
Billions of dollars worth of stock and derivatives trading has already vanished from the British capital after the United Kingdom completed its exit from the European Union on Jan. 1, shifting abroad to financial hubs in Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
And the threat of more lost business hangs above the city, home to dozens of the world's biggest banks, hedge funds and insurance companies. Financial services were not included in the UK-EU trade deal agreed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Dec. 24, putting Brussels in a position to decide how much access UK-based companies will have to the vast EU market.
"I'm not predicting the end of London as a major financial center, but I think it's in the most precarious state it's been in for a long time and cannot be complacent," said Alasdair Haynes, the CEO of Aquis Exchange, an upstart rival to the London Stock Exchange and the CBOE.
The loss of finance business in London looks more dramatic when compared with 2016, the year Britain voted to leave the European Union. International financial services firms have migrated £1.2 trillion ($1.6 trillion) worth of assets and relocated 7,500 jobs from Britain to the European Union since the referendum, according to data tracked by EY and published in October. "We see this as a first wave," William Wright, managing director of London-based think tank New Financial wrote in January. It's plausible that about 35,000 jobs might move in the medium term, according to Wright.
The public has been urged to join a slow handclap protest against the government’s proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff as anger mounts over the plan.
Unison called on people to show solidarity with frontline health staff by appearing on their doorsteps and balconies next Thursday at 8pm to show what they think about the “derisory” increase.
The gesture of support for NHS workers should be repeated three weeks later on 1 April, the day staff were due to have their wage increase, the union said.
German states seem to have decided that rising case numbers can be managed - the calculation seems to be that death and hospitalisation rates won't jump because the most vulnerable are being vaccinated and treatments are improving. Hospitals and ICU never looked like being overwhelmed, and people are fed up with the damage done to lives business and education, so there will be a gradual easing of lockdown measures rather than tightening, no matter that case numbers are rising. I'm not sure this is wise but it's understandable. Meanwhile lots of lives could probably be saved by concentrating on getting a first vaccine dose to as many people as possible and worrying about booster shots later.
Do they know which variants they are dealing with? B.117 is not to be treated lightly.....
Yes, it's over 50% b117 now. It's the reason case numbers are rising.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy going.
If you are after biographes is there eg a good Mo Mowlem bio?
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
Private Island by James Meeks. Excellent look at who owns what when it comes to our former nationalised assets in the UK, and how it came to be that way, and what the hell we can do about it.
I suppose it's more policy than politics, but it's well-written and capable of lighting a burning fire.
And presumably how much better many services have become...
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy going.
If you are after biographes is there eg a good Mo Mowlem bio?
I'v got some of those; I suspect I might be raiding my bookshelves for Grandson 2, who plans, subject to A levels etc, to read Modern History somewhere in September.
Incidentally and off topic, has anyone come across an email address 'oldboot.com'. Someone's applied to join an online group I'm involved with using it and the people running are either puzzled or suspicious or both!
And honestly, how does a 15 year old 'hate Thatcher'?
They can't. They might have developed antipathy for the policies they have read about, sympathy for people they know they feel were affected by those policies, but if they were to say hate? Performative silliness.
That's why I recommend against highly partisan stuff, and am trying for 'adjacent to politics' books.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy going.
If you are after biographes is there eg a good Mo Mowlem bio?
We're recommending politics books we enjoyed, probably read as middle aged adults, for a teenage girl. Who would probably enjoy something like Sasha Swire's diaries, with its mix of 'politics on the inside' and personalities/gossip, a lot more?
I don't really see how the US survives long term in a state where everything is politicised like this. The country has nothing it can agree on anymore. They badly need a common enemy - China should do.
Why are the government proceeding with this? Arrogance? Just out of touch?
They can't; it's yet another misjudgement by Johnson that is going to lead to yet another u-turn.
If Labour were sensible, they would tie themselves to a specific credible proposal - say 3% with a low earner underpin (e.g. £600 per year if higher) - and then launch a major campaign around it. The problem they have is that the unions won't allow their negotiating 'rights' to be undermined by their own party. Hearing the Labour spokesman on R4 just now, he had nothing notable to say in answer to the question of what a Labour government would pay, and had to tapdance around process issues to avoid saying anything that might undercut the unions' opening position.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy going.
If you are after biographes is there eg a good Mo Mowlem bio?
We're recommending politics books we enjoyed, probably read as middle aged adults, for a teenage girl. Who would probably enjoy something like Sasha Swire's diaries, with its mix of 'politics on the inside' and personalities/gossip, a lot more?
True- another book that is not so "heavy" would be Emily Maitlis' book -Airhead- Recalls her major interviews (and quirky ones) with (mainly ) politicians (obama etc )
We're recommending politics books we enjoyed, probably read as middle aged adults, for a teenage girl. Who would probably enjoy something like Sasha Swire's diaries, with its mix of 'politics on the inside' and personalities/gossip, a lot more?
The Iron Heel by Jack London. Which is fiction but it's basically come true. Goddess of Anarchy, The Life and Times of Lucy Parsons by Jacqueline Jones. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (Never too early to educate teenagers about the moral duty of violent revolution.) Constance Markievicz: Irish Revolutionary by Anne Haverty
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy going.
If you are after biographes is there eg a good Mo Mowlem bio?
We're recommending politics books we enjoyed, probably read as middle aged adults, for a teenage girl. Who would probably enjoy something like Sasha Swire's diaries, with its mix of 'politics on the inside' and personalities/gossip, a lot more?
True- another book that is not so "heavy" would be Emily Maitlis' book -Airhead- Recalls her major interviews (and quirky ones) with (mainly ) politicians (obama etc )
We're assuming a generous relative would buy a shelf of books.
Why are the government proceeding with this? Arrogance? Just out of touch?
The press is going to be hard to get through without a u-turn. I like the idea of extra paid holiday, perhaps 3 weeks extra spread over the next 3 years to balance out the workload. Perhaps additionally work with the airlines to get them free flights to make free flights available to NHS staff for those holidays.
But I actually think a 1% pay rise is fine, given inflation is about 1% and we have just been through a pandemic. If there is funding available for a bigger rise in public sector pay, the first priority should be non NHS carers.
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy.
It is - The Sparrow’s Flight (pace Matthew) is his conventional biography while “the Door Wherein I went” deals with his religion and moral philosophy
What is the best book on politics to buy for my 15 year old niece, whose birthday is later this month ?
(She dislikes Thatcher & Boris).
For a modern and very readable introduction type book I really enjoyed Isabel Hardman's one 'Why we get the wrong politicians'. I also really liked reading Paddy Ashdown's autobiography, but almost certainly not enough politics in it.
Dennis Healey's autobiography was also fun - and contained a cameo appearance by a very young Paddy Ashdown.
Other choices: Rab Butler's The Art of the Possible
And if she doesn't mind going back in history, the Roy Jenkins history books are all fun, particulary Mr Balfour's Poodle.
I always liked The Door Wherein I Went (mainly for the grammatically correct use of the word “wherein”)
I haven't read it. Should I?
It’s not the easiest book and a bit dated but philosophically among the most interesting works by a leading politician. As he was my mentor though, I am somewhat biased!
Nigel Lawson's memoirs were hands down the best political memoirs I've ever read. Tell her he was one of the people that helped bring the Iron Lady down.
Also they are mostly an easy read as you'd expect from a former journalist.
Completely agree, anyone with an interest in finance or government needs to read them.
Yes, though the last quarter or so of the book is permeated with his attempts to defend the ERM and deny it was a stepping stone to a single currency. Events haven't been kind to his record there, to put it mildly...
It amuses me considering he was such an advocate for the ERM that he then went on to become a strong Brexit campaigner.
I bought The Door Wherein I Went in my 20s and found it quite heavy going.
If you are after biographes is there eg a good Mo Mowlem bio?
Why are the government proceeding with this? Arrogance? Just out of touch?
They can't; it's yet another misjudgement by Johnson that is going to lead to yet another u-turn.
If Labour were sensible, they would tie themselves to a specific credible proposal - say 3% with a low earner underpin (e.g. £600 per year if higher) - and then launch a major campaign around it. The problem they have is that the unions won't allow their negotiating 'rights' to be undermined by their own party. Hearing the Labour spokesman on R4 just now, he had nothing notable to say in answer to the question of what a Labour government would pay, and had to tapdance around process issues to avoid saying anything that might undercut the unions' opening position.
Surely you've hit the point though, with opening position being so extreme (nobody sane would suggest 12% payrise in these circumstances).
If it ends up being 3% as an improvement on 1% then that's a lot closer to 1% than 12%.
But if the government had said 3% the unions might have still said that's not enough and demanded more anyway.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Payrises aren't healthcare funding. They mean you have less healthcare funding for the same budget in fact.
That's plain bonkers. We pay doctors and nurses to look after us and that during and after the pandemic they have even more work to do. Giving them a real terms pay cut is not going to help.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Wouldn’t it be better to use extra funding to increase capacity and enhance reliance?
A real terms paycut for doctors and nurses during and in the aftermath of a pandemic, when we ask them to do more is insane economically and politically. It will lead to worse outcomes.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Payrises aren't healthcare funding. They mean you have less healthcare funding for the same budget in fact.
That's plain bonkers. We pay doctors and nurses to look after us and that during and after the pandemic they have even more work to do. Giving them a real terms pay cut is not going to help.
They have safe and secure jobs unlike many millions elsewhere in the nation.
There's worse fates in life than a limited pay rise.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Payrises aren't healthcare funding. They mean you have less healthcare funding for the same budget in fact.
That's plain bonkers. We pay doctors and nurses to look after us and that during and after the pandemic they have even more work to do. Giving them a real terms pay cut is not going to help.
They have safe and secure jobs unlike many millions elsewhere in the nation.
There's worse fates in life than a limited pay rise.
Nah. It's taking the piss. The NHS has gone beyond the call of duty. They deserve recognition for their critical contribution and fair compensation for all the extra effort that will continue for years to come.
I suggest a tax on obesity. Unless you have a doctor’s note explaining WHY you have to eat seventeen pork pies for lunch, for every BMI point over 28 you get an extra 3 percent tax, or a similar deduction in your benefits. Over BMI 32 make it 6 percent.
Between BMI 25-28 have disincentives. Make food pricier for them.
In my occasional rant about the misuse of language why are these threats “horrific”.
Wankers will be wankers. They are certainly making racist assumptions (“all Mexican restaurants will have illegal immigrants”).
But that’s all to be expected. The threats are tedious, time wasting, irritating, frustrating. But not “horrific”.
Your ability to put yourself in the shoes of a Mexican or a Hispanic American in Texas is impressive.
Why is it horrific?
Learn about ICE.
There’s also the point that Charles, while complaining about the misuse of language, appears not to have noticed that ‘horrific’ was in quotes - so straightforward reportage. For it to be ‘misuse’ requires a piece of mind reading beyond most of us mere mortals.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Payrises aren't healthcare funding. They mean you have less healthcare funding for the same budget in fact.
That's plain bonkers. We pay doctors and nurses to look after us and that during and after the pandemic they have even more work to do. Giving them a real terms pay cut is not going to help.
They have safe and secure jobs unlike many millions elsewhere in the nation.
There's worse fates in life than a limited pay rise.
Whereas I agree an extra payrise isn't appropriate (I would like to see a one off payment or holiday for those in more junior levels in the frontline of covid as a thank you). However assuming they have secure roles is not correct.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Payrises aren't healthcare funding. They mean you have less healthcare funding for the same budget in fact.
That's plain bonkers. We pay doctors and nurses to look after us and that during and after the pandemic they have even more work to do. Giving them a real terms pay cut is not going to help.
They have safe and secure jobs unlike many millions elsewhere in the nation.
There's worse fates in life than a limited pay rise.
Nah. It's taking the piss. The NHS has gone beyond the call of duty. They deserve recognition for their critical contribution and fair compensation for all the extra effort that will continue for years to come.
Taken out of context the 1% looks off, and I suspect will not be the final number. However the context for other public sector workers and so so many in the private sector is relevant. One thing that is usually missed is increments. The nhs has many pay levels, and a lot of staff will receive an annual level increase, at least until they reach the top of the relevant band. Uni salary has been pretty tight for the last decade yet my personal salary has increased via increments and a promotion. This will apply in the nhs too. Some of the nhs has had a terrible year. I certainly think rewards are due, but would divorce the blanket pay settlement from specific Covid responses.
I think we must be close to bringing this outbreak under control.
I`m hoping that people aren`t spooked after the schools go back next week.
New infections may rise and also the positivity rate - as I reported earlier - because thousands of schoolchildren`s negative LFTs won`t be reported onto the stats but a positive LFT duly confirmed by a positive PCR test WILL go on the figures.
There’s a real possibility that the return to schools could lead to a decrease in cases over a few weeks after a spike in numbers that wouldn’t give an increase in hospitalisations anyway.
After all, we know we’re not picking up all cases in the current testing, and there are a few tens of thousands of unidentified infected school-age children (up to age 18) out there, passing it on.
If this ends up picking up most or all of them and they isolate as required so don’t pass it on, it reduces prevalence significantly a couple or three weeks down the road.
Without any hospitalisations, as these cases existed anyway.
Published in 2019. Has anything happened since then that might have changed things?
Something to deprioritise healthcare funding? No, I don't think so.
Payrises aren't healthcare funding. They mean you have less healthcare funding for the same budget in fact.
That's plain bonkers. We pay doctors and nurses to look after us and that during and after the pandemic they have even more work to do. Giving them a real terms pay cut is not going to help.
They have safe and secure jobs unlike many millions elsewhere in the nation.
There's worse fates in life than a limited pay rise.
Nah. It's taking the piss. The NHS has gone beyond the call of duty. They deserve recognition for their critical contribution and fair compensation for all the extra effort that will continue for years to come.
Taken out of context the 1% looks off, and I suspect will not be the final number. However the context for other public sector workers and so so many in the private sector is relevant. One thing that is usually missed is increments. The nhs has many pay levels, and a lot of staff will receive an annual level increase, at least until they reach the top of the relevant band. Uni salary has been pretty tight for the last decade yet my personal salary has increased via increments and a promotion. This will apply in the nhs too. Some of the nhs has had a terrible year. I certainly think rewards are due, but would divorce the blanket pay settlement from specific Covid responses.
It looks off, because it is off. Your approach sounds very expensive to administer and potentially divisive. If the government had said we are going to reward the NHS for the contribution to COVID and in advance of the difficult year ahead clearing the backlogs, everyone would have got behind it.
Comments
I suppose it's more policy than politics, but it's well-written and capable of lighting a burning fire.
Everyone needs to do a bit of exercise regardless of weight but the problem with peoples weight is largely the crappy food people eat or the crap they drink (alcohol included)
You can change peoples habits and the ones of companies that produce anything by adjusting prices. Healthier food is cheaper, subsidised by increased prices on unhealthy food. Same with greater taxation on alcohol but less on any healthy drinks.
Make it much cheaper to eats lots of fresh single ingredient foods (still time consuming though) than some processed junk. Been on a healthy eating kick for a while and the amount some vegetables, rice and chicken/turkey/fish fills you up for the calories is amazing if you want to lose weight. I actually find it to be too filling for its calorie output to the point where I have to eat/drink something less healthy to get as many calories as I need/want.
If people are eating decently a minimal amount of exercise will keep most people with relative normality, losing lots of weight though is probably a bit more effort.
Edit: Teach people (at least kids in school) some basic ideas about nutrition!!
Plenty of people are clueless and don't even know the harm they are doing!!
"Should we have a fat tax – or even make it an offence to be fat? Such a suggestion will, of course, rightfully raise hackles among people of liberal mind. Given the suppression of liberties of all kinds over the past year, such possibilities are a lot closer than they would have seemed prior to Covid. Just as lockdown policies were heavily influenced by the Chinese response to the original outbreak in Wuhan, it is inevitable that policymakers will start to look to Japan which, since 2008, has imposed legally-binding waistline checks. All adults are obliged to have their waistline measured regularly and can be compelled to attend counselling sessions if they stray over set limits. Since the law was introduced, Japan has brought its obesity rate down to 3.5 per cent and has seen markedly lower rates of Covid deaths than in Europe and North America, in spite of less-severe lockdowns and without the tight test and trace systems of Taiwan and South Korea.
Public resistance to such a law could be severe in Britain – given that 28 per cent of the population is officially obese it could mean some very overcrowded counselling sessions. But after suffering one of the highest rates of Covid deaths in the world it is perhaps inevitable that such a policy is going to be advanced by some policymaker at some stage."
[£]
www.spectator.co.uk/article/covid-19-and-the-problem-with-britain-s-weight
Singapore built the world's first bubble facility so people can travel for business without having to quarantine — and it's in an expo center. We got a sneak peak of the rooms, facilities, and food.
https://www.businessinsider.com/singapore-business-travel-bubble-photos-food-facilities-rooms-2021-3
I am fully in favour of an obesity tax and eagerly anticipate the rebates I shall be receiving for being underweight.
Billions of dollars worth of stock and derivatives trading has already vanished from the British capital after the United Kingdom completed its exit from the European Union on Jan. 1, shifting abroad to financial hubs in Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
And the threat of more lost business hangs above the city, home to dozens of the world's biggest banks, hedge funds and insurance companies. Financial services were not included in the UK-EU trade deal agreed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Dec. 24, putting Brussels in a position to decide how much access UK-based companies will have to the vast EU market.
"I'm not predicting the end of London as a major financial center, but I think it's in the most precarious state it's been in for a long time and cannot be complacent," said Alasdair Haynes, the CEO of Aquis Exchange, an upstart rival to the London Stock Exchange and the CBOE.
The loss of finance business in London looks more dramatic when compared with 2016, the year Britain voted to leave the European Union. International financial services firms have migrated £1.2 trillion ($1.6 trillion) worth of assets and relocated 7,500 jobs from Britain to the European Union since the referendum, according to data tracked by EY and published in October.
"We see this as a first wave," William Wright, managing director of London-based think tank New Financial wrote in January. It's plausible that about 35,000 jobs might move in the medium term, according to Wright.
Unison called on people to show solidarity with frontline health staff by appearing on their doorsteps and balconies next Thursday at 8pm to show what they think about the “derisory” increase.
The gesture of support for NHS workers should be repeated three weeks later on 1 April, the day staff were due to have their wage increase, the union said.
There are still people out there who think one day Boris Johnson will show integrity.
Incidentally and off topic, has anyone come across an email address 'oldboot.com'. Someone's applied to join an online group I'm involved with using it and the people running are either puzzled or suspicious or both!
anyone know why dominion aren't suing Trump too?
If Labour were sensible, they would tie themselves to a specific credible proposal - say 3% with a low earner underpin (e.g. £600 per year if higher) - and then launch a major campaign around it. The problem they have is that the unions won't allow their negotiating 'rights' to be undermined by their own party. Hearing the Labour spokesman on R4 just now, he had nothing notable to say in answer to the question of what a Labour government would pay, and had to tapdance around process issues to avoid saying anything that might undercut the unions' opening position.
If they win, they might have a shot at him too.
Goddess of Anarchy, The Life and Times of Lucy Parsons by Jacqueline Jones.
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (Never too early to educate teenagers about the moral duty of violent revolution.)
Constance Markievicz: Irish Revolutionary by Anne Haverty
Wankers will be wankers. They are certainly making racist assumptions (“all Mexican restaurants will have illegal immigrants”).
But that’s all to be expected. The threats are tedious, time wasting, irritating, frustrating. But not “horrific”.
But I actually think a 1% pay rise is fine, given inflation is about 1% and we have just been through a pandemic. If there is funding available for a bigger rise in public sector pay, the first priority should be non NHS carers.
If it ends up being 3% as an improvement on 1% then that's a lot closer to 1% than 12%.
But if the government had said 3% the unions might have still said that's not enough and demanded more anyway.
There's worse fates in life than a limited pay rise.
For it to be ‘misuse’ requires a piece of mind reading beyond most of us mere mortals.
Uni salary has been pretty tight for the last decade yet my personal salary has increased via increments and a promotion. This will apply in the nhs too.
Some of the nhs has had a terrible year. I certainly think rewards are due, but would divorce the blanket pay settlement from specific Covid responses.
After all, we know we’re not picking up all cases in the current testing, and there are a few tens of thousands of unidentified infected school-age children (up to age 18) out there, passing it on.
If this ends up picking up most or all of them and they isolate as required so don’t pass it on, it reduces prevalence significantly a couple or three weeks down the road.
Without any hospitalisations, as these cases existed anyway.
In the same way, say, Jews were treated in Germany during the 1930's even before the Ghettos were created.