would anyone be interested in a politics book club?

[alexandriana]

we could do titles like 'the spirit level' or 'the shock doctrine'

any other ideas?

The Spirit Level Delusion:fact checking the left's new theory of everything.

I kinda like the idea in principle - but doing the Spirit Level would more 'fight club' than book club . It would be more interesting to pick an older book, like Das Kapital.

Yes to book club and yes to the shock doctrine

Das Kapital?? Thats a bit ambitious. Maybe better to start with Francis Wheen's book about Das Kapital:

Marx's "Das Kapital"

I'm looking forward to reading The Silent State by Heather Brooke (the MPs' expenses whistleblower)

MisterDarsey - Francis Wheen's book looks interesting. - thanks.

I agree Das Kapital would be a bit ambitious - but at least it would have been an incentive for me to read it all (have always struggled).

Now i can just read Wheen's book instead .

Id be interested in the book club

My first recommendation: The Road to Serfdom.

Yes to 'the spirit level' and 'shock doctrine' (I have been too scared to read this book so far, so doing it as part of the club would be good!)

My suggestion: The silent takeover.

I'm in...what are we reading then?

Back From the Brink - by Alistair Darling

OP. I think your idea is great. What is the 'shock doctrine'? Now I'll have to google it!
LFN 'The Road to Serfdom' must google that as well!

Come on, lets make a decision and lets get going. Don't care what, but lets start. Who is going to brave and decide?

Am secretly thrilled at the thought of being part of an online international book-group.....its so modern!

Oh yes. I'm in.

"Chavs: The demonisation of the working class"

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe.

The Communist Manifesto is shorter than Das Kapital.

Oh yes, lets do the Chavs book. Heard really interesting interview on Laurie Taylor: Thinking Allowed BBC Radio 4 re this book.....the programme specifically looked at how depiction of how working class has changed in the media.

In 1950 and 1960s working class often idolised/respected in film and TV......now working class through reality TV programmes are the great unwashed, feckless.

Introduced researcher who had been interviewing people in council estates.... (does one call them that now). Interviewees talked about dole louts, lazy, working and claiming state help, but then couldn't actually name any of their neighbours even annoymously.

Sounded really interesting.

Should we start reading?

what I meant was the interviewees couldn't actually name one of these people in real life......

I have finished reading it ("Chavs") this morning.
I highly recommend it.

ok, am off to Amazon site....will report back re Chavs

It is an absolute eye opener. Regardless of the colour of your politics.

Ordered. I'm in.

Anyone else?

I'm up for it.

Excellent.

I'd like to join and fancy the Road to Serfdom (at some stage) as well purely because my economics tutor said she loves reading it as it makes her so angry she ends up throwing it across the room

If it's to be Chavs, what deadline are we looking at?