- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Faber and Faber; New edition edition (1 July 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0571220045
- ISBN-13: 978-0571220045
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 445,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"'Cohen's ridicule of New Labour is masterly.' Michael Portillo, The Times; 'In the competition for Britain's best left-wing polemicist, Nick Cohen wins every time.' Roy Hattersley, Observer"
Michael Portillo, The Times, September 2003
Cohen's ridicule of New Labour is masterly.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the best book I've read all year. Nick Cohen pulls no punches and is highly critical of the hypocricy of many politicians, journalists and businessmen. I read 'Stupid White Men' earlier this year and enjoyed it enormously, but I also found it essentially superficial, lots of stats but mainly just a big rant. This is different, plenty of ranting, but backed up by much more detail. Ever wondered what the Enron scandal was all about? Well Nick Cohen explains all in easy to read english (he should get an award from the clear english society). There's also the apparently dodgy dealings of the Dome, Hinduja brothers, Mittal, Eccleston, Worldcom and Arthur Anderson. Have you wondered why asylum seekers suddenly became the hate figures of the lowest common denominator press? Well look no further. There's also a bit about how we've been duped about crime by Tony's New right wing Labour party. But Nick Cohen's ire isn't reserved exclusively for the political right. He quite rightly ponders on the sudden support of the left for Saddam Hussein when he became America's enemy. As he correctly points out, it's the same people who complained when America supported tyrants (including Saddam Hussein), as are now complaining about America removing one. This is a well writen and excellently researched book and I urge everyone who plans to vote in the next general election to read it. Though who you'll vote for is a mystery to me.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nick Cohen is an intelligent left-winger. This book is a powerful critique of the New Labour government from that perspective. (The title "Pretty Straight Guys" is an ironic reference to Tony Blair's description of himself the first time he was caught bang to rights doing something seriously unethical.)
As someone who thinks of myself as centre right, I was surprised both by how often I agreed with Nick Cohen's criticisms of the present government, and by the number of issues on which this book convinced me that our nominally socialist government is actually well to the right of me.
While most of the book is an attack on the New Labour government, there is one section in which Cohen turns most of his fire in the opposite direction and breaks with many of those who will agree with the rest of the book: that is on the invasion of Iraq.
While Cohen does spend a few paragraphs on the incompetence and spin of the New Labour government and the Bush White House over Iraq, he excoriates those on the left who have lined up with extreme reactionaries rather than show any sympathy for the attempt to create a more democratic and just society in that country.
He is on fairly strong ground when he points out that the "Stop the War" campaign and the "Respect" party are a strange alliance of left-wingers with people who want to reduce women to property and string up gays from the nearest lamp-post.
Cohen is perhaps on weaker ground when he accuses those who did not support the war and subsequent occupation of failing to support liberal and democractic elements in Iraq.
Sometimes in life we have to make a choice between evils and it is quite possible to recognise that Saddam was a ghastly tyrant and murderer while asking legitimate questions about whether the enormous human cost of the war and occupation outweighs the enormous benefit of overthrowing him.
At one point Cohen suggests that "unless the Americans are criminally incompetent" more people would die through leaving Saddam Hussein in power than through overthrowing him. At the time of writing (November 2006) the American people themselves have just demonstrated what they think of Donald Rumsfeld's competence.
You may find it interesting to compare this book with a similar analysis from a more right wing perspective such as "The Rise of Political Lying" by Peter Oborne. There is a remarkable similarity of many points made by these books considering the extent to which the authors come from very different starting points.
Overall this book is pretty much a "don't miss" if you want to understand what is going wrong with our government.
As someone who thinks of myself as centre right, I was surprised both by how often I agreed with Nick Cohen's criticisms of the present government, and by the number of issues on which this book convinced me that our nominally socialist government is actually well to the right of me.
While most of the book is an attack on the New Labour government, there is one section in which Cohen turns most of his fire in the opposite direction and breaks with many of those who will agree with the rest of the book: that is on the invasion of Iraq.
While Cohen does spend a few paragraphs on the incompetence and spin of the New Labour government and the Bush White House over Iraq, he excoriates those on the left who have lined up with extreme reactionaries rather than show any sympathy for the attempt to create a more democratic and just society in that country.
He is on fairly strong ground when he points out that the "Stop the War" campaign and the "Respect" party are a strange alliance of left-wingers with people who want to reduce women to property and string up gays from the nearest lamp-post.
Cohen is perhaps on weaker ground when he accuses those who did not support the war and subsequent occupation of failing to support liberal and democractic elements in Iraq.
Sometimes in life we have to make a choice between evils and it is quite possible to recognise that Saddam was a ghastly tyrant and murderer while asking legitimate questions about whether the enormous human cost of the war and occupation outweighs the enormous benefit of overthrowing him.
At one point Cohen suggests that "unless the Americans are criminally incompetent" more people would die through leaving Saddam Hussein in power than through overthrowing him. At the time of writing (November 2006) the American people themselves have just demonstrated what they think of Donald Rumsfeld's competence.
You may find it interesting to compare this book with a similar analysis from a more right wing perspective such as "The Rise of Political Lying" by Peter Oborne. There is a remarkable similarity of many points made by these books considering the extent to which the authors come from very different starting points.
Overall this book is pretty much a "don't miss" if you want to understand what is going wrong with our government.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I greatly enjoyed reading this book. It is a well written and sharply focused analysis of New Labour, in particular Blair's two terms of office as prime minister. It made me think again over the war in iraq, and also re-exposed many of the scandals which have beset New Labour. A recurrent theme is Blair's love of people with money. This book almost makes you hanker for the conservatives. At least they did not pretend to be something they weren't.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
'Labour'? I don't think so.
This is a witty and insightful gutting of New Labour. Some reviewers have apparently found it hard going. Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2009 by Tony Walker
Well written polemic
Justifiably angry writing. Mr Cohen chooses his targets carefully and does a thorough job explaining how and why they are the target of his scorn. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2004 by "hypocrite_lecteur"
Blair & Clique from an Old Labour Viewpoint
And not necessarily the worse for that. As Jon from Cambridge says, the style is difficult. It's as though the book is written for 'insiders' at the New Statesman, rather than for... Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2003 by T. MacFarlane
pretty corrupt guys
First time reading a book on politics and I found it rather hard going. Nick Cohen's style is complex - maybe even elitist ... Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2003 by Jon
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
