Revealing that the recent MPs’ expenses scandal is merely the tip of the iceberg, Heather Brooke exposes the shocking and often farcical lack of transparency at all levels of government. At a time when the State knows more than ever about us, Brooke argues that without proper access to the information that citizens pay for, Britain can never be a true democracy. *SECRECY*: anonymous bureaucrats, clandestine courts, men in tights and the true cost of ‘public’ information. *PROPAGANDA*: spin, PR and bullshitting by numbers. The British government spent £38m more on advertising last year than their closest competitor, Proctor and Gamble – find out what they spent it on! *SURVEILLANCE*: discover the extent of Britain’s network of databases spying on ordinary citizens, *EXPENSES*: read, for the first time, the exclusive and definitive account of Brooke’s five-year campaign to have MPs’ expenses revealed, which rocked the nation and transformed Britain’s political landscape.
The Silent State
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'Will strike fear into the hearts of politicians, assuming they have hearts. Anyone with a vote worth stealing should read this. You won't know whether to laugh or rise up and overthrow absolutely everything.' --Charlie Brooker
'Heather Brooke puts every other British journalist to shame. She single-handedly exposed the systemic corruption that had become an embedded part of parliament at the turn of the 20th century. In doing so she has changed British public culture and earned an essential place in our national history. She is an extraordinary figure who must be celebrated.' --Peter Oborne
'Secrecy is one of the great British diseases. It's so secret that we don't even admit we suffer from it. Heather Brooke is part of the cure - challenging the routine concealment and distortion of important information. There should be more journalists doing the same.' --Nick Davies, author of FLAT EARTH NEWS
'Heather Brooke puts every other British journalist to shame. She single-handedly exposed the systemic corruption that had become an embedded part of parliament at the turn of the 20th century. In doing so she has changed British public culture and earned an essential place in our national history. She is an extraordinary figure who must be celebrated.' --Peter Oborne
'Secrecy is one of the great British diseases. It's so secret that we don't even admit we suffer from it. Heather Brooke is part of the cure - challenging the routine concealment and distortion of important information. There should be more journalists doing the same.' --Nick Davies, author of FLAT EARTH NEWS
Book Description
The most important and entertaining political book you’ll read this year, by the journalist who exposed the MPs' expenses and changed C21st Britain.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
97 of 102 people found the following review helpful
By K. Bairstow
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book having heard of Heather Brooke through her instrumental role in breaking the MPs expenses scandal and I'm so very glad I did.
Heather lifts the lid on the rotten heart of British democracy and exposes just how little real information the electorate actually have to work with when judging the performance of their elected officials, police services and judiciary.
We pay for huge amounts of data to be gathered on our behalf and about us, and yet we are (in many cases explicitly) denied access to that data. Sometimes we get to pay for it many times over before being presented with a figure-fiddled, dumbed-down press release that bears little or no resemblance to the facts.
In many ways a lot of UK voters already suspect many of the issues raised in this book, but to see the hard facts is something of a smack-in-the-face. If you are suffering from voter apathy, this is one book that is guaranteed to stir you out of it.
Heather has a wonderfully fluid and accessible writing style that carries you through what could easily have been a dry subject with ease and humour. Her ability, and persistance, to get at the truth places her at the pinnacle of modern investigative journalism and, for me, the name Heather Brooke belongs amongst those of game-changes like Bob Woodward,Carl Bernstein and Amira Hass.
Heather lifts the lid on the rotten heart of British democracy and exposes just how little real information the electorate actually have to work with when judging the performance of their elected officials, police services and judiciary.
We pay for huge amounts of data to be gathered on our behalf and about us, and yet we are (in many cases explicitly) denied access to that data. Sometimes we get to pay for it many times over before being presented with a figure-fiddled, dumbed-down press release that bears little or no resemblance to the facts.
In many ways a lot of UK voters already suspect many of the issues raised in this book, but to see the hard facts is something of a smack-in-the-face. If you are suffering from voter apathy, this is one book that is guaranteed to stir you out of it.
Heather has a wonderfully fluid and accessible writing style that carries you through what could easily have been a dry subject with ease and humour. Her ability, and persistance, to get at the truth places her at the pinnacle of modern investigative journalism and, for me, the name Heather Brooke belongs amongst those of game-changes like Bob Woodward,Carl Bernstein and Amira Hass.
44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
By J. C. Day
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have spent 30 odd years of teaching History, and attempting to answer questions from students such as "How could they do that", "How did they get away with that", "Why did people believe them" about various historical events of the last 2000 years. Any ideas I might have had that we now live in more democratic and enlightened times are blown away by this book. Some of the stories are not new, but collected together they are a dismal and depressing chronicle of present-day Britain. In many ways we have as little freedom as medieval peasants.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Ian Millard
Format:Paperback
This book is by the American (I think) lady journalist who blew open the UK Parliament's expenses scandal and one had to wonder where were all those highly-paid "political experts" on BBC, press etc, who seemed to be willing to cooncur with the freeloading and outright fraud of our so-called "democratic representatives". Heather Brooke is heroic and deserves more recognition.
This book goes into the extent to which the citizen has been gradually subdued and forced prone by the State, particularly (many might say) during the years from 1997 when The Party Formerly Known As Labour was in power. Not only in power at Westminster but in councils across the UK, which is where many of the worst abuses have happened. We have all learned about how ordinary local councils have (thanks to Blair-Brown) had the power to spy on people using methods previously used mainly by MI5 or special branches of the police: wiretaps, electronic bugging, tailing people for months...and often only to find out whether or not they should have put their children in a local school and not another one, etc.
The idea that this will change under the government of David Scameron would be at least optimistic. He seems to want to give back some rights to affluent citizens, while using thhat as a cover to cut useful/necessary services to the public....meanwhile, thhe 16 million people on benefits (particularly the 10 million poorest, who are unemployed, disabled, or spouses thereof) are going to be subject to an even more East German Stasi type of regime of coontrol and surveillance (and interrogations etc disguised as "helping people back to ---usually non-existent-- work").
A frightening book, with some gaps (I find that big business is at least as scary as Big Government and the two often work hand in hand anyway...) and some naiveties, but alll the same, one which every citizen ought to read (except those who, like Blair, as we now know --see Paul Johnson's memoirs-- find reading difficult).
Excellent on the whole.
This book goes into the extent to which the citizen has been gradually subdued and forced prone by the State, particularly (many might say) during the years from 1997 when The Party Formerly Known As Labour was in power. Not only in power at Westminster but in councils across the UK, which is where many of the worst abuses have happened. We have all learned about how ordinary local councils have (thanks to Blair-Brown) had the power to spy on people using methods previously used mainly by MI5 or special branches of the police: wiretaps, electronic bugging, tailing people for months...and often only to find out whether or not they should have put their children in a local school and not another one, etc.
The idea that this will change under the government of David Scameron would be at least optimistic. He seems to want to give back some rights to affluent citizens, while using thhat as a cover to cut useful/necessary services to the public....meanwhile, thhe 16 million people on benefits (particularly the 10 million poorest, who are unemployed, disabled, or spouses thereof) are going to be subject to an even more East German Stasi type of regime of coontrol and surveillance (and interrogations etc disguised as "helping people back to ---usually non-existent-- work").
A frightening book, with some gaps (I find that big business is at least as scary as Big Government and the two often work hand in hand anyway...) and some naiveties, but alll the same, one which every citizen ought to read (except those who, like Blair, as we now know --see Paul Johnson's memoirs-- find reading difficult).
Excellent on the whole.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A REAL EYE OPENER!!!
This book will really open your eyes to all the double speak and PR rubbish you are bombarded with on a daily basis. Read more
Published 2 months ago by David J. Hayward
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
Great book. Not for bed time reading because it will leave you quite angry. Heather Brooke actually exposed the MP expenses scandal before The Daily Telegraph got hold of it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Physioman
3.0 out of 5 stars
good start - where's the rest of it?
THE SILENT STATE
It's like reading a big book where most of the juicy bits have been censored. Many of the people who read this book, will follow this sleazy stuff in the... Read more
It's like reading a big book where most of the juicy bits have been censored. Many of the people who read this book, will follow this sleazy stuff in the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. J. Hudson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eye Opener
Eye-opening. This book covers so much of what is wrong with British politics, but also includes a powerful story illustrating that 1 person can actually have the power to make... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. Houston
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Silent State
The Silent State
A brilliant book and really makes you think about how much freedom we really have to question are political masters, the police, local government and... Read more
A brilliant book and really makes you think about how much freedom we really have to question are political masters, the police, local government and... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Dave Russell
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tabloid polemic, possibly true, but unsupported by evidence....
Heather Brooks has established her reputation by exposing the MP's expenses scandal, and she makes serious and worrying criticisms of the way we are governed, and the way... Read more
Published 23 months ago by sceptic
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I have ever read.
If every third person in the country read this book there would be no Government. Yes, this book could bring down the Government if enough people read it. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Picadilly Commando
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and informative
If you'd like to know how messed up our Government system is and how our elected officials actively barr us from information that we pay for and to top it all waste millions of our... Read more
Published on 17 May 2011 by GSARider
3.0 out of 5 stars
stickman
Gave up half way. I am sure we all know not to trust governments. It would have been more readable if it had been written as a novel.
Published on 6 May 2011 by Stickman
1.0 out of 5 stars
Right wing rant about the state
I bought this book expecting to read an exciting tale about uncovering state secrets and a reasoned argument for a more open society. Read more
Published on 6 April 2011 by rob
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