Time to Emigrate?: Amazon.co.uk: George Walden: 9781903933930: Books

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Daily Mail

'Unashamedly contentious.'

Independent

`Catches the Zeitgeist.'

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13 Reviews

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3.1 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is it time to emigrate?, 26 April 2007

By

Roland Hulme "rolandhulme" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time to Emigrate? (Hardcover)

Ex Tory MP George Walden like writing letters. Which is a good thing too, since he currently does it for the Times Literary Supplement.

But even the most dedicated correspondent would be daunted by the thought of writing a 200 page letter - but that's exactly what Walden did, during a brief holiday he spent in France. You can discover just what he had to say in Time to Emigrate?

Walden was scribbling to his son, who'd just dropped the bombshell that he and his wife were thinking of emigrating. Their young son had been viciously beaten by a thug just yards from their front door. As the boy emerged from his coma, his thankful parents started to wonder just how safe their "safe" part of North London truly was.

George's letter starts off as a candid response to that suggestion - but evolves into a critical and pessimistic appraisal of modern Britain - and exactly where it's going.

Response to Time to Emigrate? has varied wildly. Some people think it's splendid stuff. Other people have labelled it a bitter rant by a bigoted old Tory. I don't think either of those views are even close to the truth. Walden's letter is just that - a letter he wrote to his son. There's no political manifesto here. The book's puffed-up pomposity is softened by some genuine introspection from George Walden. Unlike many other extended editorials, you genuinely get the feeling that Walden didn't quite know which side of the fence he'd end up on when he started writing Time to Emigrate? I think that's why there's a question mark at the end of the title.

The major controversy of the book concerns the target for most of Walden's criticism. Immigrants. Not the immigrants themselves - Walden's book is forthright about his views, but never crosses into racism. It's more critical about the long term effects immigration is having on our small little island. It's not the immigrants he has a problem with. It's the establishment that is letting them in in such enormous numbers.

He compares it to the alcoholic's "elephant in the living room." A big, enormous thing that everybody pretends not to notice. Political correctness has stifled any real discussion of the issues - issues that deeply effect the British economy and led to events like 7/7's devastating suicide bombings.

I won't tell you where George Walden takes the book. It's worth the afternoon or so it'll take you to read it to reach your own conclusion. One thing's for sure. You'll be wondering about the emigration question by the time you've finished it.

Is it a masterpiece? Far from it. George Walden's 'book' is just an extended letter and for that reason, many will find it opinionated and rambling. Not all of his 'facts' are entirely accurate. But that's actually part of the book's charm. What you're reading is nothing more than a loving father's genuine advice and opinion to his son. He approaches the emigration question with no previous agenda - and that makes the conclusion he reaches just that bit more compelling.

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40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deadly amusement, 13 Nov 2006

By

J. P. Maciag (Peterborough UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Time to Emigrate? (Hardcover)

Time to Emigrate? Is not a measured argument for or against leaving Britain. This is an emotional lament by a writer who is saddened by the way his country has changed, largely, for the worse. The underlying energy of the writing is unquestionably angry. But the tone is `post Christmas dinner' avuncular where the sherry proceeds to let out all the disgraceful family secrets in a gentle, opinionated and straightforward manner. It is the heartfelt nature of the advice, observations and opinions that make reading this book akin to overhearing an outrageously candid, politically incorrect and immensely entertaining conversation on a topic of deadly seriousness.

My only complaint is that the pace slows down towards the end of the book as the complexity of the issue is overwhelmed by the writer's obvious personal wish that his son not leave. For that same reason, the book does not come to a simple conclusion. Perhaps this is correct as the decision is, ultimately, a personal one but with thousands of UK nationals leaving daily, this book is certainly food for thought.

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31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must for readers who care about the country, 16 Nov 2006

By

Mr. Stephen Vizinczey (London) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Time to Emigrate? (Hardcover)

I clicked 5 stars and it says somewhere that this means that I love the book. I am not sure love is the right word for what one feels about a chillingly lucid summary of the state of Britain today, setting out painful and mostly unspoken truths. In any case, I could not put it down. I see several columnists were inspired by the issues raised by Walden; I hope they will also comment on it. We tend to see the world as it appeared to us yesterday - which is why this work is so significant. It helps its readers to catch up with the present.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Truth People Should Read
I really enjoyed this book, although I am aware of the pitfalls of modern UK life, this book brought a new perspective to my opinions. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Mr. D. A. Thornton

3.0 out of 5 stars A righteous rant
He's right, of course, immigration has been very badly handled and the result is that Britain is seriously changed and much that was good has been lost. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Fred

1.0 out of 5 stars A monotonous ramble.
I was passed a copy by someone who said it was interesting.

I found it anything but.

It was written as an imaginary letter to an imaginary son... Read more