So Now Who Do We Vote For?: Amazon.co.uk: John Harris: Books

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Product Description

Billy Bragg, The Guardian, 22 January 2005

John Harris has done Labour voters a great service with this timely book.

GQ, February 2005

Harris has brought to the theme plenty of fine journalistic legwork and analysis.

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3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)

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27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 15 Feb 2005

By A Customer

I read John Harris's first book THE LAST PARTY which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest music books ever written. He touches on politics in it but I didn't really think of him as a political journalist. Perhaps this is the reason why this new book is so unputdownable. Unsullied by political hackery, Harris meets politicians with an open mind and the interviews with the politicians are hilarious and very revealing. Also, he totally explains PFI in the book and persuaded me of the pernicious end result of this scheme.

Basically, Harris is a brilliant writer who makes you think while making you laugh and holding your interest on every page.

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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Lament for Old Labour, 12 Feb 2005

By	Tom MacFarlane - See all my reviews

John Harris would clearly like the "reforms" of the Thatcher era rolled back.

His agenda is one of higher progressive taxation, the separation of the public and private sectors, the abolition of the
Private Finance Initiative (with its 25/50 percent rates of return!), and a return to the "bog standard" comprehensive school.

It's very hard not to empathize: Britain is a much tougher society than it was fifty years ago, when full-time jobs
were available for all, and unemployment - as then defined - was usually less then 400,000.

Harris looks round for hope, and finds them in Wales and Scotland: "Socialism is alive and well in Scotland and Wales,"
Roy Hattersley tells him.

He cites two instances of Scotland's more leftist government: lack of tuition fees, and free long-term care for the elderly.

Now there can be no doubt that (a) students who finish their education should not be saddled with five figure debts -
to which the mortgage will have to be added later - and, (b) the current system of "caring" for the elderly in England
is a scandal. (Indeed fully-fledged euthansia would be more humane than the present refuse heaps, oops sorry, "care homes"
where the elderly are left to rot.)

There is, however, a road block in the way of a return to world as it was before May 1979, and Globalisation is its name.

I could not find this word anywhere in John Harris's book, which is a pity since the agenda of the Thatcher era is summed
up therein:

Privatisation of public enterprises;
Deregulation of the economy;
Liberalization of trade and industry;
Massive tax cuts;
'Monetarist' measures to keep inflation in check, even at the risk of increasing unemployment;
Strict control on organised labour;
Reduction of public expenditures, particularly social spending;
The down-sizing of government;
The expansion of international markets;
The removal of controls on global financial flows.

These steps have very largely been taken, and are supported by the Blair Government.

Scotland and Wales are able to ameliorate their worst effects, thank to subsides from the 'wicked' English.

(Independence for these two countries would end this anomaly!)

John Harris is a convert to PR, which used not go down too well with Old Labour; however it is unlikely that any future
left-wing government will be able turn the clock back.

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20 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A guide for those in the political wilderness, 5 Jun 2005

By	russell clarke "stipesdoppleganger" (halifax, west yorks) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

While this is a very slim volume (170 pages to be precise) so much so it feels more like a pamphlet when you first pick it up, it neatly and eruditely sums up why so many of us "Old Labour" supporters feel we can no longer support Blair's vision for New Labour and the struggle we have had to come to terms with that.
Like so many working class people I watched with frustration and anger as Thatcher tore apart the country's industrial base and nurtured an insidious culture of avarice and selfishness. I left school in 1980 with 8 O, Levels, after being told all through my scholastic tenure how vitally important qualifications were only to realise it doesn't matter how many exams you've passed if there are no prospective employers to impress. The political dividing lines were always clear to me. Working class vote, or should vote Labour, everyone else would vote Conservative or Liberal depending on their social consciousness. So in 1997 I truly believed that "Things could only get better" and what's more I believed they would.....WRONG. In 2001 as John Harris points out I like many thousands of traditional Labour supporters the penny having dropped about Blair's Labour "Sat on my hands " and didn't vote , unable to bring myself to vote against them .
2005 and I could stand aside no more. In the absence of any candidate in my Constituency who really represented my political views and creed I put my X next to the Liberal Democrats with a heavy heart and a sigh filled pause.( So long did I take I think the Returning Officer thought I had passed out in the booth and was ready for ringing 999.) I would rather lick vomit off the pavement than vote Tory so what choice did I really face. The B.N.P.? The Green Party?. I don't think so. I might have voted Plaid Cymru based on what I read about them in this book but they are not too strong in West Yorkshire for some reason. The reality was I had very little real choice at all and that's why John Harris,s book is so timely and prescient for people like me.
If I had read this book before the election I might well have been dissuaded from voting for Charles Kennedy as Harris is pretty scathing about their muddled ideology but as one Ex cabinet Minister (Robin Cook?) says in the book when asked by Harris how he should vote in a constituency where the Liberal Democrats are running a close second:" I would recommend that you vote Liberal. For the sake of Labour's values and the future of the party, a correction has to take place". Now I feel better. Though others are equally dismissive of this approach. One things for sure , despite some of the good things New Labour has done - The minimum wage ( Which has been rather fudged and should be much higher in my opinion) Child Tax Credit and increased spending on Health some of it's other policies would make even the most ardent Tory flinch. Harris uncovers these with the repulsed fascination of someone undressing a new girlfriend only to have a "Crying Game" type revelation. Now not all of this was new to me. I knew the pernicious and scandalous effects of P.F.I through reading George Monbiots superb "Captive State" but some of the shockingly muddled thinking and brainwashed ramblings of the Labour M.P, s he did interview beggar belief.Whats even worse is no one seems to know what to do about it other than offer a resigned shrug and wait and see approach.
Harris comes out in the end as a firm convert to P.R. and it's hard to argue against that when you consider the present Government was elected by only about 1/5 of the population. He also advocates making your choice on the unique set of circumstances within your constituency. Is the Labour candidate , a Blairite? What is their voting record on the contentious issues like Iraq? Surprisingly he, s as critical of the hard left as anyone. He concludes by advocating it's legitimate to vote against labour in safe Labour seats that are unlikely to fall to the Tories. I disagree, you have to stay true to yourself and Labours greatly reduced majority didn't wipe the smug smile of Blair's face did it now? Still this is a book that needed writing and is a fascinating read. The fact remains though a choice based on compromise and ideological procrastination is really not much of a choice at all.

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3.0 out of 5 stars A Lament for Old Labour
John Harris would clearly like the "reforms" of the Thatcher era rolled back.

His agenda is one of higher progressive taxation, the separation of the public and private sectors,... Read more

Published on 11 Feb 2005 by Tom MacFarlane

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Billy Bragg, The Guardian, 22 January 2005

GQ, February 2005

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