3 Review(s)

'Beautifully written, brilliantly insightful' Owen Jones Tony Blair and Noel Gallagher shaking hands at No. 10.Saatchi's YBAs setting the international art world aflame. Geri Halliwell in aUnion Jack dress. A time of vibrancy and optimism: when the country was unitedby the hope of a better and brighter future. So why, twenty years on, did thatfuture never happen? Richard Power Sayeed takes a provocative look at thisepochal year, arguing that the dark undercurrents of that time had a much moreenduring legacy than the marketing gimmick of 'Cool Britannia'. He reveals howthe handling of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry ushered in a new type ofracism. How the feminism-lite of 'Girl Power' made sexism stronger. Andhow the promises of New Labour left the country more fractured thanever. This lively, rich and evocative book explores why 1997 was a turning point for British culture and society - away from a fairer, brighter future and on the path to our current malaise.