3 Review(s)

Politicians have a notoriously bad reputation: one recent survey found people trust them less than used-car salesmen. Voter turn-out in most elections is shockingly low; and episodes like the MPs' expenses scandal of 2009 simply serve to confirm the opinion of many that 'they're all as bad as each other'. But deep down, most of us also know we are incredibly lucky to live in a democracy, with freedoms that billions of people across the planet would give anything to enjoy. So we are lucky - but still, we don't like our system and we don't trust our politicians. In the face of growing global unrest, from the Occupy movement and the 2011 summer riots to the Arab Spring, what is the answer? Part of the cure must be to better understand the disease: to understand how our democracy works, with all its strengths and weaknesses, achievements and archaisms, complexities and flaws. In Power to the People Dan Jellinek provides a unique and accessible guide to democracy in the UK, investigating how our government and our communities function, and the role that we, the general public, need to play to keep the wheels turning.If you want to know what it really means to be British, how your small actions can bring about big changes, and how you can improve your life and the lives of others then this book is a must-read. Wake up, stand up and be counted; the power is in your hands.