UK Politics

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General Discussion for politics in the UK.
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submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I dug a bit, and this seemed the most appropriate place to post this, as it’s a bit of an odd ask.

American here, recovering from surgery and so with time on my hands - your Commons presents quite a cast of characters to the world, some of them come across more effectively as caricatures than actual serious politicians. Not that our Congress is better, but at least yours have some general courtesy and a little self deprecating humor.

During the Brexit debate, a number of folks stood out to me, and it’s now been long enough there are some decent books on the same. Is it too soon to “book club” something like Bercow’s autobiography, Seldon on May(not) at 10, or the like?

Johnson feels very much too soon, given the parallels to our own former President, but I’d also like to tackle Ashcroft’s Jacob’s Ladder - speaking of people who are more effective as caricatures!

If there’s a better place to put this, or an existing group I’ve somehow missed, please let me know.

To me, trading thoughts on the outsized characters from different perspectives sounds like fun, and possibly fun that will stretch my brain back into shape a bit while I’m stuck recovering.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

I don't think it's too soon. In fact the faster we put them all firmly in the past the better! I have a bit too much on my plate to do it myself at the moment but have you heard of Bookwyrm? It's the fediverse's equivalent of goodreads and I'm sure you could find some readers/writers there who have read those books and would like to talk about them :)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Is it too soon to “book club” something like Bercow’s autobiography, Seldon on May(not) at 10, or the like?

UK Politics Book Club? Could be worth a punt but see what the Mods say.

It may be way too soon, but a friend was given Liz Truss' book as a joke but was thoroughly entertained by how outrageous it was and I have thought about borrowing it. I'd rather give that a spin than wade through some self-serving tosh from BoJo.

Alternate suggestion, try something less direct - I was given a copy of James O’Brien’s How They Broke Britain recently and haven't cracked into it - that covers a lot of The Unpleasantness but in a more digestible form.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I think this is a great idea, and I'd happily sticky a promo or decision/voting thread.

I don't think Flamingos will have any objections either, but I will ask when I have a sec.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I ran one on the other place if you want some ideas on how to format it. There's also a lot of good books in the suggestions lists.

In the end I stopped because it felt like participation rates dwindled fast, but it did a good job at highlighting an interesting range of books.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

I suspect participation won't be that great here for now either but, like a lot of things on the Fediverse, you have to keep pushing on to gain momentum. That said, this is our most visited community, so if we are going to make it work anywhere it's here.