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POLITICAl ANALYSIS
JOHN HARRIS
80 Now Who Do We Vote For? (Fahen COO.
2005 will almost certainly be a general election year in the UK, though even the most fervent of political animals would be forgiven for not tripping over their rosettes to get to the polls. With the official opposition barely in better shape than they were four years ago, and an electoral system that makes it impossible for the smaller parties to gain a toehold in parliament, Labour are likely to cruise to another comfortable majority as the least worst option. Yet, even those who would put a cross beside Labour even if a sack of tatties was standing in their constituency are hesitating about the prospect of re-electing a government set to introduce top-up fees, foundation hospitals and schools built with private sector money while their leader cosies up to a bomb-happy American president.
For this reason, author John Harris (himself a one-time card-carrying party member) has spent time with MP5 and representatives of the various public services whose wellbeing will doubtless play a key role in the election campaign. His investigation body-swerves the party political spin to discover ‘academies’ funded by creationists and PH hospitals with badly sealed windows and poor cleaning and canteen facilities. In his search for alternatives to New Labour recklessness, Harris concludes that local tactical voting is the best means to return Labour with a more modest majority. What comes over most strongly in Harris' unsentimental, incredulous account is the increasingly unacceptable nature of a voting system that gives any party an insurmountable majority and the freedom to ram through whatever legislation it pleases, unchecked. (Allan Radcliffe)
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TRIVEA COLLECTION FIONA MCCADE, WILLIAM O’LEARY & OATH SUTTON The Questions: Retro Edition
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SUU/«l i)H/‘«.l/rf« KELLY BRAFFET Fabulous Things Re‘xte.‘.’i OO
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Arizona-born Kelly Brattef's debut no rel prfl'nlses us ‘a Sllgitil‘)’ t'.‘.‘Isted love story. The deliver. falls .va/ short. 0.. strong] Suscect
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