Reviews of Habibi Funk 031, Kayatibu, and The Good Ones
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Not in it together
PAUL DONOVAN appreciates a candid analysis of the the inequality of today’s UK
Demonstrators during a march from Trafalgar Square to Westminster in central London to raise awareness of the level of child poverty in the UK
SIMON DUFF relishes the cross contamination of Damien Hirst’s greatest hits by street artists from France and the US
In view of the grooming gangs inquiry, SIMON PARSONS feels the relevance of this powerful examination of trauma suffered at Medomsley Youth Detention Centre
JOHN GREEN doubts the motivations of a US war photographer who never questions why, or for whom, she is producing images of imperialist conflict
MARIA DUARTE reviews Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Hedda, The Mastermind, and Regretting You
TONY CONWAY welcomes a thrilling and concise history of Hope not Hate, that is also a manual full of tactical advice
PAUL DONOVAN welcomes an inspiring account of living with deafness that has important lessons for the treatment of deaf people in today’s UK
Shattered Nation
Danny Dorling, Verso, £14.99
THIS excellent book from Danny Dorling provides a comprehensive picture of the way in which the UK has effectively shattered as a functioning country.
Education, health, welfare, transport and the utilities have all been destroyed by the neoliberal creed of the market knows best, making it “a society that knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.”
The central thesis of Shattered Nation is how Britain has become one of the most unequal countries in the world. In Europe, it is second only to Bulgaria when it comes to inequality. Not that it was always thus — Britain was one of the most equal countries back in the 1970s. Income disparities were at their lowest in 1974.
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PAUL DONOVAN is fascinated by a deep dive into contemporary social crises, that examines how they are manipulated by elites
PAUL DONOVAN cannot fault an analysis that points to the UK as one of the most unequal societies in the world, but struggles to share the author’s optimism
PAUL DONOVAN applauds an adaptation that draws out the contemporary relevance of George Orwell’s satire
WILL PODMORE listens keenly to the people’s voice expressing support for the USSR and disdain for the political Establishment and the empire