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Cameron's Coup
Cameron's Coup: How the Tories took Britain to the Brink | David Walker, Polly Toynbee
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*Includes updated post-election material.* The NHS devastated without so much as a by-your-leave; Gen Y hung out to dry; legal aid cut for the vulnerable; social housing on the brink of collapse . . . Cameron has been busy. Margaret Thatcher sold off the nationalised industries, her political heirs are intent on leaving an even more radical legacy - selling off the state itself. Written with their trademark precision and passion, Toynbee and Walker reveal how in four short years a party that failed to win a Commons majority has been devastatingly effective. Blending polls and statistics with moving human stories from Taunton to Teesside, Sydenham to Sheffield, Cameron's Coup shows the alarming reversal in decades of social progress. As Toynbee and Walker argue, it has been nothing short of a revolution. And they ask the pressing question: are these changes irrevocable? This is essential reading for anyone who cares about their country.
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Weaponxgirl
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So I've been so inspired by my friends over the pond. The women's March and reading lists such as #overthis #allisnotlost and with groups such as the #socialjusticebookclub being formed. I love how everyone is educating themselves and getting involved, your all truly inspiring! So I was wondering if anyone would like to start putting together a brexit style reading list together? I've been doing this in my head for a while anyway. Continues below

Weaponxgirl The issues I'd want to look at are things like austerity, poverty, immigration and racism in both fiction and non fiction books. I also want to read lots of Eastern European authors as they've been getting a pounding in the media. I want to take a good hard look at how we got here and also how we can fight for our rights under the government we have at the moment. I want to be more knowledgeable on what's happening in my own country 7y
Weaponxgirl Also if anyone is interested please give me a good name for such a hashtag?! I hope we can all make our corner of the world better and support each other around the world too. @Moray_Reads 7y
Foxyfictionista I love this! I'm American but live in the UK so I have a deep love for both countries. Perhaps Brexitbooklist for a hash tag? I would definitely read books from such a book list and recommend whatever I happen across. 7y
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Weaponxgirl @Foxyfictionista i was thinking something like that for the hashtag too. Glad you like. I'll put up something about some of the books I've had my eye on soon 😀 can I ask which part of the U.K. Your in if you don't mind? 7y
Foxyfictionista I live in London. And you? 7y
Weaponxgirl @Foxyfictionista Norwich , I'm about a hour from you on the train 😀 7y
Foxyfictionista Ah, nice. If you're ever in London let me know. Might be nice to have a coffee and talk about books with a fellow litten. ☺️ 7y
Weaponxgirl @Foxyfictionista I do occasionally get down 😀 same goes for you if you ever get to Norwich, I'll show you all the bookish and pretty parts 7y
Foxyfictionista Ooh, I've never been to Norwich. Sounds like a plan! 😊 7y
BookishFeminist I love this and would love to read from it as well, especially since our cheeto in chief is such good friends with Farage 🙄 7y
Weaponxgirl @BookishFeminist farage just makes my blood boil! I can't even think about him without wanting to hit something. 7y
BookishFeminist right there with you. between him, piers morgan, and trump it's like 3 horsemen of the apocalypse 7y
Moray_Reads @Weaponxgirl @BookishFeminist @Foxyfictionista Great idea, it's too easy to focus on Trump and forget the problems here, they're only going to get worst if May's disgusting toadying continues. BrexitBooklist sounds like a good choice, a bit of alliteration always brightens my day. I'm in lovely Edinburgh so if anyone is ever visiting north of the border just let me know 😊 7y
Moray_Reads @BookishFeminist oh god, that just means there's another still to come... 7y
BookishFeminist @Moray_Reads I can throw in mitch mcconnell if you want to round it out 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads @BookishFeminist Katie Hopkins ? She's pretty vile as well. And as for piers Morgan I'm glad Ewan mcgregor decided to not go on your show! Ha, you need he's patronage for your career not him. (I love Ewan so so much! ) 7y
BookishFeminist @Weaponxgirl @moray_reads ditto! I heard that. Ewan McGregor rocks. You can totally throw Katie Hopkins in with this mix. We can contribute tomi lahren (edited) 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads I've always wanted to go to Edinburgh actually, I hear it's a nice artistic city with lots of culture to explore. My invite is to any littens who would ever make it to my neck of the woods btw 😀 we pretend Allen partridge is right but it's actually very nice 😉 7y
Moray_Reads We were cheering for Ewan, nice to see a bit of integrity. Hopkins I'd definitely a contender for the fourth. Utterly vile human being. 7y
Weaponxgirl @BookishFeminist I fear it shall be more than four horsemen if we carry on! I want littlejohn and Andrew Lloyd Webber in aswel! Lol 7y
BookishFeminist @Weaponxgirl oh and ann coulter! 💀 and all of our actual nazis because apparently those are still around?? 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads yes on the trump focusing btw, too many Brits get smug about some of the things that are slightly better here and let slide awful things that we do as a country and get complacent about standing up for what's right in the long run. 7y
Weaponxgirl @BookishFeminist we have them too unfortunately! I need to find a good book on skinheads for this list as the culture initially wasn't racist at all. It came from a mix of black and working class music and culture but unfortunately the image got nicked by the far right. They had a good documentary about it on bbc a while back. I shall research the hell outta this list 7y
Foxyfictionista @Moray_Reads I find that the attitudes towards immigration over here are appalling. Especially towards the Syrian refugees. I don't know why it's ok to treat people like they don't matter. I'm also horrified by the need everyone suddenly has of "telling it like it is". I'll definitely let you know next time I'm in Edinburgh. I love that city!! ❤️ 7y
Weaponxgirl @Foxyfictionista I've had so many arguments with people about refugees! A lot of people also don't know the difference between a refugee and a immigrant. I'm not saying it's ok to treat either badly and reasons for moving can be similar in some cases but I like to try to make people understand the distinction to nip the "they're just here for benefits" crap in the bud. I really hope that makes sense 7y
Moray_Reads I think too many people think that cynicism is a necessity and a virtue and take it so far that it includes any kind of compassion as well. Even if a person is coming here "just" to find a better job it doesn't make that person bad, or cunning or shiftless. Everyone has a right to try to improve their own life 7y
Moray_Reads @Weaponxgirl @Foxyfictionista @BookishFeminist This article terrified me in the first days after the referendum but it really clearly sets out some of the huge legal, economic and diplomatic hurdles ahead http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2016/07/14/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the... 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads I agree, I hope my last comment didn't covey that I think coming over for a better job was a bad thing. I just like to get that distinction through to those people who seem to think it is. Kinda makes them think mid rant. I'm actually a very cynical person, in a Charlie brooker kinda way and lack of empathy for others drives me insane 7y
Foxyfictionista That's exactly what I think. I feel like there's such a shortage of empathy and compassion in the world right now. People don't think about how they would feel if it were them fleeing their country. If everyone could just try to understand others better... 7y
Moray_Reads @Weaponxgirl oh no, not at all! I was thinking about the "coming over here stealing our jobs" crowd. And yes, Charlie Brooker is my spirit animal, with plenty of Richard Ayoade thrown in ? 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads so I have a huge amount to say on the stealing our jobs topic, reading chavs helped me clarify my arguments and thinking on this so bear with if that's ok. The truth is a lot of working class communities have seen their living standards drop considerably and unfortunately immigration hasn't helped in a lot of those areas. People will come in and do jobs for much lower pay that a British person would expect to. Also pressure on 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads services and housing is very real. Unfortunately the anger has been misplaced onto the immigrants themselves thanks in part to awful parts of our media and the offenders have got off Scot free. I actually blame the left and labour quite a lot for the situation that's happened. Peoples legit concerns haven't been addressed and labour went so middle class voter and didn't engage that unfortunately UKIP and the like stepped in to fill a 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads void. As far as I could see, there was no voice of reason actually listening to people who are working class and talking to them. I love multiculturalism but for some communities there have been problems and the right did a very good job on divide and conquer. We unfortunately had no one helping to get us to fight together to bring standards up for all rather than othering each other 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads sorry about that! I hope it made sense. I need tea now 7y
Moray_Reads 👏 I agree entirely, none of this happened in a vacuum. I can't wait for my tea, still another 20 minutes until my next break 😣 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads aww no, you working late? I'm doing my tea top up before I go to work myself tonight 7y
Moray_Reads @Weaponxgirl I'm covering the evening shift for a colleague, I'll be done in a couple of hours though and I can read covertly with the Kindle app until then 😊 7y
Weaponxgirl @Moray_Reads I love when that happens! I'm making the most of not being on my nvq at work yet. If it's quiet I get to read quite a lot 😉 7y
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