Good Chaps: How Corrupt Politicians Broke Our Law and Institutions - And What We Can Do About It

Indictment of modern British culture.

This was recommended to me as I’m appalled by the current UK political system. Very good book but parts feel like padding.

Anyone who follows the news will remember at least some of these scandals, but when it's all put together it shows exactly why public trust in politicians, and especially the Conservative party, is at a historic low. Great story-telling, shocking facts and an important contribution to political debate.

Good Chaps by Simon Kuper:Good Chaps is the literary equivalent of what cinema calls a ‘wet print’. It’s about corruption in public life and is we head towards next Thursday, with a possible sea change in British politics in the air - it becomes a very timely, relevant read.Kuper’s main theory that there always has, at some level been corruption in public life. He mentions old classics like Profumo, Marples and Poulson. Even ones we’ve forgotten about, such as Blair taking money from Bernie Ecclestone in exchange for stubbing out a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising in sport.But maybe we should credit Thatcher for having some form of principles, asking cabinet ministers to buy their own sandwiches for meetings. From Major on, corruption seeps in British life as much as sewage seeps into rivers.He’s good on the current list of billionaires from different parts of the world who fund the Tory Party; where you can bid a hundred grand on breakfast with Johnson. But equally, the interconnectedness of British politics, where Paul Marshall can fund GB News AND be a major donor to The Church Of England.It’s a short read, lurid and shocking but well argued and even offers solutions. You should read it as a solution to a very English disease, where things can only get better. It’s published by Profile Books on and I thank them and Rachel Quin for a preview copy. #goodchaps.

A very topical read this week and one I was keen to cram in this week. Luckily at only around 160 pages this was easy to do.This is well researched and whilst I probably knew most of what the book is about, I didn't know it to that level of detail. There's also something about reading it one chapter after another that really hits you of the goings on, particularly in the last 5 years.I wouldn't call myself a politics geek but still found this easy enough to follow and digestible.Relevant and timely.

I like Kuper’s journalism and this is an extended piece. It is an account with a lot of ‘what’ but not much analysis of ‘why’ which would have interested me more. He had to get this out in a rush and I accept that. Big Bang and Thatcher were triggers. But so is the social evil of asset price inflation plus wage stagnation which doesn’t get a mention. The public school system which used to prepare the issue of the middle classes for a life of public service changed to one preparing children for the new high status roles of accountant and banker. Dependence on educating the offspring of the successfully corrupt from Russia and China will not be helped by Labour’s VAT addition.