Released: 18th October 2018
Genre: Politics, Society, Non-Fiction
Number of Pages: 214
The UK is in a tricky spot right now; massive, gaping divides have opened throughout society since the 2016 EU referendum polarised the entire country. Where do we go from here? How do we move forward? What measures can be put in place to ensure Britain’s future? Philip Collins of The Times newspaper has a modest and mostly balanced collection of possible answers.
Just like the torn front cover advertises, Collins proposes an extended set of comprises, suggesting that both the left and the right are currently hampered by numerous grievances and that a combination of both sides is needed to move forward in a practical centrist movement. Divided into six chapters, the most major theme of the book is a “common wealth”, something that the every part of the UK can share in while also collectively devising solutions to countless areas. Some examples include allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote, refining the education system to ensure more efficient learning of literacy and simplifying the monarchy and civil service to free up funds to name a few. Each of these strategies is well explained and deftly incorporated into our current political system while also feeling very level-headed. The author never goes on a large tirade against either side of politics and this ensures things don’t get biased.
The novel is also very reflective, pondering over where the UK stands after 2016 and where it could go in the future; this will strike a chord with the target reading audience as many citizens, myself included, wonder which direction the nation will take. The only real drawback in the book is some of the deep dives into previous political events in the UK, which are used to inform Philip’s thought process, and these can be a little overbearing at times; extended conversations on how power shifts, points on aspects of old British society and a sprinkling of historical contexts take up quite a few pages and these could have been streamlined to divert more attention to the author’s central ideas.
Recommended?
MAYBE: Start Again has been written for a very specific audience, those that sit on the left and right wings of UK politics may not be convinced by this different approach to run the nation. With that said, many of the ideas presented by Collins feel pragmatic and well-informed by previous experiences, imbuing a sense of curiosity as to how they would be implemented. For those feeling politically homeless in these tumultuous times, I highly recommend the book as it proposes a new direction that many can get consider or even get behind.
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