Election books: the cure for insomnia?
April 6, 2010 5:29 pm Book ReviewsInsomnia is a very serious condition. It can completely disrupt day-to-day life and in extreme cases ruin lives, so it is incredibly important that some kind of cure be found for the affliction. I think I’ve found it – election related books.
Yes, election fever has kicked off in the UK (well, for a month – not a patch on those 18 month marathons in the USA) and as a result, the shelves are being hastily rearranged to show off the books produced by and about our illustrious political leaders. Of course these books have been out for months, as they knew it was election season soon enough, but now you will have them rammed down your throat at every turn.
If you don’t believe me – just check out your nearest book shop. You’ll find all sorts of immensely boring material, ranging from diatribes against everything establishment (expenses, the closed-shop of public schoolboys in politics), histories of the candidates (Cameron being the favourite here) all the way through to a collection of speeches from Gordon Brown himself.
Yes, try to contain your enthusiasm.
I can barely stay awake when Gordon Brown is on the TV, never mind condensed into speech form and stuffed into a book. Do I really care what he said to the Pottery Enameler’s Union in 2008? Is it really that awesome a prospect to read about how he promised that Britain wouldn’t be hit by recession? No, it bloody isn’t.
If there was ever an award for ‘Driest Topic in a Book’, the book of speeches from a hapless Prime Minister would be getting out of its seat already to pick the damn thing up.
There are, as always, a few gems out there which will make the topic of politics as much fun as jetskiing with Mr T. However, weeding out the dross may well cause you to give up all hope. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.