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How Britain Really Works

Understanding the Ideas and Institutions of a Nation

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How Britain Really Works

By: Stig Abell
Narrated by: Stig Abell
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Summary

 'Absorbing . . . an intelligent and clear-eyed account of much that goes on in our country' Sunday Times

'Wry and readable' Guardian

Getting to grips with Great Britain is harder than ever. We are a nation that chose Brexit, rejects immigration but is dependent on it, is getting older but less healthy, is more demanding of public services but less willing to pay for them, is tired of intervention abroad but wants to remain a global authority. We have an over-stretched, free health service (an idea from the 1940s that may not survive the 2020s), overcrowded prisons, a military without an evident purpose, an education system the envy of none of the Western world.

How did we get here and where are we going?

How Britain Really Works is a guide to Britain and its institutions (the economy, the military, schools, hospitals, the media, and more), which explains just how we got to wherever it is we are. It will not tell you what opinions to have, but will give you the information to help you reach your own. By the end, you will know how Britain works - or doesn't.

'Stig Abell is an urbane, and often jaunty guide to modern Britain, in the mould of Bill Bryson' Irish Times©2018 Stig Abell Europe Great Britain Modern England Inspiring Thought-Provoking Socialism Capitalism
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Critic reviews

Absorbing . . . an intelligent and clear-eyed account of much that goes on in our country
Wry and readable . . . a smart execution of an idea that is more important than it sounds - in a world convulsed by polarising ideologies and white-hot feelings, there is a lot to be said for writing that is cool and fact-based
Delightfully readable
Stig Abell is an urbane, and often jaunty guide to modern Britain, in the mould of Bill Bryson . . . he provides thoughtful explorations of each subject throughout
Vivid, funny, and full of interesting glimpses of the way Britain works, viewed from angles I hadn't seen before
If you fear Britain's going slightly Brexit bonkers, then this will explain why. An excellent, incisive and witty analysis of how this country works, or as so often . . . doesn't!
A fascinating piece of ultra recent history. How we got to where we are, and why. Confused about modern Britain? Read this book
An engaging, entertaining and sometimes eyebrow-raising read
This book brilliantly unpicks our strange little island, and shows us where we find ourselves in the modern world
Simply, I have never read a better book about Britain. This is a proper and touching examination of the mad little island that I'm so fond of. Everyone should read it, whether they think they already know about our country, or not
Entertaining, enlightening and often rather scary . . .
All stars
Most relevant
Good content and delivery. would recommend this title to anyone as a crash course in British institutions.

Good.

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This is a really interesting, thoroughly researched and well presented book. The conclusions drawn in the final chapter jar somewhat but aren’t inconsistent with the body of the book (after chapters of telling the reader “How it is”, the author gives his view of “How it should be”).

I can’t recommend the audiobook however, because the author has chosen to narrate it himself and the results aren’t good. He seems to be in a hurry to get through it, reading fast and with an oddly hectoring tone. Points that could be emphasised for clarity are not l, for the sake of speed, and he seems to run out of breath and gasp every so often.

Rightly or wrongly the listener gets the impression that the narration was done in a hurry, which is a great shame as it undermines the very good work the author did in researching and writing this book

Thorough and interesting

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I really enjoyed this book. It's full of interesting and insightful stuff told in a straightforward way. However, the production values are dreadful.
Stig has read the book himself which is fine, but the producer has left in stumbles over words and mistakes, lip smacks, times when Stig ran out of breath mid-sentence etc. Baffling why they wouldn't make the effort on a book that is fairly well known.

Still, I listened to it all regardless, and took a lot from it.

Very interesting but terrible production values

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really great book, very well researched, very interesting and engaging. overall a great read or listen. I really like the fact it was split into chapters that made sense. health, education, economics, etc

truly informative and interesting

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An interesting book that is well narrated. The book contains information about the British society that we should all be aware of, but sadly aren't.
a decent listen, thanks.

Very interesting and balanced.

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