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The Breakdown: Making Sense of Politics in a Messed Up World
At last, a sane voice of reason that cuts through all the noise
In the deepest, darkest depths of history, there was once a time when most families had only one screen in their house with just three, four or five channels. This forced people into a situation in which they would have to compromise. Imagine the horror.
These days, we're living through The Breakdown. It's a time of enormous political engagement, but many of us feel ill equipped to truly understand and debate all the issues currently rocking our world.
With sections including How Other People Think; A Tour of the Battlegrounds; and Making Change Happen, this superbly clear-sighted, light-hearted and judgement-free book will give you all the tools you need to understand the different arguments, to work out what is happening and why - and then to do something about it.
In a shifting political landscape that can at times be frustrating, emotional or confusing, The Breakdown is an oasis of calm in a turbulent world.
In the deepest, darkest depths of history, there was once a time when most families had only one screen in their house with just three, four or five channels. This forced people into a situation in which they would have to compromise. Imagine the horror.
These days, we're living through The Breakdown. It's a time of enormous political engagement, but many of us feel ill equipped to truly understand and debate all the issues currently rocking our world.
With sections including How Other People Think; A Tour of the Battlegrounds; and Making Change Happen, this superbly clear-sighted, light-hearted and judgement-free book will give you all the tools you need to understand the different arguments, to work out what is happening and why - and then to do something about it.
In a shifting political landscape that can at times be frustrating, emotional or confusing, The Breakdown is an oasis of calm in a turbulent world.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
Published May 30, 2019
41 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 29, 2020
The desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever becoming one. ― Billy Connolly
In the last three years if you were ever brave enough to mention politics to anyone else then you would probably have a fairly heated discussion right up to a full-blown row. Unless they happened to share your point of view that is and then your point of view is often heard, amplified and echoed back to you. There are lots of people who have had enough too, and never intend to vote for anyone ever again.
Opinions are polarised, nationalism is on the rise, partly fuelled by people who are scared about change and the pace of the modern world and we have lost the ability to see a point from anyone else’s perspective. We have reached the point of Breakdown according to Spiller. This book has come from his work on Simple Politics, a project that is striving to make politics, clear interesting and most importantly, still relevant.
To do this he looks at a variety of different subjects that have caused strife over the past few years; immigration, privatisation, taxes, austerity and that political football of the past few years, Brexit. He takes each and look at it from the range of political viewpoints, considers some of the details like is tax good or bad, are immigrants taking our jobs or just doing some of the jobs we are keen on doing?
We all listen to voices that we are comfortable within our own echo chambers, regardless of what we think that we are doing. These are all complex and nuanced subjects that do not have a simple binary solution and as Spiller says, we have lost the ability to see the point of view from the other side that we used to have. What he is trying to do here is demonstrate how listening to an alternative point of view in an argument is not being shouted down by the other side, rather it is learning as we do as a small child that other people can know, feel and understand different things.
It is written in an easy-going conversational style that he has deliberately not made threatening. He has some reasonable suggestions to help us get on better politically, sadly though, I think that the people that really need to read this won’t ever consider picking it up. I would have preferred to have the How It All Works section at the beginning. I feel this would have set the framework of how everything works (or at least should do) and set the framework before moving onto the how others think and the main battlegrounds at the moment. I was slightly surprised that he doesn’t mention royal prerogative – the power of the prime minister to completely overrule and ignore, his cabinet, parliament and party, but that was a minor detail. Just remember to buy a different paper every now and again just to see where people that you might not agree with are coming from.
In the last three years if you were ever brave enough to mention politics to anyone else then you would probably have a fairly heated discussion right up to a full-blown row. Unless they happened to share your point of view that is and then your point of view is often heard, amplified and echoed back to you. There are lots of people who have had enough too, and never intend to vote for anyone ever again.
Opinions are polarised, nationalism is on the rise, partly fuelled by people who are scared about change and the pace of the modern world and we have lost the ability to see a point from anyone else’s perspective. We have reached the point of Breakdown according to Spiller. This book has come from his work on Simple Politics, a project that is striving to make politics, clear interesting and most importantly, still relevant.
To do this he looks at a variety of different subjects that have caused strife over the past few years; immigration, privatisation, taxes, austerity and that political football of the past few years, Brexit. He takes each and look at it from the range of political viewpoints, considers some of the details like is tax good or bad, are immigrants taking our jobs or just doing some of the jobs we are keen on doing?
We all listen to voices that we are comfortable within our own echo chambers, regardless of what we think that we are doing. These are all complex and nuanced subjects that do not have a simple binary solution and as Spiller says, we have lost the ability to see the point of view from the other side that we used to have. What he is trying to do here is demonstrate how listening to an alternative point of view in an argument is not being shouted down by the other side, rather it is learning as we do as a small child that other people can know, feel and understand different things.
It is written in an easy-going conversational style that he has deliberately not made threatening. He has some reasonable suggestions to help us get on better politically, sadly though, I think that the people that really need to read this won’t ever consider picking it up. I would have preferred to have the How It All Works section at the beginning. I feel this would have set the framework of how everything works (or at least should do) and set the framework before moving onto the how others think and the main battlegrounds at the moment. I was slightly surprised that he doesn’t mention royal prerogative – the power of the prime minister to completely overrule and ignore, his cabinet, parliament and party, but that was a minor detail. Just remember to buy a different paper every now and again just to see where people that you might not agree with are coming from.
February 20, 2020
Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free for review purposes.
I didn’t ask to be sent this book, but it was a pleasant surprise when it dropped in through the post. In part, that’s because it’s a pretty timely book and I’m interested in the topics that it covers, but it’s also down to the actual idea behind the book itself.
Basically, our society is more divided than ever before, and many of us just assume the worst about each other instead of trying to understand other people’s points of view. Here, Spiller spills the beans on why different people approach different topics from different angles, and it was actually quite useful for me because it kind of helped me to look at the world from a different viewpoint.
As for the topics, they range from Brexit to recycling, immigration, austerity, privatisation and tax cuts. That means that it’s pretty UK-centric, which could be off-putting for American readers. Still, I don’t think you need a huge amount of background knowledge going into this because the concepts are pretty simple and can be easily adapted to apply to other things. You will get more out of it if you’re British or familiar with British politics though, for sure.
I didn’t ask to be sent this book, but it was a pleasant surprise when it dropped in through the post. In part, that’s because it’s a pretty timely book and I’m interested in the topics that it covers, but it’s also down to the actual idea behind the book itself.
Basically, our society is more divided than ever before, and many of us just assume the worst about each other instead of trying to understand other people’s points of view. Here, Spiller spills the beans on why different people approach different topics from different angles, and it was actually quite useful for me because it kind of helped me to look at the world from a different viewpoint.
As for the topics, they range from Brexit to recycling, immigration, austerity, privatisation and tax cuts. That means that it’s pretty UK-centric, which could be off-putting for American readers. Still, I don’t think you need a huge amount of background knowledge going into this because the concepts are pretty simple and can be easily adapted to apply to other things. You will get more out of it if you’re British or familiar with British politics though, for sure.
January 7, 2024
fuck the tories
June 5, 2019
This fresh and honest book is exactly what politics needs right now. I think what we're lacking is a basic understanding of what ideologies are, and why moderate people think in the different ways that they do. This book explains exactly these viewpoints in a clear but also fun and engaging manner.
June 4, 2019
Cracking little book
A good read for those who are new to politics or have followed it for years. In an ever confusing political landscape, this book reminds us to listen well, consider wisely, and find common ground wherever it can be found. I was also surprised to learn that Jacob RM'S Dad took John Major to court over an EU treaty and Farage used to be a conservative! Great book!
A good read for those who are new to politics or have followed it for years. In an ever confusing political landscape, this book reminds us to listen well, consider wisely, and find common ground wherever it can be found. I was also surprised to learn that Jacob RM'S Dad took John Major to court over an EU treaty and Farage used to be a conservative! Great book!
January 14, 2022
A friend gave me this book after having many conversations about politics. Though we have different views, we are able to appreciate the other side and that’s the exact premise of this book. In an era where everyone is shouting at each other over politics, this book puts everything in black and white and let’s you make your own mind up, diplomatically!
August 4, 2024
Skim read it only. The structure of arguments is really clear and easy to follow, but there's often so many metaphors and jokes that it loses way too much actual information. I do think some of the humour introduces bias, even though you can tell it's trying to be balanced. Still, useful intro for UK politics if you want a quick read. 5/10.
June 7, 2023
This is a great primer on UK Politics (and why it perhaps isn't working at the moment). Brilliantly written, accessible and very informative.
Highly recomended.
Highly recomended.
September 14, 2019
If you're confused about the mess that is British politics at the moment I'd definitely recommend this book as a clear, neutral, non-judgemental way of clearing a few things up. This was surprisingly easy reading - a fun, friendly tone that laid out a good range of the political spectrum and various "battlegrounds" of British politics; I definitely learned a few things and may have to rethink a few things. I'd be very interested in a similar style of book covering Northern Ireland politics.
The Breakdown was published this year so it's pretty up to date. The author also runs Simple Politics (simplepolitics.co.uk) and if you sign up to their weekly email they'll keep you up to date in a similarly neutral way.
The Breakdown was published this year so it's pretty up to date. The author also runs Simple Politics (simplepolitics.co.uk) and if you sign up to their weekly email they'll keep you up to date in a similarly neutral way.
January 17, 2020
Superb
Hugely enjoyable, funny and good natured explanation of how politics works in the UK, and the challenges we face in the modern world of social media, click bait and black and white views. Genuinely changed how I look at many things. Highly recommended 👌
Hugely enjoyable, funny and good natured explanation of how politics works in the UK, and the challenges we face in the modern world of social media, click bait and black and white views. Genuinely changed how I look at many things. Highly recommended 👌
February 27, 2024
The Break Down by Tatton Spiller was, in short, a good read. It was easy to understand, fun, and did a very good job at "demystifying" politics for the average reader with an interest in understanding politics but little technical know-how in regards to processes and jargon. Think of a world where conversations about politics didn't consist of squabbles and name calling, but rather calm and reasonable discussion - you've got the central ideas of this book!
One of the things that I loved most about this book is the fact that it's so easy to read. So often, politics is made boring with dull technical and legal jargon, referencing events and people who none of us have ever heard of (much less care about), and written in a way that manages to confuse everyone but the writers themselves. Spiller made sure not to bog down his explanations with unnecessary technical details whenever possible, which I loved, because it meant that this book wasn't boring (unlike many other political science books whose names I shall not mention). It was a very easy, quick read. I'll admit, sometimes the pop culture references seemed a little bit forced, and the lack of technical details did mean sacrificing some depth, but given the nature of this book, I don't believe that an in depth analysis of any of the topics presented was the author's objective - rather, it was to give the reader a basic understanding of some of the key ideas of British politics, so that they could go on to form their own opinion.
And in this objective, the book most certainly succeeds. As someone who is in the unfortunate intersection of being somewhat interested in learning about politics while still knowing nothing about it, The Break Down was a great introduction into the wide world of British politics. It covers a bunch of different topics, such as major factions / ideologies, current (at time of publishing) debates in British politics, and a simple overview of how the systems of government and politics function in Britain.
And note that I say British politics - this book is 1,000,000% U.K.-centric. Just something to keep in mind if you're interested in reading this. As a non-Brit, I still found it interesting and useful, but all of the content of this book is based around the U.K.'s political system.
All in all, I'd say that this book is a great starting point for anyone who's looking to learn more about British politics but doesn't have much of a background in it, or know where to start. It's easy to understand, and the writing style was fun to read. Would recommend!
One of the things that I loved most about this book is the fact that it's so easy to read. So often, politics is made boring with dull technical and legal jargon, referencing events and people who none of us have ever heard of (much less care about), and written in a way that manages to confuse everyone but the writers themselves. Spiller made sure not to bog down his explanations with unnecessary technical details whenever possible, which I loved, because it meant that this book wasn't boring (unlike many other political science books whose names I shall not mention). It was a very easy, quick read. I'll admit, sometimes the pop culture references seemed a little bit forced, and the lack of technical details did mean sacrificing some depth, but given the nature of this book, I don't believe that an in depth analysis of any of the topics presented was the author's objective - rather, it was to give the reader a basic understanding of some of the key ideas of British politics, so that they could go on to form their own opinion.
And in this objective, the book most certainly succeeds. As someone who is in the unfortunate intersection of being somewhat interested in learning about politics while still knowing nothing about it, The Break Down was a great introduction into the wide world of British politics. It covers a bunch of different topics, such as major factions / ideologies, current (at time of publishing) debates in British politics, and a simple overview of how the systems of government and politics function in Britain.
And note that I say British politics - this book is 1,000,000% U.K.-centric. Just something to keep in mind if you're interested in reading this. As a non-Brit, I still found it interesting and useful, but all of the content of this book is based around the U.K.'s political system.
All in all, I'd say that this book is a great starting point for anyone who's looking to learn more about British politics but doesn't have much of a background in it, or know where to start. It's easy to understand, and the writing style was fun to read. Would recommend!
June 18, 2022
The central premise of this charming and colloquial little book is that we need to have better respect and understanding for other people's political viewpoints in order to improve our political dialogue which is 'breaking down' due to a modern media landscape which encourages anger, us-versus-them mentality and positive reinforcement bubbles. While I endorse the central message, the book offered more of a quick explanation to British politics rather than an in-depth analysis of a political 'breakdown'. Chapter three was the most interesting as the author analyses the characteristics that make successful change-makers (a specific issue of interest, an identification of who has power to change things, a well-organised public campaign and, most of all, resilience) however sometimes the volume of metaphors brought up throughout the book made it a bit grating. The book is not an especially insightful or groundbreaking work, but nor does it profess to be. Tatton Spiller's 'Simple Politics' has been successful in publishing a book that lays out the basic of how UK politics works in a simple, approachable and inoffensive way.
August 26, 2024
Good book, interesting, well written. Essentially a whistle stop tour of understanding British politics, the different ideologies, major issues, and examples of people who have made a difference and how you can too. Love it.
Has a theme that is very relevant in today's politics - just because the person you are talking to disagrees with you, doesn't mean that they are a cartoon, axe wielding, murderous villain. You can, and should disagree with people, talk about it, change your mind, and compromise. The world won't end.
Only criticism is that he regularly used analogies in explaining ideas that made the idea more complicated. Couldn't tell whether this was him trying to simplify things and failing to, or trying to be funny and also failing to.
He does also have a much more positive view of politics than I do, where everyone is there solely to serve their community and their country, and there isn't any/much self serving political power grabbing. Hunny.
Has a theme that is very relevant in today's politics - just because the person you are talking to disagrees with you, doesn't mean that they are a cartoon, axe wielding, murderous villain. You can, and should disagree with people, talk about it, change your mind, and compromise. The world won't end.
Only criticism is that he regularly used analogies in explaining ideas that made the idea more complicated. Couldn't tell whether this was him trying to simplify things and failing to, or trying to be funny and also failing to.
He does also have a much more positive view of politics than I do, where everyone is there solely to serve their community and their country, and there isn't any/much self serving political power grabbing. Hunny.
December 13, 2020
Easy read offering a solid introduction to the British political system and landscape, founded on a desire to bridge the ideological divides between our online echo chambers. Spiller encourages us to listen to one another with a view to understand rather than to pass a quick judgement that anyone who doesn't agree with you is Just Wrong. It's a noble idea. Perhaps if more people read this book, we'd live in a more nuanced world where people weren't so quick to put one another in binary political boxes.
Recommended for anyone interested in politics but slightly baffled by the whole thing, or a little hazy on some of the paradigms and processes.
Recommended for anyone interested in politics but slightly baffled by the whole thing, or a little hazy on some of the paradigms and processes.
March 5, 2022
Great breakdown of British politics to make sense of Westminster and what is going on atm. As an A Level politics student in her first year, this book has been invaluable. It’s helped articulate the very complex and commonly not discussed concepts begint politics in a way that makes sense to younger audiences. Would strongly recommend to any A Level politics students or anyone looking to further their political understanding. The author also runs the Simple Politics Instagram page and podcast, which are both super helpful too.
August 13, 2019
I am all for the principle that everyone thinks differently and that everyone should listen to others' point of view. However, this book neglects one major point of view, which is fascistic intolerance. By all means listen to everyone, but if one of the points of view in the discussion is that a segment of the population should not exist, then that point of view is evil and should be treated as such.
Sometimes when people are calling 'nazi', all they are saying is the truth.
Sometimes when people are calling 'nazi', all they are saying is the truth.
December 11, 2022
a book that actually explains everything, but isn’t patronising with it. some terms and specifics i never understood were broken down enough for me to properly get.
the tone is kept light even when talking about some potentially dull topics which allows the book to be a lighter read.
the general explanations and some examples, followed by subheadings of more specific information helps the book to stay super accessible.
the tone is kept light even when talking about some potentially dull topics which allows the book to be a lighter read.
the general explanations and some examples, followed by subheadings of more specific information helps the book to stay super accessible.
September 22, 2019
I've been a follower of simple politics for a while and decided to read this book. And what an excellent book it is. With the current political fog it can be difficult to know what is going on. This book clearly and concisely explains why politics in the UK works the way it does and some of the reasons the fog is so thick at the moment. Very highly recommended.
February 2, 2021
One for the beginners.
A great read for those that don't understand the fundamental basics of British politics. A very optimistic author who has the upmost respect for politicians, sometimes painting them out to be a little too good. Perhaps his second book will focus on the dark and seedy side of those in power.
A great read for those that don't understand the fundamental basics of British politics. A very optimistic author who has the upmost respect for politicians, sometimes painting them out to be a little too good. Perhaps his second book will focus on the dark and seedy side of those in power.
January 20, 2023
Was looking into getting this for our liberation library but unfortunately it is not trans inclusive - whilst I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was transphobic, the author presents the ‘trans debate’ as a debate of equal sides - without including the extreme damage transphobia has to both cis and trans people alike
November 6, 2023
As somebody with a (recent) politics degree, I didn't learn anything new reading this book. However, I found it to be engaging and informative, if slightly oversimplified.
I would highly recommend for someone who has been trying to get into/understand UK politics. Especially if you find it a daunting topic. It explains the issues in a simple, accessible and interesting way.
I would highly recommend for someone who has been trying to get into/understand UK politics. Especially if you find it a daunting topic. It explains the issues in a simple, accessible and interesting way.
April 21, 2025
An alright book. Probably quite good for complete newcomers to the world of British politics. For everyone with the basic knowledge, however, you're unlikely to get much out of this. An easy read either way, if a little bit clumsy in wording at times.
I read this a few years back - as of now it might be quite dated, actually.
I read this a few years back - as of now it might be quite dated, actually.
May 23, 2020
Helped me understand politics a lot better and try to look at it all objectively. Still preferred the establishment though which gave an insight into all the crap that they all get away with behind the scenes and how they swing it to fool us.
February 14, 2021
Brilliant read! As someone who felt pretty politically engaged before, this book allowed me to take a step back and really understand how my views fit into the wider political sphere, and what to do about that.
May 23, 2022
Useful idiot's guide to UK politics, which is especially good at defining political issues and the 'flavour' of arguments (liberal, socialist, conservative). Good appendix of function of government at the back, and should be available for all in advance of the 2024 election. Tatton talks sense.
August 23, 2020
Great book
I learnt a lot from this book and it made me understand why there is so much internal fighting within the parties.
I learnt a lot from this book and it made me understand why there is so much internal fighting within the parties.
November 5, 2020
Politics made fun and easy.
December 31, 2020
Throughly enjoyed this book! Extremely informative and really got me thinking about the world around me
January 19, 2021
A really good introduction to British politics, although I wish it went into a bit more detail
February 23, 2021
Would recommend to anyone interested in knowing a little more about politics! Concepts are written in a very relatable way that's understandable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews