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Merissa (13032 KP) created a post
May 3, 2021

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Parliament Ltd: A Journey to the Dark Heart of British Politics in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Unbelievable, explosive, mind blowing claims
There were times where I literally gasped, laughed, clapped and whinced listening to this.
Exposing the dark heart of politics where morality has been swept away with the brush of business, Martin Williams has done an epic job of proportions revealing how intertwined the British government is with lobbyists, expenses scandals, external business interests with many even relating to human rights abuses. I would definitely want to hear an updated version reflecting the current government in power.
Bravo to Williams - an extremely important read for this generation.
Exposing the dark heart of politics where morality has been swept away with the brush of business, Martin Williams has done an epic job of proportions revealing how intertwined the British government is with lobbyists, expenses scandals, external business interests with many even relating to human rights abuses. I would definitely want to hear an updated version reflecting the current government in power.
Bravo to Williams - an extremely important read for this generation.

Alec Baldwin recommended Hunger (2009) in Movies (curated)

Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Jefferson's Treasure: How Albert Gallatin Saved the New Nation from Debt in Books
Jun 5, 2019

Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated A Little Assassination in Books
Feb 29, 2020

Awix (3310 KP) rated Official Secrets (2019) in Movies
Oct 18, 2019
Superior based-on-fact thriller with Keira Knightley leading a strong cast. Huge demonstrations fill the streets of London but are totally ignored by the government, the British Prime Minister is a smirking liar, and the US administration is hugely embarrassed by a whistleblower. How very different things were 15 years ago. Said whistleblower (Knightley) reveals an attempt by the US and UK to blackmail members of the UN security council into authorising an otherwise-illegal invasion of Iraq, bringing the whole power of the establishment down on her head.
There's a lot going on here, plotwise, with various strands following Knightley's personal situation, the attempts of journalists to verify and publish her story, and the court case that ensued, but the story is always engrossing and never difficult to follow. Knightley's performance is possibly a little overcooked, but she is extremely well supported by a cast including Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Rhys Ifans. Raises some serious issues about the rights of a government to keep secrets from its secrets; stirs up some recent history, too, for what it's worth. An excellent piece of intelligent entertainment.
There's a lot going on here, plotwise, with various strands following Knightley's personal situation, the attempts of journalists to verify and publish her story, and the court case that ensued, but the story is always engrossing and never difficult to follow. Knightley's performance is possibly a little overcooked, but she is extremely well supported by a cast including Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Rhys Ifans. Raises some serious issues about the rights of a government to keep secrets from its secrets; stirs up some recent history, too, for what it's worth. An excellent piece of intelligent entertainment.

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Our Man in Havana: An Introduction by Christopher Hitchens in Books
Sep 8, 2017
A classic noir from Graham Greene but not his best
While I wouldn't say this was the best of Graham Greene, who is renowned for his noir style crime tales, it was an enjoyable read.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this spy novel about a simple vacuum merchant turned spy for the British government in Cuba. His friend, a German doctor is suspected of being more than he is. There are plenty of assassination plots in this novel on top of escaping dangerous situations involving corrupt cops.
My only gripe is the fact how quickly the salesman was able to grasp being a detective without any training, so it seems a little implausible. Fun, but no Brighton Rock.
There are plenty of twists and turns in this spy novel about a simple vacuum merchant turned spy for the British government in Cuba. His friend, a German doctor is suspected of being more than he is. There are plenty of assassination plots in this novel on top of escaping dangerous situations involving corrupt cops.
My only gripe is the fact how quickly the salesman was able to grasp being a detective without any training, so it seems a little implausible. Fun, but no Brighton Rock.

Darren (1599 KP) rated A United Kingdom (2017) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Entry number 7 (of 9) in Donald Jacks Bartholomew Bandy series (Canadian First World War air ace), set - this time - in India, in the mid 1920s (1925, to be precise).
Having - inadvertently - previously saved the life of Prince Khoosie of the state of Jhamjarh, this novel starts with Bandy travelling to that continent to help them set up their own air force: an air force that is viewed with some misgivings by the (British) powers-that-be, who are convinced that it will be used against them and who refuse to heed any warnings about an uprising that is planned by another Indian state, even going so far as to take their side against Jhamjarh.
As things turn out, of course, the British government have it all backwards …
As I've said before, I found the quality of these novels to have declined in direct proportion to their settings: for my money, the earlier books (set during and just after WW1) are far superior to these later instalments. Having said that, I did find this one to be more enjoyable than its immediate predecessor, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and a further insight into just how Bandy's First World War experiences have affected him
Having - inadvertently - previously saved the life of Prince Khoosie of the state of Jhamjarh, this novel starts with Bandy travelling to that continent to help them set up their own air force: an air force that is viewed with some misgivings by the (British) powers-that-be, who are convinced that it will be used against them and who refuse to heed any warnings about an uprising that is planned by another Indian state, even going so far as to take their side against Jhamjarh.
As things turn out, of course, the British government have it all backwards …
As I've said before, I found the quality of these novels to have declined in direct proportion to their settings: for my money, the earlier books (set during and just after WW1) are far superior to these later instalments. Having said that, I did find this one to be more enjoyable than its immediate predecessor, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and a further insight into just how Bandy's First World War experiences have affected him

Adam Colclough (3 KP) rated Harry's Game in Books
Mar 6, 2018
Dangerous Games