I didn't have very high expectations of this book when I bought it, and sadly it certainly has lived up to my low expectation.

I admit that I only purchased this book because It was part of a 'buy 3 for...' deal, and that if I had only purchased the two books I actually wanted to read it would have cost me more money. So, I bought it as disposable ballast.

The book's target audience seems to be aimed squarely at those that thrive on tabloid sensationalism and pub gossip. In this respect 'Whose Side Are They On' will likely act only to bolster these narrow minded prejudices further. Don't get me wrong, with all due respect to the victims of bureaucracy in the book, I am the first to stand up for the underdog and take an active stand against fascism, but I suspect that the author is just appealing to the moaners and wingers in society instead. In this respect the goal is less a manifesto for change, and more shrug of apathy.

There is much wrong with this country at the moment for sure, and some of the subjects touched on in this book are key elements of the decay, but the articles are so shallow and lacking in structure that they offer the reader only the vaguest idea of what is really going on and the bigger picture is lost entirely.
I have no doubt that the victims are real. The stories have become the stuff of urban legend. But, I was after more insight than simply what was printed in the tabloids by bias reporting. I expected to uncover the whole story by reading the book because that is what books do well. What I found was a scrapbook of tabloid articles collected together that appeared even more sensational by virtue of their proximity to one another. The original sloppy tabloid reporting I can forgive for what it is, but the author had the chance to delve deeper into these stories unrestricted by newspaper deadlines and with the benefit of hindsight. What a let down.

Then again, is it fair of me to judge something for more than it claims to be? ( )