Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain

by George Monbiot

Book Overview

George Monbiot seeks to uncover what many have suspected but few have been able to prove: that big business is taking over Britain. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0330369431
• ISBN13: 9780330369435
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Pan Books (UK)
• Length: 430 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

State held captive by neoliberal economic policies

This book describes the corporate takeover of Britain. Another, by Paul Hellyer, called "Stop, Think" (ISBN: 0969439466) describes the corporate takeover of the world. Both books could be subsumed under the subject matter of Neoliberalism, which is explained most excellently by David Harvey in his book "A Brief History of Neoliberalism" (ISBN: 0199283273). Harvey explains the causations of the doctrine and its development in the last century, and its relevance (and more) to the current century. All three books show corporate (financial, commercial and industrial) greed reflected in history on a grand scale. Having not been stopped, the new world order has increasingly become one of domination by the power of greed. Economics & politics ("Ecopolinomics") are intertwined and inseparable, for humans are no different from other creatures in their quest to survive, even at the expense of their fellow creatures, whether inadvertently or wilfully. Which is why the understanding of economics & politics must be understood together, both historically and currently. What these books show is very much related to the laissez-faire theory of the Scottish economist Adam Smith (1723 - 1790), which was the belief that if mankind were given the freedom to act out of self-interest (selfishness?) and pursue maximum personal gain, the consequences would be "most agreeable to the interests of the whole of society" (This is something of an irony, one could say) The economist John Maynard Keynes (1883 - 1946) once said: "The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else". [...]

Everyone in every country should read this book

This book is a reminder of the real working of the political system, and how it interacts with big business and the public, and who's really in control. Whether it's England, Canada or the US, the picture is essentially the same. If you're puzzled by political decision or frustrated by your failing cause, this fabulous book may have the answers. It is depressing to know of the amount of duplicity, misrepresentation, and downright lying that my country is currently founded on. I would recommend 'Dogs and Demons' for a similar look at a completely different political system, Japan's.