Customer Reviews
Little Red Book - By: T. Bently, 16 Jun 2010 
That nice young man David Cameron keeps telling us he is going to 'consult the people' over policy & public sector cuts. Well he can save some time since Mark Thomas has done the hard work already, asking people at his gigs to come up with laws & publishing the resultsin this pocket-size booklet.
The result is truly inspired with 4x4 drivers, politicians' pay & the tabloid press been particualrly hard hit by the public's ire.
This manifesto probably won't amuse or amaze you if you buy The Daily Mail every day but for everyone else it's truly inspired reading. Perhaps like Mao's Little Red Book everyonein the country should get a copy - or at least every politician.
A book for the people, by the people (and Mark Thomas). - By: DangermouseZilla, 30 Apr 2010 Mark Thomas is one of the UK's most intelligent & vitriolic left wing comedians, his comedy not only makes you laugh but it strikes a chord & makes you think. Despite all of this he tends to slip under the radar of the general public & is relatively unknown, but he's heldin high regard by those familiar with his work.
The People's Manifesto is the product of a live tour which gathered ideas from the audience, the public proposals have been analysed & a sampledin this book. There's a mixture of both daft & serious policies, but whether you're reading a ridiculous proposal about what to do with dog poo or a quite serious item about holding referenda before going to war, the book tackles it intelligently.
It's a genuinely funny book but it's not scared to deal with the real issues beneath the initial statement. For example, the proposal to have all models selected at random from the electoral roll is one of the most amusing parts of the book, & it also recognises a valid social problem when it is presented as a solution to seeing unrealistic idealised images of the body. It explores the morality behind what it proposes, it isn't just a collection of comedic ideas - it's a dissection of modern culture & a lot if it actually seems sensible!
The satirical pages may well educate you too & bolster your political arsenal of facts & figures ready for argumentsin the office/pub/living room - did you know for instance thatin 2009 benefit cheats may well have cost the country around £900 million whereas rich tax loop-hole abusers lost the UK around £18.5 *billion*!
In a nutshell: At the time of writing this we arein the final week building up to the 2010 general election & Mark Thomas' book is a fantastic way of enjoying politics when the 24-hour news media have peddled the same minor story for days on end until it's been milked so dry that the teat is starting to bleed. Not only is it incredibly amusing, but it does actually have a lot to say & after reading it you may find yourself not necessarily agreeing with everything - but you'll consider the points made to be valid & find them cropping upin conversation.
brilliant & well timed publication - By: Mr. Charles P. Ross, 13 Apr 2010 
more sensein it than you reckon
shame that the politicans do not read it before making up their policies
I have never laughed so much... - By: S. V. Parry, 12 Apr 2010 ...in such a long, long time. This is a brilliant book & everyone deserves a copy. If politics was this fun, everyone would want to be an MP for free.
Smash The Aristocracy - By: Mr. David Nettleton, 12 Mar 2010 The People's Manifesto is a small handbook containing 40 policies suggested to comedian Mark Thomas by members of the audience at a series of live shows at theatres throughout the British Islesin the wake of the economic & banking crisesin 2009. The crisis startedin 2007 & continues to this day but the MP's expenses scandal is the 'trigger' for this nationwide tour.
Mark Thomas has three objectives: make people laugh - make them think - & pay the mortgage. He certainly achieves the first two & I suspect that he doesn't receive threatening letters from the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society about repossessing his house. It's a living, luv!
Mark has selected his top forty from hundreds of suggestions. Some are straightforward like, Renationalise The Railways, others more obscure, Models Should Be Chosen At Random From The Electoral Roll, some rather obtuse, Those Who Peddle Homeopathic Remedies Should Only Receive Homeopathic Medicines When They Have Major Illnesses. At lot was left 'on the cutting room floor', including recognising that mayonnaise is the work of the devil & an outright ban on TV programmes featuring meerkats.
This book will irritate some but most readers will chuckle throughout and, on occasions, laugh out loud. At less than a fiver, it represents good valuein these recession-hit times.
