I hope to read this soon and start a bookring.

From the back cover: "Everything has been globalized except our consent."

"Monbiot's central idea is... [w]hy should democracy not be practised at the same level as economics and culture: our planet itself?" Independent on Sunday

Collected yesterday from the post office, after standing in the longest line I have ever seen - out the door, down onto the footpath!

Just that time of year, but this is a nice treat. Thank you.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sorry Leafofhumantree, life got in the way, and I just can't finish this one...

Have posted onto Stellartony.

Thank you very much for including me in this ring, and I did enjoy the 1/3 of the book that I did read.

Received today. It said that it was delayed on your end for 'compliance with Aviation Security Regulations.'

I liked this book, though it was a bit difficult to get through. I did end up skipping most of the 6th chapter because I found it too dull and endless. Overall, though, it's a very good book.

Sending off to jubby, who has kindly agreed to get it to Leaf so I don't have to pay so much for shipping. Isn't she wonderful?

Recived this today from jubby, thanks! Looks like a great book. Will read soon.

I was a bit disappointed with this book. No doubt the intentions are good, but the practical application of the ideas of Monbiot is not realistically to be expected.
Monbiot proposes a world parliament as a solution to the democratic deficit in world politics. I can't see how a world parliament would be able to function, when parliaments on a smaller scale already show so many problems. I don't think a world parliament would work at all, and I have to agree with Roger Scrutton (as quoted in the discussion at the end of the book) that democracy can only work on a small scale, when people can really participate. The enormous constituencies necessary for a workable world parliament would reduce the idea of representation to a joke. Corporations would probably abuse a world parliament in the same way as they do other parliaments at the moment, so there is not much hope for global democracy.
I was intrigued by the solution offered for the international trade balance ot lack thereof, which Monbiot claims was the original idea of Keynes. I guess it could work, and as the current situation is so obviously not working it might have a chance. I don't know what the consequences of the huge deficits for Australia and the US would be though.

The good thing about this book is that it offers food for thought. There certainly are problems screaming for a solution, but I am not too sure that Monbiot's ideas are the real solutions.

Thanks LeafofHumanTree for starting this bookring!

Received yesterday, thank you. Now on my TBR pile.