The Social Distance Between Us

This is McGarvey at his best, asking discomfiting questions of many-most?-of his readers and also pointing out that class inequality is endlessly reproduced by people who either do well out of it or are too institutionalised to see what is in front of them. The quality of McGarvey's reporting and storytelling is first-rate... he makes no end of astute points * John Harris, Observer (Book of the Week) *
An Orwell for today's poor... By the end readers will be left in no doubt about the fact that our society is still riven by class inequality * The Times *
Breaks your heart and boils your blood * The Big Issue *
Vital and indispensable. Documents how we succeeded in creating a 21st century ruling class who - in their complacency, their lack of engagement, their blinkered ideology and dead-hand managerialism - are themselves, now, the principal source of the social problems they so confidently locate elsewhere, and which they therefore cannot even begin to solve * Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman *
An essential read for every politician, civil servant, councillor, charity worker, police officer and teacher. [An] angry, but controlled, expose of the wide gap between Britain's decision-makers and those most affected by their thoughtless, stupid or selfish actions. * Susan Dalgety, The Scotsman *