The broken compass

Amazon review: Mr. Hitchens latest book, The Broken Compass is a short 200 page essay on the state of affairs in the United Kingdom as of this writing in mid-2009.

The book is divided into three parts-The New Permanent Government of Britain, The Left Escapes to the West and Britain through the looking glass. The first section deals with the ambiguous differences among the three major parties in the UK, Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. That is to say that the policies of the parties cannot be distinguished to any degree and that Mr. Hitchens states that no matter who wins next year's general elections, the policies will remain in place. That philosophy is trying to take hold in America with the rise of the RINOs (Republican in names only) who to try to emulate the same things as the Tories in the UK today in terms of going along to get along.

The second part deals with the leaking of leftist ideologies from the former Warsaw Pact to the West. Mr. Hitchens seemed frustrated that the West won a hard fought Cold War only to see socialism rise in a disheartened Britain.

The last part has Mr. Hitchens going into various aspects of modern life in the UK and how it has played on its culture. The creation of the motorways and the destruction of the railways has left Britain more dependent on the automobile and truck for transportation. His address on this issue reminds me of when the Pacific Electric Railway was demolished in Los Angeles to foster highway construction in Southern California. Also he takes up the case against the leftist-Tory alliance in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think that Mr. Hitchens is right when he says that women have traded the hard work of motherhood for the slavery of the workplace where beauty and sexiness are assets that are vital to keep their job. The rise in plastic surgery could be traced to this very fact. Education mediocrity is derided as well when the author cites the damage that American-type public education has done to the UK with the replacement of the former grammar schools and meritorious advancement.

Mr. Hitchens has written a great book that deserves to be read by those on this side of the pond in light of the conflict today in Washington; it could prove helpful.