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80th out of 92 books
—
68 voters
As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground Adventures in the Arms and Torture Trade
by
Mark Thomas
The first book from one of England's most effective and best-known political activists,also a highly successful stand-up comedian, is a deeply funny and disturbing account ofhis rampage through the arms trade. Under a fairly flimsy disguise and with the use of some worryingly poor accents, Mark Thomas managed to set himself up as an arms exporter and set off on a journey o...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
September 28th 2007
by Ebury Press
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This book details Mark Thomas's adventures as an anti-arms and torture campaigner, showing us how shamefully easy it is to buy, sell and broker arms anywhere in the world, including to countries on the EU and UN banned lists. Thomas is somewhat aware that he can be a bit pompous at times and writes in a self-deprecating manner that is humorous and easy to read, but with his righteous indignation never far from the surface. He grudgingly acknowledges that Britain probably does have one of the tou...more
The comedian and political activist takes on the gun trade in this book and shows how a good mind for Cluedo, a knowledge of legal loopholes and a telephone is all he needs to sell arms to Zimbabwe or any other dispicable regime. It's so easy in fact that as part of his experiment a bunch of school kids and a Catholic Nun also set themselves up as arms dealers and can ship mines and grenades across the world.
As one of the reviews on the back of the book says this is "John Pilger with jokes" and...more
As one of the reviews on the back of the book says this is "John Pilger with jokes" and...more
May 14, 2007
Richard
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who like their politics to be mixed with comedy
Shelves:
politics
At the Edinburgh Festival in 2006 I was handed a flier for Mark Thomas' show. The flier promised a free copy of this book. I would have booked a ticket anyway, but I managed to get a ticket on the last day of his show (after queuing for *ages*)
If you don't know Mark Thomas' comedy then he is an aggressive, shouty left winger. His passionate fury against those who wrong us is both funny and energizing.
This book is the story of Mark's experiments in how permiable the rules on international arms de...more
If you don't know Mark Thomas' comedy then he is an aggressive, shouty left winger. His passionate fury against those who wrong us is both funny and energizing.
This book is the story of Mark's experiments in how permiable the rules on international arms de...more
Mark Thomas is witty engaging, direct and packs a satirical punch albeit with a serious agenda around exposing the hypocrisy of the arms trade.
I only read this book very recently so some of the discussion does feel a bit dated, however it didn't spoil my interest and I kept on reading through regardless. I didn't regret it either. The facts keep tumbling on, some of which are quite incredible, all told with the insight and laser direction of a sharp comedian.
Worth reading indeed.
I only read this book very recently so some of the discussion does feel a bit dated, however it didn't spoil my interest and I kept on reading through regardless. I didn't regret it either. The facts keep tumbling on, some of which are quite incredible, all told with the insight and laser direction of a sharp comedian.
Worth reading indeed.
For those not in the know - Mark Thomas is a leftie comedian/activist from the UK, who's been doing social commentary/stand-up since the mid-80s. He's sorta the UK equivalent of Michael Moore, only a lot funnier and a bit less of a blowhard.
In "As Used....", he takes on the arms trade, specifically in the UK and Ireland. He does this by infiltrating an arms fair with a fake PR firm, setting up false arms trading companies...one headed up by a nun and one with schoolchildren. I won't go into too...more
In "As Used....", he takes on the arms trade, specifically in the UK and Ireland. He does this by infiltrating an arms fair with a fake PR firm, setting up false arms trading companies...one headed up by a nun and one with schoolchildren. I won't go into too...more
I'm quite sure fully half of the british humor went straight over my head despite my reasonable familiarity with british sitcoms, but a standup comics insight into the legal arms trade is perhaps the only way I could take in such a scary situation without totally losing it halfway through the book. A man that can make me laugh while informing me about such a huge issue wins bonus points in my book.
The book gets two stars for interesting content, but none for the writing. Thomas exposes the underhand dealings of arms traders and governments, but along the way puts down and insults everyone - from policemen to activists - in a way that is not even funny.
It is a pity, as the topic is relatively unknown and intriguing, but Thomas's writing brings it down.
It is a pity, as the topic is relatively unknown and intriguing, but Thomas's writing brings it down.
For anyone unfamiliar with the various shows or stand-up sets Mark Thomas has performed, this book pretty much encapsulates his work.
Equal parts investigative journalism, comic observation and wry sarcastic whimsy, this feels like the kind of banter you get from serious journalists down the pub.
It's certainly an interesting approach to a subject, but it won't have the same adrenalising or righteous zeal inducing effect of a John Pilger or Noam Chomsky book, nor even a Naomi Klein.
After a while i...more
Equal parts investigative journalism, comic observation and wry sarcastic whimsy, this feels like the kind of banter you get from serious journalists down the pub.
It's certainly an interesting approach to a subject, but it won't have the same adrenalising or righteous zeal inducing effect of a John Pilger or Noam Chomsky book, nor even a Naomi Klein.
After a while i...more
Thomas investigates and exposes those involved in the arms trade in Britain, the dealers the middle men, the manufacturers, the politicians and the victims. But with his unique combination of investigative journalism and stand up comedy, Thomas has you can have you horrified and laughing out loud as he tells us of his project to find out how and why our politicians,civil servants and businessmen are regularly breaking national and international laws on the arms trade. Thomas knows how to ask the...more
Aug 20, 2010
Tinea
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Tinea by:
Brit landlord in Etrhiopia's bookshelf
Shelves:
globalization-development-aid
A British "Yes Men" style comic takes on the arms trade. Funny, sad. I think Crimethinc wrote an article in the last Rolling Thunder about the campaign against BAE Industries, which figure prominently in this book (both the company and the direct action).
EDIT: The Crimethinc. article was about the Smash EDO campaign, not BAE. Britain seems to have a few active anti-arms campaigns going on. Wish the same was true here.
http://www.smashedo.org.uk/
http://crimethinc.com/rt/ (issue #9)
EDIT: The Crimethinc. article was about the Smash EDO campaign, not BAE. Britain seems to have a few active anti-arms campaigns going on. Wish the same was true here.
http://www.smashedo.org.uk/
http://crimethinc.com/rt/ (issue #9)
Such an interesting expose on the weapon trade!!! Amazing info on our government and the church that nobody would really know if it wasnt for this book. I love Mark Thomas he is not only funny but a great investigator. I saw his live show stand up show and it was so funny, all true, the things he does to discover things.
A book exploring how arms and torture equipment can be manufactured in the UK and exported from the UK Legally to countries the UK has export bans to. Very funny, inciteful and worrying all at the same time!
In reading this book I learnt that the British goverment is allowing British companies to sell arms and torture tools7weapons to "rogue nations" through companies set up in third world countries.
A witty and worrying look at arms trading, including the story of how Mark and a group of sixth-form students became international arms dealers to prove a point. Highly recommended.
Comedic investigative journalism into the arms trade, particularly in England. If you want to know about how fucked up the arms industry is, and lots of juicy gossip about British government and law, this is your book. It's fairly comprehensive, at least to my ignorant mind, and also entertaining. Thomas's particular brand of investigative journalism usually involves pretending to be an arms dealer or someone supportive of the arms industry-- e.g. a PR company at an arms fair trying to help coun...more
A shocking and detailed look into the British arms trade and the role of the government as regulators and subsidisers of the dealers. I might describe reading such a chronicle as a little arduous, however Mark's witty delivery certainly makes it a lot more palatable, even if sometimes the jokes do come off a little gossip column and superfluous. Did I forget to mention that mine is a signed copy to "Brian," which I bough at one of his gigs in Oxford where he also pointed me out in the crowd as a...more
The glorious story of one man's fight against the dirty business of selling arms. Always humourous (assuming you agree with the point of view from which it is written), with an eclectic group of accomplices playing walk-on roles, as Mr Thomas takes his usual approach to ridiculing those with wehom he disagrees. The fact that this book needed to be written some might call shocking, but it left me in no doubt that behind the soft fluffy exterior of the arms trade beats something more sinister. Wil...more
Funny, scarey, guilt laden. Every home should have one.
horrifying and wonderfully funny
Mark Thomas combines his special blend of comedy and investigative journalism to reveal the slack 'rules' of international arms dealing.
Most memorably, he shows how easy it was for school children to buy and import electric batons, used by some States as torture implements, into the UK.
Most memorably, he shows how easy it was for school children to buy and import electric batons, used by some States as torture implements, into the UK.
I've only started, but so far this book is brilliant! Cheers to Kelly and Stuart for a great b-day book :)
Incredible real-life story about how Mark infiltrated the arms trade...
I tend to re-read this whenever I get an inflated sense of social justice XD
Much like his stage show but in book form. That's a good thing.
Funny, but horrifying--a 2-day read poolside in Guatemala :)
sarcastic approach/style, very interesting subject
Jun 16, 2013
Claude Rains
is currently reading it
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![As Used On The Famous Nelson Mandela: [Underground Adventures In The Arms & Torture Trade]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1179270907s/896457.jpg)
Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, presenter, political activist and reporter from south London. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show The Mary Whitehouse Experience in the late 1980s. He is best known for political stunts on his show, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product on Channel 4. Thomas describes himself as a "libertarian anarchist."
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