The Abolition of Britain

The Abolition of Britain: From Winston Churchill to Princess Diana by Peter Hitchens

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Essentially the message of this book is Britain is going to hell in a handcart and it would be nice if someone would do something to stop it. Although the author was dealing only with Britain the message applies to North America as well.

The book was published in 2000 so the author was dealing with trends emerging prior to that time. It is interesting to see how many of the things noted by the author have escalated over time while some sort of fizzled out. I found it well written and quite interesting although I think the message may be a trifle over stated. I suspect every generation as they get older sees deterioration in society because they're used to a certain status quo and it will always be shaken by new generations. Change is generally not a good thing for older individuals but may be good for younger ones. Personally I don't like what I'm seeing but I expect to be safely dead long before the millenial and gen-z pigeons come home to roost. On the other hand, there's always the possibility that reincarnation is real in which case I might come back and be stuck in what is evolving.

Because of when the book was published the author does not address the impact of social media which I believe to be significant in reinforcing group think. He does identify television as limiting imagination and I think he's probably correct. On the other hand, there are plenty of creative people emerging so it seems not to have killed it entirely.

If you're on the left side of the political spectrum you won't like this book. If you're on the right you might but will find it lacking simply because it's so far out of date. I found it interesting precisely because it was published so long ago and it's possible to see how things played out or are still playing out. I gave it 5 stars because the writing is fluid, the author articulate and the ideas interesting but I can understand how many people - particularly younger readers - wouldn't like it at all.



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