What do you think?
Rate this book
Trust Me, I'm Not a Politician: A Simple Guide to Saving Democracy
In an age where more British people believe in aliens than trust our politicians, Dorothy Byrne asks the what went wrong and how can our trust in democracy and public life be regained?
In this scintillating essay, nothing and no one escapes Byrne's razor-sharp wit as she takes on the politicians avoiding rigorous journalistic scrutiny, explores the pitfalls of impartiality, imagines what Plato might say to Trump - and calls out plenty of sexist bastards along the way.
This is a ferocious, frank, and often wildly funny attempt to separate the truth from the lies at a time of national crisis.
In this scintillating essay, nothing and no one escapes Byrne's razor-sharp wit as she takes on the politicians avoiding rigorous journalistic scrutiny, explores the pitfalls of impartiality, imagines what Plato might say to Trump - and calls out plenty of sexist bastards along the way.
This is a ferocious, frank, and often wildly funny attempt to separate the truth from the lies at a time of national crisis.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
43 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2019
5 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 22, 2021
A clear account of some of the political issues in the UK over the past few decades. What it argues is not a media focused on impartiality but a focus on telling the truth. Has some interesting anecdotes about politicians as well. Explains why so many are disengaged with politics in the UK. Has an emphasis on television news.
August 15, 2025
Smart and witty, I even laughed out loud while reading it. A very educational book about journalism, politics and the concept of truth. I didn't know so many lies were told during the Brexit campaign! It helps to better understand the results. We shouldn't be used to being told lies and this book helps you realise how much politicians get away with it and how good journalism is the way to expose them, not protect them. Everybody should read it, especially politicians. From now on, Dorothy Byrne is my personal hero
August 29, 2020
Thoroughly enjoyed this short speech, if I may say, about today's societal elections and the rights of democracy; revealing to myself much of what I had not known of women in the industry and how they have been treated among the years. Entirely insightful read for anyone of this capacity.
July 16, 2021
This is probably the best book I've read all year!
I had never heard of Dorothy Byrne until I listened to a debate on one of the universities websites, but I now know she is head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, she wrote this brilliant little book about saving democracy, which I went online and bought straight after the debate. There are so many wonderful statements and facts in it. Our democracy isn't really a democracy I think, we just have posh boys from posh schools with a burning ambition to become prime ministers, or indeed any minister, to get their names written down in history, no matter how cheating and lying they may be.
Our last few prime ministers and leaders of oppositions (Corbyn we know it's you) have ceased to debate, to go on television and say to us the people who put you in that glorious position, what your policies are and NOT TO LIE to us or NEVER TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS which are put to them, or to just try and get out of it by distraction. Do they honestly think we are all daft, and that we would fall for this over decades?
Donald Trump is known to be a corrupt politician, well to be fair he has never been a politician he was just a tv presenter with questionable financial management and a bit out of kilter with the rest of the world (hmm maybe I'll rephrase "bit"), anyway he was the man who pushed "fake news" down our throats, but as Ms Byrne reminds us about "fake news", if it's fake it cannot exist, it didn't happen, therefore there was no news at all. Someone should've have told D Trump.
She is also right in that journalists should be holding politicians to account, well government committees don't seem interested in doing that do they, so someone should do it. However politicians today seem to have all been given the same brief, don't tell anyone about our policies (they probably don't even know what they are themselves), don't get involved in any debates because we might have to tell the truth (we don't actually have any policies at the moment). There are too many lies being bandied about from politicians, the leave campaign told us that the EU wanted to ban British kettles (!), and that they were preventing us from protecting polar bears. Neither of these were true but because the politicians were throwing them at us some unenlightened voters probably believed these lies. And so it goes on.
Journalists must be able to have access to politicians to be able to ask questions, to be able to get to the bottom of whatever is currently outraging or concerning our country, and not have politicians refusing to come on any programme where they may just be questioned by a seasoned journalist who won't be distracted and will keep on asking the question before they actually get an answer.
(Chris Mason on radio's "Any Questions" not to be confused with tv programmes called "no answers", I think you are brilliant!).
British journalism lives on I say! And if you get an opportunity to read Ms Byrne's tiny book you may find it well worth the read.
(A6 size approximately, 90 little pages, £5.99, I got it cheaper on my favourite second-hand book site world of books! Am I allowed to advertise? Or do they cut this bit?!) Oh hang on this was a paperback edition I read and not the kindle version listed above.
I had never heard of Dorothy Byrne until I listened to a debate on one of the universities websites, but I now know she is head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, she wrote this brilliant little book about saving democracy, which I went online and bought straight after the debate. There are so many wonderful statements and facts in it. Our democracy isn't really a democracy I think, we just have posh boys from posh schools with a burning ambition to become prime ministers, or indeed any minister, to get their names written down in history, no matter how cheating and lying they may be.
Our last few prime ministers and leaders of oppositions (Corbyn we know it's you) have ceased to debate, to go on television and say to us the people who put you in that glorious position, what your policies are and NOT TO LIE to us or NEVER TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS which are put to them, or to just try and get out of it by distraction. Do they honestly think we are all daft, and that we would fall for this over decades?
Donald Trump is known to be a corrupt politician, well to be fair he has never been a politician he was just a tv presenter with questionable financial management and a bit out of kilter with the rest of the world (hmm maybe I'll rephrase "bit"), anyway he was the man who pushed "fake news" down our throats, but as Ms Byrne reminds us about "fake news", if it's fake it cannot exist, it didn't happen, therefore there was no news at all. Someone should've have told D Trump.
She is also right in that journalists should be holding politicians to account, well government committees don't seem interested in doing that do they, so someone should do it. However politicians today seem to have all been given the same brief, don't tell anyone about our policies (they probably don't even know what they are themselves), don't get involved in any debates because we might have to tell the truth (we don't actually have any policies at the moment). There are too many lies being bandied about from politicians, the leave campaign told us that the EU wanted to ban British kettles (!), and that they were preventing us from protecting polar bears. Neither of these were true but because the politicians were throwing them at us some unenlightened voters probably believed these lies. And so it goes on.
Journalists must be able to have access to politicians to be able to ask questions, to be able to get to the bottom of whatever is currently outraging or concerning our country, and not have politicians refusing to come on any programme where they may just be questioned by a seasoned journalist who won't be distracted and will keep on asking the question before they actually get an answer.
(Chris Mason on radio's "Any Questions" not to be confused with tv programmes called "no answers", I think you are brilliant!).
British journalism lives on I say! And if you get an opportunity to read Ms Byrne's tiny book you may find it well worth the read.
(A6 size approximately, 90 little pages, £5.99, I got it cheaper on my favourite second-hand book site world of books! Am I allowed to advertise? Or do they cut this bit?!) Oh hang on this was a paperback edition I read and not the kindle version listed above.
December 12, 2019
Dorothy Byrne's book addresses the lack of trust in politicians and public cynicism about politics in general. As one time head of Channel 4's news she has professional insights into how politicians have changed their relationship with the media, becoming more avoidant of public scrutiny.
Byrne makes some very good points and suggests ways politicians can regain credibility. But it's a two way street, and I don't think she fully addresses how the media also creates problems for complex debate. Politicians are very aware of how any comment can be distorted and taken out of context. This encourages politicians to be even more vague and avoidant. I often hear in interviews ' just answer yes or no...'. But often issues cannot be reduced to yes or no. A stimulating book, but only 3 stars.
Byrne makes some very good points and suggests ways politicians can regain credibility. But it's a two way street, and I don't think she fully addresses how the media also creates problems for complex debate. Politicians are very aware of how any comment can be distorted and taken out of context. This encourages politicians to be even more vague and avoidant. I often hear in interviews ' just answer yes or no...'. But often issues cannot be reduced to yes or no. A stimulating book, but only 3 stars.
January 30, 2024
Rating: 3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This short book is an ideal choice for entertainment during short journeys, be it whether you’re on a plane, train, or a road trip. With less than 100 pages, it’s possible to finish it in a one sitting. Published in 2019, I found myself in agreement with Byrne’s characterization of it as “a funny attempt to separate the truth from the lies at a time of national crisis.”
The reviews on the back of the book, particularly one from a member of parliament, piqued my interest. Dorothy Byrne, as a journalist and the Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, offers an insightful perspective, enhancing the appeal of this book.
She argues that the UK’s democracy is flawed, suggesting it is dominated by privileged individuals from elite schools who aspire to be prime ministers or ministers primarily for historical recognition. These politicians, including recent prime ministers and opposition leaders like Jeremy Corbyn, are accused of avoiding meaningful debate and failing to communicate their policies transparently to the public. Instead, they allegedly dodge questions, resort to distractions, and engage in deceitful practices.
Furthermore, the book highlights a lack of accountability in government, pointing out that government committees are not effectively holding politicians responsible. This failure is seen as a gap that journalists should fill. However, the author notes that politicians seem to be universally evasive, reluctant to share or discuss their policies, and prone to lying. The importance of journalism in challenging and questioning politicians is emphasized. Journalists should have the freedom to interrogate politicians, especially on issues of national concern, without being sidetracked.
This book was enjoyable overall, as it is both short and easy to read; I would recommend it.
This short book is an ideal choice for entertainment during short journeys, be it whether you’re on a plane, train, or a road trip. With less than 100 pages, it’s possible to finish it in a one sitting. Published in 2019, I found myself in agreement with Byrne’s characterization of it as “a funny attempt to separate the truth from the lies at a time of national crisis.”
The reviews on the back of the book, particularly one from a member of parliament, piqued my interest. Dorothy Byrne, as a journalist and the Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4, offers an insightful perspective, enhancing the appeal of this book.
She argues that the UK’s democracy is flawed, suggesting it is dominated by privileged individuals from elite schools who aspire to be prime ministers or ministers primarily for historical recognition. These politicians, including recent prime ministers and opposition leaders like Jeremy Corbyn, are accused of avoiding meaningful debate and failing to communicate their policies transparently to the public. Instead, they allegedly dodge questions, resort to distractions, and engage in deceitful practices.
Furthermore, the book highlights a lack of accountability in government, pointing out that government committees are not effectively holding politicians responsible. This failure is seen as a gap that journalists should fill. However, the author notes that politicians seem to be universally evasive, reluctant to share or discuss their policies, and prone to lying. The importance of journalism in challenging and questioning politicians is emphasized. Journalists should have the freedom to interrogate politicians, especially on issues of national concern, without being sidetracked.
This book was enjoyable overall, as it is both short and easy to read; I would recommend it.
January 17, 2020
I loved how she explains big ideas and radical thinking in a simple, easily digestible way. I agree with other reviewers that she has a very positive outlook on the media, which she works in, which sometimes made me sceptical.
January 24, 2023
An insightful guide to what went wrong in British politics and what can be done to fix it. Now if only more people would read it. A thorough investigation into trust and accountability that is lacking in UK politics.
April 1, 2024
I found this book to be hilarious, insightful, and largely accurate. A great quick read and one I will most definitely read again. “Flat white drinking remainers from Islington North” is a quote I will carry with me.
March 31, 2020
Short, witty, interesting. A little insubstantial.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews