Comment is Free but the Little Red Book's £7.99!

I've just seen THIS article about the Little Red Book on the Guardian's Comment is Free site. It's by Justin McKeating who has his own BLOG called Chicken Yoghurt. Probably best not ask about how he came up with that! In the article, Justin says...

Strangely though, for a book being co-edited by a former Conservative parliamentary candidate (Dale), it seems to concentrate on what have been traditionally viewed as very Tory types of sleaze. But then, if there's an emphasis on New Labour's venality and (if we're honest, only occasional) priapism, the list is only reflecting what's made the headlines with such wearying regularity these last nine long years. It's to be wondered, however, if the book wouldn't be a more varied and interesting read - and more representative of this government's failings - if the editors broadened their choice of targets away from a potentially dull rundown of who enjoyed who's cash/secretary. It depends on what one means by sleaze, but this writer, being an unreconstructed humanitarian and unworldly in the ways of pushing newspaper and book buyers' buttons, would liked to have seen more of New Labour's contempt for human life (its genesis either by design or via administrative ambivalence perceived as vindictiveness) on the list.

It's a fair point. But as he says, when does a scandal become sleaze? I've decided, for instance, that the Charles Clarke issue is a scandal but I don't think you could call it sleazy, so that won't be in the book. I agree that we could have expanded it to become The Big Book of Labour Failures - maybe that'll come in time - but the prime issue here is to get the book out as quickly as possible.

So far we have 93 pices signed up, but people keep suggesting new items I hadn't thought of, so it will well over 100 in the end. If you'd like to pre-order the book, you can do so HERE.