by James Cary
£7.95
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Available - Usually dispatched within 8 days
Anna Hockley
Eden Christian Books Specialist
The world is full of well-meaning people experiencing disappointment, discontentment and despair. We can put a man on the moon and grow an ear on the back of the mouse, but maybe it’s time we thought about doing something useful.
Award-winning comedy writer James Cary has been thinking about this for some time and, after plenty of time on the internet and reading some magazines, he reckons he’s found some answers. They lurk in five of the great institutions of society: The Government, The Media, The City, Academia and The Church. They all seek to make our lives better, but frequently end up being part of the problem. In his own, inimitable way James Cary stomps up to these gates of these great institutions, rings their doorbell and runs.
About the Author
James Cary is a comedy writer (Miranda, My Family for TV, Hut 33, Think the Unthinkable for radio), cultural commentator (BBC Radio Five Live), a columnist (Third Way Magazine), a Christian and all-round contrarian. This odd mix gives him a unique take on modern life and why things are not as they should be.
Author
James Cary
Book Format
Paperback
Publisher
Dalton, longman & Todd
Published
April 2013
Weight
234g
Page Count
208
Dimensions
12.6 x 19.8 x 2 cm
ISBN
9780232529920
ISBN-10
0232529922
Eden Code
4069964
Featured in
Introduction: Moderation Nation: Why Hitler Couldn’t be British and The Solidarity of Stupidity
PART ONE |THE MEDIA, THE ARTS AND ALL THINGS CULTURAL
Chapter 1: An Exercise in Finger-pointing, or: Why the Leveson Inquiry was like a Tarantino movie (minus the swearing)
Chapter 2: The Fine Line between Comedy and Tragedy, or: Why sitcoms are incredibly moralistic (and that’s okay)
Chapter 3: Betrayed by Delia, or: Why TV chefs don’t actually teach you how to cook
Chapter 4: Summer Reading, or: Books to pack before you knock off on holiday
Chapter 5: A Day at the Races, or: How Michael Barrymore turned me against dancing
Chapter 6: The Problem of Piracy, or: Why the best things in life are reasonably priced
Chapter 7: Twittiquette, or: How to win followers and influence people
Chapter 8: What to Do With Your Summer, or: Some jokes at the expense of festivals
Chapter 9: The Widespread Affliction of Biopia, or: A thinly-veiled moan about the lack of original sitcom on TV
Chapter 10: Instant Permanence, or: The pitfalls of hitting ‘Send’
Chapter 11: Stereotypical Comedy, or: Why it’s perfectly okay to make jokes about the French
Chapter 12: Coming to a Small Screen Near You, or: More jokes, this time at the expense of British television
PART TWO | THE ECONOMY, THE BANKS AND ALL THINGS FINANCIAL
Chapter 13: Haves and Have-Nots, Part 1: The Robin Hood Tax, or: How I’ve ended up on the side of the Sheriff of Nottingham
Chapter 14: Homes and Castles, Part 1: Mortgages, or: How and why I went right off my bank
Chapter 15: The Theory of Money, Part 1: Making Money, or: What’s my motivation?
Chapter 16: Rest and Retirement, Part 1: Retirement, or: The marching grey doom
Chapter 17: The Theory of Money, Part 2: Capitalism, or: How to organise a really good famine
Chapter 18: Homes and Castles, Part 2: New Homes, or: A new kind of Nimbyism
Chapter 19: Rest and Retirement, Part 2: Jubilee, or: A biblical justification for taking a whole year off
Chapter 20: Haves and Have-Nots, Part 2: Extremes of Wealth, or: How I learnt about money at the Races
Chapter 21: The Theory of Money, Part 3: Labour, or: What you can and cannot put a price on
PART THREE | THE STATE, POLITICS AND ALL THINGS GOVERNMENTAL
Chapter 22: The Pomposity of Politicians, Part 1, or: Why I love Tony Benn, even though he’s wrong about everything
Chapter 23: The Problem of Patriotism, or: Why flying a St George’s flag shouldn’t make you feel like a racist (even though it does)
Chapter 24: Politics and Privacy, Part 1, or: How a government can send you so many forms to fill in (and yet still claim to not know where you live)
Chapter 25: The Pointlessness of the Party Conference, Part 1, or: Why we should all listen to Radio 3 in September
Chapter 26: Politics and Privacy, Part 2, or: Why supermarkets know much more about me than the State (and why this isn’t altogether a bad thing)
Chapter 27: The Pomposity of Politicians, Part 2, or: Why it’s a shame that there’s no longer any shame
Chapter 28: The Prejudice of the Political Parties, or: How to write off your opponents in one easy step
Chapter 29: The Pomposity of Politicians, Part 3, or: Why it’s important that the Prime Minister runs the country from a pokey, impractical, terraced house
Chapter 30: The Pointlessness of the Party Conference, Part 2, or: How Jesus hates cry-babies
Chapter 31: Public and Private Healthcare Policy, or: Why this chapter will ensure I can never become Prime Minister
PART FOUR | ACADEMIA, SCIENCE AND ALL THINGS INTELLECTUAL
Chapter 32: String Theory and the God Particle, or: Why prime numbers are funny
Chapter 33: Greenhouse Gases, or: Is it me or is it warm in here? (Seriously, which is it?)
Chapter 34: Halal Dolly, or: Why New Zealand Lamb is extra special
Chapter 35: Move Over, Darling, or: Would the last member of the human race please turn out the lights?
Chapter 36: The Appeal of World War Two, or: Why Hitler makes such great television
PART FIVE | CHURCH, RELIGION, AND ALL THINGS SPIRITUAL
Chapter 37: Christian Festivals, Part 1: Christmas, or: The best fit for the facts
Chapter 38: Religion and Offence, Part 1: Jesus, the Early Years, or: How to publicise a one-man Fringe show for free
Chapter 39: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, or: The myth of common decency
Chapter 40: Metropolis, or: How living in cities makes you a nicer person
Chapter 41: How to Watch Television, or: One of the main causes of Christians being holier-than-thou
Chapter 42: Christian Festivals, Part 2: Lent, or: Why giving things up is chronically over-rated
Chapter 43: Doomsday: Part 1, or: The upsides of Armageddon
Chapter 44: Crosses to Bear, or: The intolerance of the inclusivity
Chapter 45: Bashing the Pope, or: The revelation of one of my guilty secrets
Chapter 46: Neo-Calvinists, or: Why John Calvin wasn’t very good at being French
Chapter 47: Christian Festivals, Part 3: Easter, or: What’s so Good about Friday?
Chapter 48: Religion and Offence, Part 2: Swearing, or: Mind your %$@*ing language
Chapter 49: Questions! Questions!, or: How to have a constructive discussion about religion
Chapter 50: It’s Your Funeral, or: Ill-advised song choices as you leave this mortal coil
Chapter 52: The Princess Phenomenon, or: Why we all need a knight in shining armour
Some kind of Conclusion to All of the Above – Death by Civilisation, or: How to accidentally ruin a perfectly decent society (and how it might still be saved)
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