All In It Together (England in the Early 21st Century) - Alwyn Turner

A biting and original history which places culture front and centre to explain how our country went to pieces. The headlines may be all Covid now, as a few short months ago they were all Brexit, but the breakdown of the UK's political sphere has been a long time coming, and it is a symptom of a much deeper malaise. We seem to have lost our faith in all our social institutions, from parliament and the press to banking and religion. All in It Together tracks the spread of this wider disillusionment over the years 2000 to 2015 in a fast-paced cultural, political and social history that will be required reading for years to come. Drawing on both high politics and low culture, Alwyn Turner takes us from Downing Street to Benefits Street as he tells the defining story of contemporary Britain. From key issues such as immigration and the Scottish independence referendum, to grime, Grindr and the smoking ban, All in It Together is brilliantly researched, intellectually stimulating and hugely entertaining.