A review by emmkayt
Dreams of Leaving and Remaining by James Meek
4.0
Meek is a journalist with the London Review of Books. This is a fascinating and thoughtful look at the Brexit phenomenon, which I think would interest both puzzled foreigners like myself as well as Britons.
Meek visits Grimsby, a former centre of the fishing industry that may have a future in windpower, during a hotly contested election. He speaks with both organic and conventional farmers to explore the effects of EU subsidies. He delves into what seems like endless restructuring of the NHS in Leicester (very interesting for those with experience in restructuring in other industries or jurisdictions - different acronyms but some of the same issues!). He also visits both a town in England that loses a longstanding Cadbury factory and the community in Poland that got a new one. In each of these chapters, there's a helpful blend of lived experiences and attention to structural nuances and trends. Well worth reading!
Meek visits Grimsby, a former centre of the fishing industry that may have a future in windpower, during a hotly contested election. He speaks with both organic and conventional farmers to explore the effects of EU subsidies. He delves into what seems like endless restructuring of the NHS in Leicester (very interesting for those with experience in restructuring in other industries or jurisdictions - different acronyms but some of the same issues!). He also visits both a town in England that loses a longstanding Cadbury factory and the community in Poland that got a new one. In each of these chapters, there's a helpful blend of lived experiences and attention to structural nuances and trends. Well worth reading!