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  • How They Broke Britain

  • By: James O'Brien
  • Narrated by: James O'Brien
  • Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,862 ratings)

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How They Broke Britain

By: James O'Brien
Narrated by: James O'Brien
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

‘Made me so angry I had to stop listening to it while driving. Superb’ THE SECRET BARRISTER

Something has gone really wrong in Britain.

Our economy has tanked, our freedoms are shrinking, and social divisions are growing. Our politicians seem most interested in their own careers, and much of the media only make things worse. We are living in a country almost unrecognisable from the one that existed a decade ago. But whose fault is it really? Who broke Britain and how did they do it?

Bold and incisive as ever, James O'Brien reveals the shady network of influence that has created a broken Britain of strikes, shortages and scandals. He maps the web connecting dark think tanks to Downing Street, the journalists complicit in selling it to the public and the media bosses pushing their own agendas. Over ten chapters, each focusing on a particular person complicit in the downfall, James O'Brien reveals how a select few have conspired - sometimes by incompetence, sometimes by design - to bring Britain to its knees.

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©2023 James O'Brien (P)2023 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

"How They Broke Britain made me so angry I had to stop listening to it while driving. Superb work." (The Secret Barrister)

"A damning account of how the country ended up in the current mess . . . O’Brien’s scathing voice provides a thorough record of the self-serving actions and pronouncements of those who have held power in Britain." (Tim Jonze)

"The most important political book of the year and a fascinating must-read for anyone who cares about Britain. Eye-opening, jaw-dropping, heart-breaking." (Carol Vorderman)

What listeners say about How They Broke Britain

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Forensic

A work of pure FACT… James has dotted every single I and, microscopically, crossed every single T. It’s like reading a Venn diagram of the corruption, nepotism, sleaze, traitorism, and evil that has been woven in to British society by the propagomists in this book. I had to take a hot bath after every chapter just to try and wash the stench of these utter barstewards of my skin.!! Thank you James. Keep fighting the good fight !

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38 people found this helpful

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On brand

If you’ve ever listened to one of O’Brien’s 20 minute ranty monologues and thought to yourself “this is ok but what would be really good is if it was 30 times longer” this is the book for you.

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real not Alternative facts

Well resurched book ,james Tends to Rantum in the Intro, but is almost a diffinitve history of a corrupt goverment and and its Support structure

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Another excellent book from James O’Brien.

Usual great quality of writing.
Sad he had so much material to choose from really, but he’s never going to be short.
Love his style and clarity of writing.
Shame I have to wait now for another one.

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Brilliant if somewhat bleak and depressing

Like a Dickensian novel, obrien manages to portray a system that feeds on greed and power whilst tracking the critical points through its inception. Well worth a read

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Amazing book

This book will tell you all about the corruption in our system and how we were fooled by the same system that is supposed to protect us

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Required reading.

Links together and makes sense of those who are guiding many in the clearly wrong direction.

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Excellent book, and required listening for anyone interested in politics

This feels like a thoroughly researched and targeted book. O’Brien’s delivery is fantastic, and while his exploration of ten characters he felt had more to answer for than others might initially raise an eyebrow, drawn as they are from both ends of the political spectrum (Corbyn comes in for as much as a drubbing as Farage and Johnson) as well as some well known non-politicians, he justifies himself well and ties everything together with more than a bit of flourish. While I am sure there are many that will disagree with some of his selections (presumably on the basis that they happen to like that person or would vote for them), if you stick with it you cannot help but be drawn into the outrage, the forehead slapping levels of incompetence, and the abject cronyism that seems to define British politics in the modern era.

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Fantastic, informative, eye opening

For someone who only just about makes myself follow politics because it’s so depressing, I am a fan of James O’Brien. And I adored everything about this book. How well researched and informative it is. The well balanced humorous elements along the very serious and frankly outrageously insane elements of British politics and people that have driven this country to the state it is now.

It’s an eye opener. It should be a mandatory read for every single voter. It most definitely should be a mandatory read for Aunt Fanny and Uncle Bob who spend much of their time scrolling through Facebook. Since I’m not allowed to vote in the country I chose as my home, I will go back in my box just enjoying these well-written, brave and informative reads by the one and only - James O’Brien.

Congratulations to the author, long may he continue speaking up, writing and educating us.

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As compelling a story as if it were fiction… sadly it was fact

How on earth can you unravel the utter mess that our lying media, politicians and certain advisers have brought down on us all? O’Brien has managed to make the truth abundantly clear… it’s up to each one of us now to add our voices and votes to make them do better in the future.

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