These two well-written, unpretentious and engaging books address a central question for those interested in parliamentary democracy: who should represent us? Is the best representative someone just like ourselves, or someone who knows how ‘the system’ works and can manipulate it in our interest? Should it be someone from the party in power? Should it be someone wise and experienced, or young and vigorous? Should it be a woman, to represent the largest proportion of the electorate?
Amanda Lohrey is a political scientist and novelist with a real interest in the Greens. If you want a comprehensive short history of the Greens movement, an account of the significant events that have formed it, a study of its varying electoral successes, an analysis of its leaders and an attempt to set it in its international context, you can do no better than "Groundswell". It is going to be well used in university politics essays.
