This is the review I published in the August edition of my paper.

Defending our democracy

That's the subtitle of Margo Kingston's passionate book of more than 400 pages, actually titled (at her publishers' suggestion in order to be topical and thus sell more copies) 'Not Happy, John!'. It is wide ranging in its scope and Margo has included articles by five others, all contributors to her well known Webdiary, which can be found at the Sydney Morning Herald web site. Perhaps its wide range does it a disservice and I would suggest that it's more than one book: there's material and varying subject matter enough for three books.

Her thesis can be gathered though from the headings of the book's five parts: 'John's Australia', 'My Australia', 'Whose Australia?', 'Their Australia' and 'Our Australia', the second and last chapter of which is Democracy: Ten Ideas for Change, which are practical proposals for reclaiming our democracy.

She doesn't blame our present Prime Minister for all the ills of our nation; she notes that he is only the latest of a long line of leaders of our major political parties who have gradually eroded our freedoms and emasculated the powers of our Parliament.

As the latest though, he was responsible for handing over control of our parliament to foreign Presidents on two consecutive days. His appointed Speaker of the House attempted to bar (illegally) from their own parliament two elected members who dared to express dissent to George W Bush. Next day the President of China was given control over the entry of Australian citizens to their own parliament.

These disgraceful incidents were the trigger which caused Margo Kingston to take a break from her long career of print journalism in order to write her passionate plea to take back our democracy. Her publisher Penguin Books has created a website around this book and it is gaining contributors daily. I recommend that you buy your copy at 'A Suitable Book' in the Village Square, Malbon Street Bungendore.