Matt Sissons has reviewed my book The Courageous State on the Why Politics? blog. I won't reproduce the whole review, and it's fair to note he does offer some minor criticisms, which he has absolute right to do, before concluding:

What is most evident is that this is a book rammed full of good ideas. Not pie-in-the-sky but pragmatic, realistic solutions; not just to the economic crisis or the inherent unfairness in our society, but to the whole ideology which has led to the current class of wobbly politicians, whose lack of vision and conviction has allowed the dangerous status-quo to continue far longer than it should. It is these ideas, concentrated towards the end of the book, which elevate The Courageous State well above the yet-another-book-about-neoliberalism class of commentary. Murphy presents his solutions with great clarity, as well as clarity of purpose, which enables the reader to see the logical connections between them and for them all to sit together as a cohesive whole.

As a result, the most striking thing about Murphy's vision, especially amongst the doom and gloom of the austerity agenda, is that it is one of hope; the best kind of hope based on specific, realistic objectives. You won't find here any suggestions for revolution, simply a change of mind-set which will allow for the many small changes needed to alter the course of our troubled political and economic institutions; to enable them to be forces for the good of the majority rather than a wealthy few. With the current absence amongst national politicians of both hope and a cohesive vision, anyone looking to take up the leadership challenge on the left could do worse than read The Courageous State. If they were to pick it up they would find not just a book, but a fully-formed and fully-argued manifesto for a more stable and more equitable world.

The Courageous State is available here.