The Politics of Lying: Implications for Democracy [Hardcover]

Lionel Cliffe (Author), Maureen Ramsay (Author), Dave Bartlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0312231393 | ISBN-13: 978-0312231392

This book is a critique not just of government deception, but of democratic political institutions and the way they work. It analyzes justifications and explanations for how and why lying occurs in politics. It examines the implications for democratic practice and documents cases where US and UK governments have allegedly lied to the public, such the Iran-Contra affair, arms trade to Iraq, the war on drugs, and the Northern Ireland security policy. Finally, the book explores what can be done to limit government deception.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A refreshing and timely study on an issue central to our understanding of how we are governed and one too often neglected by academics.' - Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Lionel Cliffe, Maureen Ramsay and Dave Bartlett are all in the Department of Politics at the University of Leeds.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (May 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312231393
• ISBN-13: 978-0312231392
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,690,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iraq deception explained, July 14, 2003

By 

mark jabbour (Westminster, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Politics of Lying: Implications for Democracy (Hardcover)

The Politics of Lying explains what is going on in the Bush Administration right now. In the authors' words "...political deception is not explained by any national or public interest, but variously by personal ambition, by the desire to stay in or consolidate power and to protect the interests of the policy makers, by the need to conceal the influence of corporate, commercial or unelected sectional interests on policy making, by the need to minimise public hostility and to avoid political exposure and democractic accountability for actions and politics which are at odds with public beliefs and convictions." And there is so much more. This book should be read by all citizens who value a true democracy. Unfortunately as evidenced by the sales ranking of this book--such citizens are few. The remedy for lying by political leaders is an informed public, the authors suggest. Of course that is one of the primary reasons for the prevarication--to keep citizens in the dark. This is not rhetoric, but a detailed analysis of actual cases (Iran-Contra; War on Drugs; Arms to Irag; Mad Cow disease; and more). Now we have yet another example.