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Last Vote,The Hardcover – International Edition, October 29, 2013

by Philip Coggan (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
See all formats and editions
In this urgent wake-up call, Philip Coggan shows how democracy today faces threats that we ignore at our own risk. Amid the turmoil of the financial crisis and high debt levels, it is easy to forget that the ultimate victim could be our democracy itself. Tracing democracy's history and development, Coggan revisits the assumptions on which it is founded. What exactly is democracy? Why should we value it? What are its flaws? And could we do any better? Coggan proposes ideas for change and improvement to the system itself so the next vote we cast will not be the last.
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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Allen Lane
  4. Publication date
    October 29, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    6.38 x 1.18 x 9.45 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1846146895
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1846146893
  8. See all details
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4.3 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Mike Glennan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Philip Coggan makes it fun to read about economics and democracy and provides great examples and stories about threats to global democracy. He is one of my favorite authors on finance and economics
    Helpful
     Report
  • Athan
    3.0 out of 5 stars 200 pages short
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2014
    I've followed Philip Coggan for at least fifteen years. Probably more. He is very clearly a genius. As far as I know, only two people in history have been able to produce a masterpiece every week, 52 weeks a year. One's Johann Sebastian Bach. Readers of "The Short View" know that the other one is Philip Coggan. For a long time I kept an article of his under my pillow, like Alexander kept the Iliad.

    But this book's a dud.

    Don't get me wrong, Philip Coggan's genius has not gone AWOL. It's fully on display. Page 87, for example, has a one-line description of the Great Depression: "..in 1929 ... an American economic slowdown caused the supply of credit to Germany to slow up. Banks collapsed, along with consumer and business confidence.." For those of us not paying attention he follows up with "The ensuing Great Depression was a huge challenge, both to governments of the day and to prevailing economic theory. Industrial production fell 25% in Britain and France and more than 40% in the US and Germany. Unemployment rose to 25% in the US and more than 50% elsewhere."

    So the man is brilliant. But when I read a book I expect three things. I want to learn. I want to be challenged. And I hope to be entertained. "The Last Vote" fails on all three fronts. I read the whole thing and I can say I have learned absolutely nothing. And (with one exception I promise I'll get to) I have found nary a sentence, word or exclamation mark to disagree with. So I was not entertained, then, either.

    Only two conclusions can follow from the above observation. Either Philip Coggan and myself find ourselves at a nirvana from where we can clearly see all the answers, or this book fails to ask enough questions. I'm afraid it's the latter.

    What we have here is one of those big maps with a dot that says "you are here" preceded by some 200 (out of 266) pages on "how you got here." If you have a friend who has been in a coma for a long time and has never read Samuel Huntington (or similar) I can thoroughly recommend "The Last Vote" as a way for your friend to catch up with the evolution of American and European democracy, the coming demise of the European Project etc. Example: the US Constitution was written by landed white men whose main beef was they did not want to pay UK tax (and still very much reflects their values). Example two: people get the vote after risking all in a war or alternatively after keeping the economy going while their husbands and brothers are risking all in a war. Switzerland (no wars) did not give women the vote till the seventies. Example three: European elites made a mockery of democracy when they forced the Danish and the Irish to keep running referendums until they elicited the "right" answer. Example four: in both Greece and Italy elected politicians ceded day-to-day management (the position of prime minster!) to unelected bankers rather than enact unpopular measures themselves.

    But for those of us who have read all of "The Short View" and have kept up with world affairs, have noticed the world is moving away from one-man-one vote toward one-dollar-one-vote and have heard of Marine LePen and Golden Dawn this cannot be one of the 500 books we're going to read in our lifetime. 65 pages of not very deeply probing forward looking ideas on an unfocused range of topics did not warrant the time invested.

    Last I'll leave my views about the one and only sort of "big idea" in this book. Coggan laments that our elected politicians often defer to bureaucrats when it comes to policy, effectively making you and me twice removed from the decisions we'd like to vote on, which makes us voters even more annoyed and even less likely to participate in the democratic process. I'm from Greece, so I'm familiar with the alternative. After every election EVERYBODY gets replaced everywhere. The CEOs of theoretically private, exchange-listed banks change on a four-year cycle, for example, as does the management of the theoretically private, exchange-listed power corporation etc. To say nothing of the directors of all ministries, quangos and many non-directors too. I'm not sure it's better than having the same, less accountable professionals throughout. I was brought up to believe it was worse.

    Enough complaining about what is fundamentally a good book. I can't get myself to give it any fewer than three stars, because I happen to agree with pretty much everything it says and because Coggan lays it out so clearly. I just wish I'd read something else.

    I remain a fan. But from now on I'll just read what he has to say about finance.

    Tell you what. If he adds 200 pages to this book that look forward rather than back, I might consider breaking that rule. But not before.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • ken
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not fun reading but arresting
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The disquiet many of us have felt about democracy - the way it is clogging up in places like Australia and the US, not to mention the European disasters, is well analysed in this book. Not fun reading but arresting.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Eric Lonergan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Objective and gripping
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2013
    Philip Coggan, a financial journalist renowned for objectivity and insight, has brought these traits to an analysis of modern democracy and a history of the right to vote. Political analysis is usually marred by partisanship and ideological bias. It is almost disconcerting to read a book which simultaneously dissects the damage done by an expanding welfare state and the corrupting of our political system by an extreme distribution of wealth and influence. Coggan's relentless objectivity gives great weight to his arguments.

    But this book is much more than a crystal clear critique of the current threats to democracy - rising government liabilities, campaign financing by vested interests, and voter apathy. Coggan brings political history alive by tracing the tortuous evolution towards one person one vote. This is a gripping narrative strategy, but also a compelling case for the thesis that power is deeply reluctant to loosen its reins. Often, when we think of the history of suffrage, the civil rights movement and the suffragettes spring to mind. But the battle is centuries old and has afflicted every social group and class, bar the monarchy.

    As is typical of Coggan's work, the writing is superb: clear, articulate and jargon-free. There are also astonishing facts. For example, it took until 1971 for women in Switzerland to obtain the right to vote (and one third of the all-male electorate voted against).

    Coggan concludes with an appeal for us to treat each vote as if it were our last. After reading this book it will be hard not to.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • TC415
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Analysis of a Critical Uncertainy
    Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2013
    I've long believed that a growing crisis of political legitimacy is potentially most important and least recognized of the four problems that constitute the Gordian macro policy knot we face today (the others being deleveraging, insufficient and imbalanced global demand, and deflationary pressures). Coggan takes on the political legitimacy crisis in this new book, and absolutely nails it. Great writing, great insights. Frankly, I couldn't put it down (fortunately, I had a long flight back from the UK).
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Eric Lonergan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Objective and gripping
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Philip Coggan, a financial journalist renowned for objectivity and insight, has brought these traits to an analysis of modern democracy and a history of the right to vote. Political analysis is usually marred by partisanship and ideological bias. It is almost disconcerting to read a book which simultaneously dissects the damage done by an expanding welfare state and the insidious corrupting of our political system by an extreme distribution of wealth and influence. Coggan's relentless objectivity gives great weight to his arguments.

    But this book is much more than a crystal clear critique of the current threats to democracy - rising government liabilities, campaign financing by vested interests, and voter apathy. Coggan brings political history alive by tracing the tortuous evolution towards one person one vote. This is a gripping narrative strategy, but also a compelling case for the thesis that power is deeply reluctant to loosen its reins. Often, when we think of the history of suffrage, the civil rights movement and the suffragettes spring to mind. But the battle is centuries old and has afflicted every social group and class, bar the monarchy.

    As is typical of Coggan's work, the writing is superb: clear, articulate and jargon-free. There are also astonishing facts. For example, it took until 1971 for women in Switzerland to obtain the right to vote (and one third of the all-male electorate voted against).

    Coggan concludes with an appeal for us to treat each vote as if it were our last. After reading this book it will be hard not to.
    Report
  • Athan
    3.0 out of 5 stars 200 pages short
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I've followed Philip Coggan for at least fifteen years. Probably more. He is very clearly a genius. As far as I know, only two people in history have been able to produce a masterpiece every week, 52 weeks a year. One's Johann Sebastian Bach. Readers of "The Short View" know that the other one is Philip Coggan. For a long time I kept an article of his under my pillow, like Alexander kept the Iliad.

    But this book's a dud.

    Don't get me wrong, Philip Coggan's genius has not gone AWOL. It's fully on display. Page 87, for example, has a one-line description of the Great Depression: "..in 1929 ... an American economic slowdown caused the supply of credit to Germany to slow up. Banks collapsed, along with consumer and business confidence.." For those of us not paying attention he follows up with "The ensuing Great Depression was a huge challenge, both to governments of the day and to prevailing economic theory. Industrial production fell 25% in Britain and France and more than 40% in the US and Germany. Unemployment rose to 25% in the US and more than 50% elsewhere."

    So the man is brilliant. But when I read a book I expect three things. I want to learn. I want to be challenged. And I hope to be entertained. "The Last Vote" fails on all three fronts. I read the whole thing and I can say I have learned absolutely nothing. And (with one exception I promise I'll get to) I have found nary a sentence, word or exclamation mark to disagree with. So I was not entertained, then, either.

    Only two conclusions can follow from the above observation. Either Philip Coggan and myself find ourselves at a nirvana from where we can clearly see all the answers, or this book fails to ask enough questions. I'm afraid it's the latter.

    What we have here is one of those big maps with a dot that says "you are here" preceded by some 200 (out of 266) pages on "how you got here." If you have a friend who has been in a coma for a long time and has never read Samuel Huntington (or similar) I can thoroughly recommend "The Last Vote" as a way for your friend to catch up with the evolution of American and European democracy, the coming demise of the European Project etc. Example: the US Constitution was written by landed white men whose main beef was they did not want to pay UK tax (and still very much reflects their values). Example two: people get the vote after risking all in a war or alternatively after keeping the economy going while their husbands and brothers are risking all in a war. Switzerland (no wars) did not give women the vote till the seventies. Example three: European elites made a mockery of democracy when they forced the Danish and the Irish to keep running referendums until they elicited the "right" answer. Example four: in both Greece and Italy elected politicians ceded day-to-day management (the position of prime minster!) to unelected bankers rather than enact unpopular measures themselves.

    But for those of us who have read all of "The Short View" and have kept up with world affairs, have noticed the world is moving away from one-man-one vote toward one-dollar-one-vote and have heard of Marine LePen and Golden Dawn this cannot be one of the 500 books we're going to read in our lifetime. 65 pages of not very deeply probing forward looking ideas on an unfocused range of topics did not warrant the time invested.

    Last I'll leave my views about the one and only sort of "big idea" in this book. Coggan laments that our elected politicians often defer to bureaucrats when it comes to policy, effectively making you and me twice removed from the decisions we'd like to vote on, which makes us voters even more annoyed and even less likely to participate in the democratic process. I'm from Greece, so I'm familiar with the alternative. After every election EVERYBODY gets replaced everywhere. The CEOs of theoretically private, exchange-listed banks change on a four-year cycle, for example, as does the management of the theoretically private, exchange-listed power corporation etc. To say nothing of the directors of all ministries, quangos and many non-directors too. I'm not sure it's better than having the same, less accountable professionals throughout. I was brought up to believe it was worse.

    Enough complaining about what is fundamentally a good book. I can't get myself to give it any fewer than three stars, because I happen to agree with pretty much everything it says and because Coggan lays it out so clearly. I just wish I'd read something else.

    I remain a fan. But from now on I'll just read what he has to say about finance.

    Tell you what. If he adds 200 pages to this book that look forward rather than back, I might consider breaking that rule. But not before.
    Report
  • Stephen Mead
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very Splendid Erudite Polemic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Philip Coggan is a titan of a academic who actually has the useful benefit of knowledge and evidence, and knows what he is talking about. But furthermore he isn't just another conservative nutter nor a liberal loser. He is somewhere in-between.

    He argues with a severe sense of urgency, intellect and authority that is infectious. He is able to digest and convey complex political, historical and economic ideas and examples into layman's terms for the populous to contemplate. The mark of a great author. This book is pertinent, staunchly researched and confident in its ability to start a serious debate about our political systems, examining them from a economic, social and historical context.

    It is so refreshing to be able to actually learn something from someone who actually knows their stuff, but without it being tainted by some sort of warped bias. Excellent read!
    Report
  • Zares
    5.0 out of 5 stars An antidote to complacency about democracy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    The mantra of US and, to a lesser degree, of UK foreign policy is to export the wonders of western democracy to the rest of the world. The societies targeted by this policy look on in wonder as they can see what most people in western democracies can't or don't want to see - the fragile nature of representative democracy itself.

    This excellent book outlines the parlous state of democracy, and the threats and challenges it faces. This book makes sobering reading for anyone who subscribes to the view "Don't vote - it only encourages them".
    Report
  • Ae1
    5.0 out of 5 stars Last Vote
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Important survey of the current threats to freedom as it has been known in the West for last 70 years or so.
    Report