In this astute work Peter Hitchens gives an overview of changes in British culture since the 1950s and 1960s from his 'traditional conservative' background. He does this by an historical examination of distinct areas of British society and culture, from the influence of television to the state of the Church of England. Each of these sections may not be all that can be said on the subject but he usually gives a remarkably in depth coverage, for the space available, which allows the reader to easily understand the core of the changes and their contexts, motivations and consequences.
The framework he uses for his analysis is certainly medium term, if I can be excused such a clumsy phrase. He is interested in the decline of Britain from the 50s onwards, although he occasionally mentions deeper roots for these trends. He does not usually set his sights beyond the pre-60s culture of Britain; there is no talk of the insights of Burke or Disraeli into the nature of the British constitution and nation here. Obviously this limits his vision somewhat but for his purpose it works and even grants his analysis strength by preventing an overreach in vision.
His style is that evocative and clear variety of the best journalistic work. It amply fits the situation, being able to clearly and imaginatively convey Britain past and present without being too academic or poetic. In my opinion he is a superior prose stylist to his brother, as well as being decidedly more clear and focused in his argumentation(at least compared to God is not Great.).
There are some problems with some of his arguments however. In particular I thought parts of his discussion of the Church of England were misguided. For example I thought his reasons behind his preference for 'Protestant' services rather than 'Catholic' communion lacked a certain depth, more focused as it seemed to be on worldly matters rather than the theological and spiritual. The relationship of 'Protestantism' and 'Catholicism'(and perhaps 'Orthodoxy' and Celtic Christianity.) in the Church of England is a quagmire that requires a deeper analysis in my opinion and is perhaps without a real solution short of a radical redefinition of the church. But such problems were relatively rare in an otherwise thoughtful exploration of numerous areas of British culture and society.
Additional: This work was first published in 1999, it still has great value for explaining current British cultural and social problems, though of course the same trends Peter noted 12 years or so ago have largely continued and even more developments could be added to most sections. Importantly though in this work Peter mentions the still not insignificant minority, perhaps on some issues a majority, of people(particularly those born before 1950.) who had something like traditional values and beliefs, but were not far-right, in Britain of the late 1990s. He notes these people have been scattered by changes largely led, or at rather unleashed, from above and lack leadership or a voice and therefore are treated as though they basically don't exist(how many young people are quick to state Britain is a socially liberal or 'progressive' nation after only having been in touch with it through their immediate acquittance and the BBC and commercial TV networks and state schools and so forth!). This section of the British community did not find a voice in the last dozen years and has declined in numbers and in cohesion. It isn't gone but it can no longer been seen as simply on the back foot, waiting for leadership and organisation.
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