Bøger af Henry Tam

When big corporations have taken control of the government, It's time for regime change. ***** The Consortium has brought America, which it practically owns through its corporate subsidiaries, back under the British Crown. In return, all it asks for is unfettered control over policy decisions in Whitehall. In this timid new world, nobody dares question the Consortium, and everybody is expected to carry out orders. But while many of his civil service colleagues jostle to be of the greatest service to their new political masters, Philip K. Rainsborough decides that enough is enough. He sets out to expose the Consortium's dark secrets. Unfortunately, the Consortium has on its side the Super Utility Network, the most advanced opinion manipulation technology in the world. And as life for most people sinks into chaos and misery, the Consortium remains as popular as ever by serving up gimmicks and endless scapegoats. To make things worse, a leading contender to become the top civil servant of the government is none other than his cold and calculating boss, who is poised to do anything to please the Prime Minister, and sabotage anyone who gets in the way of his promotion. Caught between the Consortium and subversives who want to overthrow the government, Rainsborough is desperate to find a way for a peaceful regime change. He is given a chance when Chief Supt Carrie Edel seeks his help in a murder case that may bring down the Prime Minister. But what is actually asked of him amounts to treason. In any event, even if he can pull it off, he suspects he won't live to tell the tale. ***** * "Henry Tam knows how government works, and how fragile democracy is. With his insider knowledge and surreal imagination, he has given us an extraordinary dystopian tale about corporate greed and political collusion." -Baroness Kay Andrews, former Government Minister. * "Half asleep, the UK is becoming an ever more elitist society, that has left fairness and common-sense behind; and this is all beginning to feel entirely normal. What we need is Henry Tam's absurdist vision of Whitehall to help wake us all up." -Dr. Simon Duffy, Director, Centre for Welfare Reform. * "Forget 'Yes, Minister' and 'The Thick of It'; if you want a sharp satirical look at life inside the corridors of power, read 'Whitehall through the Looking Glass' ... Tam's novel also has a serious message about the dire consequences when corporations take over the running of a government. It should be read by anyone interested in the state of our democracy." -Sonny Leong, Chief Executive, Civil Service College. * "This is a timely reminder of the dangers of the rapidly-accelerating corporatisation of our political and economic life. ... As the general election approaches, Tam's book is an important reminder of the risks of crude neoliberal ideology". -Frances O'Grady, General Secretary, TUC. * "Beautifully, deftly written, 'Whitehall through the Looking Glass' is dark and compelling reading. A deeply sobering wake up call to us all against the political complacency of our times." -Dame Jane Roberts, Chair, NLGN (New Local Government Network). * "Tam strips back the veil on a world dominated and decimated by a ruthless consortium. ... The narrative is all the more compelling because Tam's world is often as familiar as it is fantastical. ... It's a cautionary tale and a call to action, but also a gripping read." -Peter Bradley, Director, Speakers' Corner Trust. * "Although set in the future, the civil service lampooned in 'Whitehall through the Looking Glass' is instantly recognisable to anyone who's been part of it. Tam's novel paints a superb picture of how people can be governed, or rather manipulated, by unscrupulous politicians. Funny, alarming, and poignant." -Ellie Roy, former Crime Reduction Director, Home Office. * "[A] novel that is both funny and scary in equal measure." -Toby Blume, Founder, the Archer Academy.

The people on Earth know their place. They've all learnt that their planet was just a barren rock until the gods arrived 500 years ago and brought with them life, technology, and prosperity for the blessed few. Under the gods, all racial differences have long merged into homogeneity; gender discrimination is unheard of; the elite prosper and live long; the rest die much sooner. There is nothing beyond the grasp of the gods except how to make peace with each other. From the beginning, the two immortal rivals have divided the world into interminably warring realms. Their subjects on both sides are brought up to despise their enemy, and routinely embark on mutual slaughter - until rumours start to circulate that it may not only be possible, but necessary, to abandon the rule of the gods. Amidst the revolutionary intrigues stands a resurrected man whose past has long been forgotten by everyone. He is the one who can uncover the secret of the gods, and how their regimes are to be displaced by a new commonwealth. Rebels seek him for help, but his second coming may soon end. *** 'The Hunting of the Gods' is the third novel in Henry Tam's dystopian series, Synetopia Quest. While each novel has its own stand-alone story, some of the characters appear in more than one of the books. Praises for his previous novels have included: On 'Kuan's Wonderland': "Dark, twisted, sardonic, ... an unmissable page-turner." President, the Independent Publishers Guild. "The fast-moving adventure in a new world sparkles with visually captivating creatures and imaginative technology ... [The ending is] astonishing." Trish Burns, Fantasy Book Review. "It is fast-paced while containing beautifully written and memorable passages. And the ending is tense, unexpected and powerful." Ben Chu, 'The Independent' newspaper. "... simply a tour de force." Ann Walker, Director for Education, WEA. "A didactic novel that doesn't hesitate to entertain the reader." Kate Pickett, Director, the Equality Trust. On 'Whitehall through the Looking Glass': "... a timely reminder of the dangers of the rapidly-accelerating corporatisation of our political and economic life." Frances O'Grady, General Secretary, TUC (Trades Union Congress). "Beautifully, deftly written, ... dark and compelling reading." Dame Jane Roberts, Chair, New Local Government Network. "Forget 'Yes, Minister' and 'The Thick of It'; if you want a sharp satirical look at life inside the corridors of power, read Whitehall through the Looking Glass." Sonny Leong, Chief Executive, Civil Service College. "Half asleep, the UK is becoming an ever more elitist society ... What we need is Henry Tam's absurdist vision of Whitehall to help wake us all up." Dr. Simon Duffy, Director, Centre for Welfare Reform. "It's a cautionary tale and a call to action, but also a gripping read." Peter Bradley, Director, Speakers' Corner Trust.

A political fable for the 21st century. A tale of power, deceit, and defiance, revolving around an abducted child's struggle to escape from a surreal world where nothing is quite what it seems. Vonnegut meets Orwell in a dark wonderland. "Dark, twisted, sardonic - 'Kuan's Wonderland' is an unmissable page-turner." - President, the Independent Publishers Guild (UK) "It is fast-paced while containing beautifully written and memorable passages. And the ending is tense, unexpected and powerful." - Ben Chu, 'The Independent' newspaper "'Kuan's Wonderland' is simply a tour de force. It is powerfully imaginative, with a cinematic feel sustained by strong imagery throughout. It is also full of plot surprises and layers of deeper meaning." - Ann Walker, Director for Education, WEA "... a mesmerizing novel. It makes the imagination spring to life with amazing visions of strange beings and places." - Nicolette Burford, Director, Documentary Film-Makers Cooperative "The fast-moving adventure in a new world sparkles with visually captivating creatures and imaginative technology ... [The ending is] astonishing." - Trish Burns, Fantasy Book Review "A didactic novel that doesn't hesitate to entertain the reader." - Kate Pickett, Director, the Equality Trust "We highly recommend it." - Julie Thorpe, Head of School & Youth Programmes, the Cooperative College ****** The mystery begins when Kuan is taken by force to the curious world of Shiyan. Although the ten-year old has flashes of exceptional intelligence, he hasn't a clue why he is being held captive. Kuan hopes his reclusive father will come to his rescue, not suspecting that both father and son may be the target of a nefarious conspiracy. It transpires that the secret he is supposed to be harbouring is liable to put him at the centre of a deadly conflict between those in control of Shiyan and their sworn enemies. In his attempt to escape from this bizarre realm, where the lower order routinely pledge to give more of their time to do the bidding of the ruling elite, Kuan encounters a kaleidoscope of enigmatic characters, from the menacing Curator to sphinx-like Dr Erica Lee, to whom the motherless boy develops a deep attachment. Eventually, Kuan is persuaded to take charge of his own fortune by seeking to rise through the Circles of Challenge. It may offer him his last chance to reunite with his father, or so he believes. Yet the more trials he endures, the more he learns the real reason why he was snatched from his home. What Kuan does next will determine not only the future of Shiyan, but his own world. In the end he has to face up to a painful secret from his past and fight for more than just his life. But can he survive uncovering the truth about his father?

How are citizens to become more able to expose dogmas and lies that damage society? The aim of this book is to share a range of ideas that can help to test the legitimacy of our beliefs. By exploring cooperative problem-solving in diverse contexts, readers will learn more about the basis for separating reliable beliefs from dubious claims. 'What Should Citizens Believe?' brings together the ideas of one of the leading thinkers on communitarian rationality and democratic development, and provides a number of distinct approaches to help explore the process of assessing rival contentions. These are set out in five parts: -Introductory Explorations -Practical Explorations -Civic Explorations -Philosophical Explorations -Novel Explorations -- What has been written about Henry Tam's previous books: On 'Time to Save Democracy' (Policy Press, 2018) - -"Henry Tam's Time to Save Democracy offers a practical guide for those of us who wish to fulfil the goals of democracy as a framework for 'collective self-governance' at all levels of society, from community activists up to national politicians and civil servants. It should be read and acted on." - Stuart Weir, Founder, Charter88; and inaugural director, Democratic Audit, University of Essex. -"This is a spirited, wide-ranging defence of democracy, and a call to arms for its renewal, from someone who has practised what he preaches in both government and civil society." - Professor Nick Pearce, Director of Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath On 'Against Power Inequalities' (Birkbeck, 2010) - -"Henry Tam has written a book that is breathtaking in its panoramic overview of the genealogy of power inequalities and the struggles against them. ... We have an inspirational example of a text that speaks truth to power." - Diane Reay, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge -"Tam's book is an intellectual tour de force, an erudite romp through the history of civilization that highlights the origins of power and the never-ending effort to democratize hierarchical systems through mobilized participatory communities." - Charles Derber, Professor of Sociology, Boston College (USA) On 'Communitarianism: a new agenda for politics and citizenship' (Palgrave Macmillan, 1998) - -"Philosophically and social-scientifically literate, Tam's mind is a galaxy of bright ideas, at once general and pragmatically specific. ... Those studying contemporary political philosophy will be aware of the gap between academic abstraction and such political reality as may be connected with it. What Tam's book does is supply a grasped context for such thinking to get some life and purchase." - Tony Skillen, University of Kent, review for 'Radical Philosophy'. -"The value of this book is in putting forward genuinely innovative ideas and contributing generously to the debate on different ways of doing things in politics and administration." - Chris Sladen, review for 'Teaching Public Administration'.

Power inequalities undermine cooperation and erode mutual respect. From the time of ancient tyrannies to the prevailing global plutocracy, the widening gap between the powerful and the rest has fuelled the spread of dogmas, imposed oppressive practices, and denied people a chance to shape the decisions that affect their lives. 'Against Power Inequalities' provides a historical guide to the contest for power redistribution through the centuries, and draws out the underlying obstacles to the development of more inclusive communities. It is a recommended resource by the Equality Trust, and will be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more about the progressive struggle across centuries to reverse the concentration of power in an unaccountable elite. ***** "Henry Tam has written a book that is breathtaking in its panoramic overview of the genealogy of power inequalities and the struggles against them. ... In its forensic, but always optimistic, analysis of how citizens have worked in the past, and continue to work, towards a fairer, more just society, we have an inspirational example of a text that speaks truth to power." - D. Reay, Professor of Education, University of Cambridge "Tam's book is an intellectual tour de force, an erudite romp through the history of civilization that highlights the origins of power and the never-ending effort to democratize hierarchical systems through mobilized participatory communities. It bears reading and re-reading." - C. Derber, Professor of Sociology, Boston College, USA "In this thought-provoking book Henry Tam demonstrates that in times in which populist movements try to pit the people against the bearers of democratic institutions, we need to reconsider the relation between democratic decision-making and community life. ... [The] work of a truly independent scholar." - E. M. H. Hirsch Ballin, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Tilburg, the Netherlands "Tam's book is a kaleidoscope of human history in which he tells a compelling story. He understands the nature of power and the negative impacts it can have in almost any conceivable culture. However he also strikes a positive and optimistic note. ... His fundamental faith in humanity shines through." - R. Spellman, Chief Executive, Workers Educational Association "Henry Tam is a master storyteller. This is history retold as a panorama of struggle, hope and co-operation in the name of fairness and in the pursuit of an ever wider circle of respect and equality." - E. Mayo, Secretary General, Co-operatives UK "Tam takes on a breathtaking sweep of philosophy, history, and world culture. Throughout this book, he tugs with a potent blend of indignation and optimism at a single thread: What happens when people do not have a fair share of power, and how we can counter it by creating a more inclusive society." - D. Dyssegaard Kallick, Senior Fellow, the Fiscal Policy Institute, USA "Henry Tam takes us on an epic journey spanning more than two millennia of human ideas and endeavour, and reminds us that there is nothing inevitable about inequality of power and its attendant misery, and that alternatives based on enlightened enquiry, distributed power, and constant vigilance, are always to be found." - S. Wyler, Director, Development Trusts Association "Henry Tam tells the inspiring, global story of democratic struggles against concentrated power and offers guidance for progressives today. It is a broad, bold, and thoughtful manifesto for popular democratic reform." - P. Levine, Research Director, Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts University (USA)

It is increasingly recognised that instead of relying on top-down commands or leaving individuals to their own devices, communities should be given a role in tackling challenges exacerbated by global crises. Written by a team of leading experts with in-depth knowledge and on-the-ground experience, this book sets out why and how people's lives can be positively transformed through diverse forms of community involvement. This book critically explores examples from around the world of how communities can become more collaborative and resilient in dealing with the problems they face, and provides an invaluable guide to what a holistic policy agenda for community-based transformation should encompass.

This book deals with three key questions about communitarian ideas: how to distinguish what constitutes communitarian thinking;

In the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, Henry Tam explores what should be done to revive democracy, setting out in a clear and accessible manner 9 key areas where reforms are necessary to ensure we can govern ourselves more effectively.