I learned about Count Binface when they were candidated and I found this character amusing and fun.
I expected this book to be a humorous and a satirical political program but the world of politics is currently so crazy that I could vote for them.
Interesting and intriguing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

You will either love or hate this book. I don't think there is an in between. If you think someone like Count Binface could do a better job than the current government, you'll probably love it. Actually, being realistic, an amoeba could probably do better than the current government so he really hasn't got much competition...
Having grown up with Screaming Lord Sutch and his Monster Raving Loonie Party, I am well versed in "characters" running for office. And to be honest, after reading this manifesto, if I wasn't completely happy with my current MP, Count Binface would be definitely getting my cross should he run in Portsmouth South!
Some of Binface's manifesto is somewhat reminiscent of the late great Docker Hughes' manifesto where he campaigned for duty free on the Gosport Ferry. Although, I hasten to add, that is where the similarity there ends.
Anyway... despite what I though going into this book, it was quite a meaty tome. Interesting all the way and I have to say that our attitudes to and thoughts about certain current politicians and their shenanigans are very very similar (the same). If you are of like mind you will find it all very very clever and funny. If you are not then you might find some funny but, to be honest, I'd probably give it a miss. Suffice to say there's a sample facility on Amazon, I suggest if you are unsure, you might want to use it.
Me I'm buying a copy to keep. Heck I'm gifting a bunch to all my like-minded mates. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Well, I have to say I thought I would be in and out of this book in an hour. Surely it would be a tie-in gimmick novelty gift book nobody would want to be gifted but for the alleged audacity of having a book on their shelves with this author's name behind it? Well, seeing as I didn't know this was the paperback reprint of a 2022 book, I was wrong on more than one count.

No pun intended. Definitely.

There is a heck of a lot more to this than I expected, that's for sure. The first circa 80 page chunk (and I can use the word circa as the author spoke fluent Latin with BoJo for all of four words, once) is the reporting of his political career so far, of being Lord Buckethead until he was told that was him being a very naughty copyright infringer, and then outing himself as this, his latest and allegedly true persona. All his election campaigns have been run so far on sound principles, even sounder sports hall stages, and with a celebratory dab at being several orders of magnitude behind the winner.

Then, gearing up to the titular chunk of what can be improved in modern Britain, we get the history of the place so far, and this honest to goodness brought to mind George Mikes – although not the same quality, of course. But here are salient facts about our naffness, such as our agreeing to William the Bastard getting renamed William the Conqueror on one solitary bit of evidence. Not just Britain is at fault for being big-headed – golf, joyriding in buggies and matching outfits proves the Apollo landings were just a mere stag do.

And I thought the improvements to Britain (in their multitudes…) would be simply-scanned, trite observational comedy about the sins of the world, the Ed Sheerans, the Jedwards, the Milliband vs a bacon sandwich… Now all three get mentioned, but the latter is a case in point, spinning off quite surprisingly eruditely into how that definitively has caused no end of do-do. Potentially it would have caused the invasion of Ukraine had the earlier edition been updated.

Therefore this is nothing like a bog standard, bog-bound gimmick along the lines of "bus schedules, eh? Shocking! Which is Ant and which is Dec? How come baked beans are cold and in tomato sauce, but baked potatoes are hot and need butter?". This does play the alien observer card a bit too much at times, and it does out the author as very much a lefty Remainer, but boy it was shockingly packed with material. This is no fly-by-night chancer of a book, and as a result gets my vote.