Table of Contents

Introduction - i: Introduction Unit - 1: 2007 – SERIES ONE Chapter - 1: Attack of the Wheelie Bins: on climate change Chapter - 2: The Mind’s Construction in the Face: on plastic surgery Chapter - 3: Fidgets on the March: on pointless changes Chapter - 4: Flying People, Flagrant Piffle: on martial arts Chapter - 5: Nob Voices, Yob Voices: on social voices Chapter - 6: Because She’s Worth It: on celebrity weddings Chapter - 7: Going for Gold: on the London Olympics Chapter - 8: Black Destiny: on black role models Chapter - 9: Torture on 24: on torture and the media Chapter - 10: Congratulations!: on scams, frauds and hoaxes Unit - 2: 2007 – SERIES TWO Chapter - 11: Man-Made Beauty: on the built world Chapter - 12: Reflections on a Diamond Skull: on corporate art Chapter - 13: Glider Shoes: on sailing sideways Chapter - 14: Wimbledon Wisdom: on sports commentators Chapter - 15: Helplessly Advanced: on clever machines Chapter - 16: Harry Potter Envy: on bestsellerdom Chapter - 17: Smoking the Memory: on giving up smoking Chapter - 18: Desirable Devices: on retributive technology Chapter - 19: Click on the Icon: on radiant faces Chapter - 20: Clams are Happy: on the legitimacy of happiness Unit - 3: 2008 – SERIES ONE Chapter - 21: Princes into Battle: on Prince Harry going to Afghanistan Chapter - 22: Private Life: on the media’s use of private and confidential correspondence Chapter - 23: State of Law: on the culture of compensation Chapter - 24: Pedal Power: on Prime Ministerial transport Chapter - 25: Terminal Terminal: on Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 Chapter - 26: Right on the Money: on fiddling with the coinage Chapter - 27: Legal Dilemmas: on why we need dilemmas Chapter - 28: Instructions to the Sea: on international political intervention Chapter - 29: Snoop and Amy: on self-destruction Chapter - 30: Gaffes: on politicians’ gaffes Unit - 4: 2008 – SERIES TWO Chapter - 31: How Rich Is Rich?: on wealth and power Chapter - 32: Changing the Government: on the American presidential election Chapter - 33: Robin the Hood: on a new concept of action movies Chapter - 34: Bad Language: on standards in broadcasting Chapter - 35: Glamorizing Terror: on The Baader Meinhof Complex Chapter - 36: Writer’s Room: on the inevitability of chaos Chapter - 37: National Identity: on national pride and humour Chapter - 38: Wrap It Up: on creativity and charity in a market economy Chapter - 39: Jesus: on tolerance and Christianity Chapter - 40: New Year Prediction: on getting rich quick Unit - 5: 2009 – SERIES ONE Chapter - 41: The Speeding Judge: on Australian judge Marcus Einfeld Chapter - 42: High-Priced Porn: on the Home Secretary’s expense claims Chapter - 43: Bright Side of the Cane Toad: on invasive predator species Chapter - 44: Reputational Damage: on government additions to our language Chapter - 45: Britain Has Talent: on glamour versus talent Chapter - 46: London Underground: on how the wealthy are improving their homes Chapter - 47: Sheer Poetry: on the appointment of the new Poet Laureate Chapter - 48: Expensive Mistakes: on the debacle of MPs’ expenses Chapter - 49: Feminism and Democracy: on the global responsibility of feminists in the West Chapter - 50: Feminism and Democracy: on the global responsibility of feminists in the West Chapter - 6: 2009 – SERIES TWO Chapter - 51: The Golf-Ball Potato Crisp: on scepticism as a duty Chapter - 52: On Strike: on the postal workers’ down-bags Chapter - 53: High Road to Xanadu: on the legalization of drugs Chapter - 54: The Man on the Fourth Plinth: on the statue of Sir Keith Park Chapter - 55: Blog de Jour: on the self-marketing courtesan Chapter - 56: Spirit of the Game: on keeping to the rules Chapter - 57: Impact: on a bad new idea for universities Chapter - 58: Hermie’s Ghost: on the global-warming debate Chapter - 59: Option Swamp: on the benefits of human contact Chapter - 60: Talking About Their Generation: the global-warming debate continue Section - ii: Conclusion

About the Author

Clive James was the author of more than forty books. As well as essays, he published collections of literary and television criticism, travel writing, verse and novels, plus five volumes of autobiography, Unreliable Memoirs, Falling Towards England, May Week Was In June, North Face of Soho and The Blaze of Obscurity. As a television performer he appeared regularly for both the BBC and ITV, most notably as writer and presenter of the Postcard series of travel documentaries. He published several poetry collections, including the Sunday Times bestseller Sentenced to Life, and a translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, which was also a Sunday Times bestseller. In 1992 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia and in 2003 he was awarded the Philip Hodgins memorial medal for literature. He holds honorary doctorates from Sydney University and the University of East Anglia. In 2012 he was appointed CBE and in 2013, an Officer of the Order of Australia. He died in 2019.