Mehdi Hasan, senior political editor of the New Statesman, has written a short, polemical book about the present government's approach to cutting the deficit called 'The Debt Delusion' that I heartily recommend. It costs only £1.79 and takes no more than a couple of hours to read. Even though it's ostensibly an attack on the Coalition's deficit reduction plan, it's also a fairly thorough summary of current thinking on this topic within the upper echelons of the Labour Party. Hasan co-authored a biography of Ed Miliband published earlier this year and is known to be close to the Labour leader. On the principle that you should know your enemy, it's a must-read for conservatives. It's also pitched at a reasonably grown-up level, allowing room for serious debate – and that's always welcome. (To read more, click here.)
