Overview

The book is a sometimes funny insight into the machinations of the mind during a typical day in 1994 from five in the morning till eleven at night. It describes just how the author gets through a day when actively seeking employment, preferably employment which is permanent as it was temporary work that was usually on offer in post-war Britain.

Context and Themes

A Britain that was paranoid about union-loving lefties ". Any hint that a person might be of left-wing persuasion and there was no chance of a careerist position. You may, after reading, think the writer is actually paranoid but his thoughts are really quite revealing about benefits Britain ".

Author's Perspective

The book was in fact an attempt to prove that the author was not mad but just a typical victim (one of millions) who ended up described as mentally ill by an uncaring government. Governments that would sooner pay people to wallow on benefits than partake in something useful. Governments that simply did not understand what it is like to be out of work and to look for work or what to be out of work did on the physical and mental health of a person.

Reflections on Education and Society

Also, it is a look at how education is dismissed as worthless, even though governments constantly harp on about the need to get education. Hopefully the book will show that we are all individuals, unique beings that do not all live for the profit motive of big business. That some people are quite happy doing relatively non-pressurized jobs in manual work or as clerks.

There is no edict that states a graduate must further qualify as a chartered accountant with the hundreds of hours of learning to pass yet more examinations. A person has a right to do what work he thinks he is capable of. The book's conclusion is really quite sad.