As with his other work, Owen Jones has well and truly impressed me yet again. A very important non fiction novel and one I will be recommending to many!

I was excited to pick this one up after really enjoying Jones' The Establishment. This Land is equally a compelling read, chronicling the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn as the head of the Labour party. It is well researched and I particularly enjoyed the insight he gives to the behind the scenes of the major events. It's clear Owen Jones has numerous sources from each side of the debate which added a great deal of flavour to what might have otherwise been quite a dry account.

I was pleasantly surprised by how level-headed Jones depicts Corbyn's successes and failures. He was a major early supporter for Corbyn turned key critic, but he does not let that cloud his writing - to the extent possible for a person personally involved in the key events, he does provide an objective lens to his subject, and there is no ego in his writing. My only critique is that it is perhaps too bogged down in the details, chronicling every minor episode and gossip which I feel is quite tedious at points (and I assume would be the case for most readers). A stronger editorial voice in the publishing of this book would have been useful to ensure the central message is not suffocated by Jones' tendency to include every detail of, amongst other things, workplace squabbles/people issues. With the pace of politics recently, however, possibly there was a rush to publish before the next major crisis!

I recommend picking this up if you are interested in this era of UK politics, no matter what side of the debate you sit on.

I have now read all of Owen Jones work, and although like all books they are not perfect, this book did make a good job of explaining the topics within it in a easy to read way. I think the author does a tremendous job of supplying great evidence for all of the points made in the book, and I will be giving the book a read again in the near future to pick up on some of the points that I may have missed before on the first read.;

I found This Land informative and thought-provoking. While I do not share Owen Jones's political views, I enjoy his writing and reading about his opinions. I enjoyed the insights he gives into the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn and everything that surrounded this era in politics. I found This Land a compelling read.

I always enjoy Owen Jones' journalism, even if I don't agree with him. This is a very readable account of the Corbyn project. Jones is both observer and participant, as someone in sympathy with Jeremy Corbyn's aims and a former worker in John McDonnell's office. However, while writing from that perspective, he gives a balanced account of the strengths and weaknesses of the Corbyn operation and the people and groups that both supported and attempted to sabotage the project.

The book is organised thematically rather than chronologically, which can make for repetition, and there are some gaps - there's very little about Diane Abbott or Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Jones is very pro-McDonnell. I was quite familiar with the big events in the story but it's the behind-the-scenes insights that are interesting - the hostility of party staff and MPs, the poor organisation by Corbyn's team, the odd, amusing insights into Corbyn's character (there's an amusing story regarding his home-made jam and a gift to the Queen).

Corbyn was an accidental leader and was in many ways unsuited to the role. He made mistakes, and could be peevish or passive when confronted with difficult issues. He did, however, enable the party to regain its confidence and to offer hope and a vision.

Starmer appeared to promise to adopt that policy platform but offer a more organised approach and a more traditional leader's persona. Sadly, he hasn't lived up to that promise, and without him offering any clear vision of his own, it's hard to be optimistic about the Labour Party at this time.
*
I received a copy of This Land from the publisher via NetGalley.

This Land delves deep into left wing politics in the UK, focusing on the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn.

An interesting well written read which will appeal to anyone looking to get an insiders insight into the chaos of UK politics in recent years.

"Jeremy Corbyn won a landslide victory in two Labour Party leadership elections - elections that were, effectively, open primaries, because his opponents had nothing left to say. All the other flanks of Labour were politically and intellectually exhausted, with no coherent vision or compelling ideas."

All I know of Owen Jones comes from his Guardian writings in which he appears to write to garner a reaction. He has a finger of the pulse of social media and the young left. He has in the past looked at the Corbynist left and swayed from supporting to asking some rather strong questions. I admit, I was not well disposed towards his columns, but this book has made me look at the author in a very different light. (Although the introduction, setting this book in the light of the COVID pandemic and the global shutdown is far more reminiscent of his columns than the rest of the book. My advice is to plough through it.)

This book begins with a potted history of the journey of the Left from Thatcherism, to the Keir Starmer era, and it was a history that I was probably rather ignorant of. I was under the impression I was apolitical until the late 00s, but Jones leads us through the background political history that - of course - shaped my world and thoughts without knowing it.

Jones presents the history of the English left in the shadow of the present pandemic and the rise of foodbanks and asks what happens to a country when 'security and optimism' have been stripped away? He also writes in the shadow of Labour Movement in the shadow of Jeremy Corbyn - is it still possible for the idealistic Left to present a clear and present challenge to the vested elite and seek to redistribute wealth and power?
Jones has a very engaging writing style, and I far prefer his long-form writings to his columns.

He begins with Thatcherism, with the apparent end of the Left, the victory of the 'end of history,' and the fragmentation of the working class under the rise of the post-industrial workforce. The book begins properly with the financial crisis, and with the resulting collapse in youth unemployment, the growth of a generation who would start to ask hard questions of the political and economic landscape - who would be powered by the rise of the Internet, smartphones and social media. Jones details the end of the traditional 'protest' movement and the growth of new measures - those who occupied physical and internet space. The 2011 student protests and general strike marking a watershed for the post-Blair generation.

He details the fall of Milliband and - with the prospect of £3 membership an influx of new blood into the party - and the rise of Jeremy Corbyn, who is presented as 'relentlessly cheerful, endlessly generous with his opponents, [and] exuded integrity,' a campaigner who had never been called on to mark the hard decisions and difficult choices that would have come in more mainstream political life. Instead, Corbyn marked a shift away from the Labour Party as a parliamentary party instead of a grassroots movement. However, as this section of the Left had not been in power for a generation, their ability and proficiency for the present age are drawn into real question. Corbyn's staff are examined in great detail, with vast amounts of attention being paid to the roles of Seamus Milne and Karie Murphy.

Jones also looks at - in perhaps excessive detail - the rather astonishing campaign inside the Labour Party against their own leader and those who supported him. He also describes the rise of Momentum and the social media machine, which has changed the face of UK politics. The divisions that Brexit brought to the left are examined and unpacked, as well as the constant threat of a Pro-EU/Remain breakaway party. Jones also details the whispers that the movement began to hear, prophesying a collapse in the Labour vote.

The chapter on racism and the anti-semitism crisis comes very late in the book, but the matter is given great detail and is taken incredibly seriously. This was one of the most interesting sections of the book.

My only criticism is that I thought the book could have been shorter - for those not living and breathing politics, let alone the skirmishes and battles of the far left, much went over my head and some level of detail seemed excessive. However, I was not expecting to enjoy so much this fascinating political history that, instead of being a partisan hagiography, took a serious look at the politics of the last decade and asks hard questions of it. (In full transparency, I tried to read the recent Left Out by Pogrund & Maguire, and found Jones' book far more appealing.)

"History is not linear, a tale of victories followed by successes and yet more victories, but often defeats, setbacks, followed by victories, then more defeats and setbacks. Finally, you might get somewhere approximating to where you’re aiming for. It’s called a struggle for a reason."

Didn't finish so not fair to review but a fair mess of a book. Apparently this needs to be a 100 characters long. I struggled with the book to be honest. Not captivating or sympathetic.

An interesting, if flawed, account of the Labour years under Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Jones makes it fairly obvious he wasn't a fan of the previous leader, being very much in the John McDonnell camp. He seems caught between two camps both politically and as a writer, unable to decide whether he is an insider reporting on events or a commentator looking on dispassionately. He is far better at the latter. The book is far better when Mr Jones analyses the period rather than simply repeating gossip.

Unfortunately, the book does seem to have been written in a hurry and, given the latest shenanigans in a once proud broad church of people, massively underestimated the toxic culture of the right wing of the party, more interested in defeating it's own left wing members than creating a better society for all. More intent on fighting the battles of the late eighties than confronting the evils of austerity, cultural wars, the demonisation of those reliant on benefits, the creation of a cheap wage economy and a political culture so divorced from reality, it reads like the next episode of Game of Thrones. Nobody, least of all Mr Jones, could have predicted the volte face of Starmer and his colleagues in the parliamentary party over Brexit. From threatening a mass revolt and instituting a coup against Corby for his supposed lack of leadership during the Brexit debate to actually voting for the UK to leave the European Union....

Nonetheless, an interesting read and Mr Jones should be congratulated for tackling the subject. Inevitably though, kiss and tell books like this are overtaken by events. If a week is a long time in politics, as Harold Wilson once said, then a year is an epoch. Shame this book has gone out of date so fast. Unfortunately, Labour's relevance has seemed to expire even more quickly. Under Corbyn at least they were thinking about the issues of climate change, gender equality, the role of education, citizenship in the 21st century and how to redress the gross inequalities in modern British society. Under Starmer, they have taken three steps backward past New Labour to the Kinnock era. The Corbyn years seem so long ago now....

As a fan of Owen Jones other works, namely Chavs and The Establishment, I knew what to expect when requesting to read this piece.

Owen has a wonderful way of explaining things and opening up your unbiased subconscious mind to see beyond the arguments and digest facts in a way that makes them easy to understand.

This is an interesting and well written documentation of the battles in the left of Labour and the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn. It fails slightly for me because Owen Jones is always front and centre - it is after all his book - but therefore the narrative is why Mr Jones thinks or what Mr Jones sees - especially when he is interviewing people. There is a lot here that is interesting and it is a good insight into Parliamentary politics in Britain but I don't think it is the story of a “Movement” as there is little about rank and file members and how they felt/feel about Jeremy Corbyn. There is also a lot about how John McDonnell is wonderful. As a journalist, Mr Jones can write but for me the book had many contradictions and no heart. It reads like a justification.

There are good elements - ironically when OJ is at the centre of something and can describe what happens. This is true of the Jewish debacle which cost Labour a lot of votes at the General Election and also lost a lot of hearts and minds. The descriptions seem genuine and it reads almost like Mr Corbyn couldn’t understand why people would think these things about him. But then he never explained properly why they shouldn’t.

I enjoyed the read and I think Jeremy Corbyn comes through as a thoroughly decent bloke who had a strong, heartfelt ideology (unlike many current politicians) but probably shouldn’t have been leader of the party.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. I was, and still am, a supporter of the Corbyn project so the content was always going to appeal to me but I also found Jones's style incredibly engaging and well paced.

It is clear that Jones has conducted a vast number of interviews and this allows the book to feel well-balanced despite Jones's own ties to the project. It is insightful and thorough. These events happened in very recent memory so it's easy to think there's nothing new you could learn or that the material would feel too familiar to be interesting but the book is packed full of information and its timeline is well fleshed out which allows it to feel fresh even in its coverage of well-remembered events.

I would reccommend this book to anyone who really wants to examine the Corbyn project from all angles, including its failures. Despite its downfall, Jones is able to remain positive about the impact of Corbynism and his ideas for the future allow for a feeling of optimism.

This Land is a balanced review of British politics over the last five years, in which Owen Jones discusses the rise and fall of Corbynism, and how, in my opinion, how the Labour backbenchers sabotaged any success Labour could've had with Corbyn as leader. I found this a very good insight into politics and what goes on behind the scenes. It showed the importance of getting behind a campaign, and how easily the media can manipulate the public's views. Owen discusses what went wrong for the Labour Party and how things can change for a better, fairer future.

It's not always black and white who's the real 'bad guys', but Owen's managed to dissect some key political moments in the past few years which enables the reader to pinpoint where things went right or wrong, and what the major turning points were.

Throughout this book I believe Jeremy Corbyn is presented in a reasonable, unbiased way. Highlighting the personality and passion that got him elected by Labour members, but also his faults. The book is well written, showing both sides of the story. I believe it is great read for anyone who is looking for a better understanding of what really happened in the 2019 election, in particular the driving force Brexit unfortunately had.

An interesting at the leadership of Jeremy Cornyn and how this has affected public perceptions of politics both positively and negatively.

I have always like Owen Jones and I found his previous books engaging and enjoyable whilst still being informative.

This Land is no different. As someone still relatively young and inexperienced in the ins and outs of politics, I found this book to be a comprehensive analysis of how things went wrong with Brexit and the Labour Party in the recent past.

Although a much lengthier book than I would usually read when it comes to non-fiction, I am pleased I made the effort with this one as I have finished well informed and more importantly having a good and largely impartial analysis of the facts under my belt.

Although Jones doesn’t hide his left wing political leanings he is adept at writing in a way that acknowledges labours failings and can give and accurate analysis of facts. Something we need badly in this age of political spin.

I enjoy Owen Jones style and I am a labour supporter. Enjoyed this book...interesting read for anyone who want to know more about our current political agenda.

This book was written quickly, as the author admits in the opening pages. It mentions the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic, and the events the book relates only ended at the end of 2019, with the UK’s last general election.
I like to read books and articles from different sides of the political spectrum, as I think understanding those you disagree with is important for a nuanced debate.
With This Land though, I’m not sure what the point of the books is. Owen Jones is a left-wing journalist who was vocal about his support for Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party. In this book though, he is critical of Corbyn and his office. The book is written from the perspective of those who worked in his office, and of course, Jones’ perspective as a journalist.
I found the book to be biased, with the ex-shadow Chancellor John McDonnell unable to do any wrong.
Jones seems to be distancing himself from Corbyn and the anti-semitic accusations that plagued his later years in office. From my perspective, this seems to be the main motivation behind writing this book. It doesn't help either side of the debate, simply going over what happened over the last 5 years within the Labour Party and vilifying certain people within the movement.
I also question how much of it is true. I don’t doubt that it is based on truth. But there are many passages within the book that relate events without any information as to how Jones knows what happened. He doesn’t state he was in the room at the time, and it doesn’t say who has told him this information either. There are some direct quotes from some people, but there are thrown in without much context.
I was disappointed by this book. I expected a nuanced debate and some insights into how the project went wrong. Instead, it feels like a journalist reporting on what happened and little more.
I’m not sure it’s a helpful book to read, at this point, to be honest. Perhaps if it had been published a few years from now, and the author had taken more time to make it a truly nuanced, evidence-based debate, it would be an interesting read. As it is, I can’t recommend it. Which makes me sad.

I have to admit that this book was a struggle. I am not one to give up on a book and will invariably finish at some point. Well I’ve ploughed through and finished (sort of) but I’ve returned it to my tbr pile to try again in the future as I’m not sure I’ve totally followed the concept. Perhaps now is the wrong time in view of the political complexities we are currently living through (too close to home is often uncomfortable) so I sincerely hope that I will gain more from a reread in less unpredictable times than I have this time around. I will be back but for now I sit firmly on the fence

This is a detailed, insider account of the rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn and Momentum and the impact on the Labour Party, Brexit and UK politics in general. Jones had access to most of the key figures and tells the story (which is also the story of his growing disillusionment) well, if a little tendentiously. Unlike John McDonnell for whom Jones worked before becoming a journalist, Corbyn does not come out of it that well - disorganised but passionate, principled but stubborn, even childish - 'you always knew he was in a bad mood because he'd always wear the green suit that he was told he wasn't allowed to wear", His advisers (Milne, ) appear even less well-suited to the kind of political fights they faced and Jones addresses the failures on Brexit, the 2019 election and, most egregiously, anti-semitism, while also capturing how the first phase of Corbyn's leadership really seemed to offer the prospect of change. Although a more nuanced discussion of New Labour's legacy would have been welcome ('Blairite' is used a bit more frequently than is helpful), this is an important and compelling account of a fascinating and frustrating political period.

This was a very oiginal book about British politics in recent years. Quite interesting but unfortunately a bit out of date now but for those who enjoy this kind of theme it was a good book.