the scapegoat daphne du maurier book review

The whole point of TTOI is that you believe this is what they're/it's really like, and there are times here that I didn't. I think even an out of touch racist old Tory would know better. So Mannion's Rajesh/Raj fumbling is fun, but then it goes too far when he says 'that's an easier one' to the girl who says her name is Charlotte. Even the swearing is less imaginative: have they lost their consultant? Or is that just one of the sadnesses that comes with Malcolm being in opposition? But there aren't any that had me involuntarily snorting out snot, which is what you expect. OK, I like 'upper class-holes', 'laters legislators' and Fergus's horrid 'from my PoV, re all this …' And I hope the Lib Dems will now always be known as 'The Inbetweeners'. Roger Allam is wonderful as Mannion, even if he is essentially a Tory version of Chris Langham's character from the first series. Plus there's Stewart, the sort of Andy Coulson/Steve Hilton character (not the best, no Malcolm Tucker for sure), and Glenn and Terri still somehow hanging in there. I think there are actually too many characters, and not enough good ones, on this side of the house, with all the coalition partners and their advisers. It needs great characters, great performances, great writing, great lines, great jokes – all of which The Thick of It has always served up in supersize portions. Successful satire alone doesn't make great comedy though. Fergus's 'silicon playgrounds' project (getting kids to design apps, for nothing, sorry 'digital dividends') feels like something that could easily actually happen. Nothing wrong with that it is, after all, what's going on in the reality version. That coalition mistrust, back-stabbing and credit-stealing is at the heart of it. The honeymoon is well and truly over the marriage is now officially a failing one, though they're still trying to hold hands and smile in public.

The scapegoat daphne du maurier book review