He describes the start of the UK’s Blair era, with New Labour’s leader declaring his intention to realize a Thatcherite dream.

He travels to Burma to describe daily life as well as its poisoned politics and offers analysis that from today's perspective is no less than fascinating. John Pilger also describes his own country’s, Australia's, relations with its own identity and its indigenous peoples. There are pieces on the Cold War and, importantly, on the struggle for independence of the East Timorese, going right back to 1974 and the collapse of what was left of the Portuguese Empire. And reading Hidden Agendas with today's label “fake news” in mind is both and enlightening and rewarding.įirst published in 1998, Hidden Agendas collects pieces by its author on various topics, their subjects spanning several decades.

Hidden Agendas by John Pilger is such a book. It is quite rare to find collections of such pieces, however, rarer to assemble them long after the events they describe and rarer still to produce, as a result, a book which is worth reading from cover to cover. Of course these views influence our thoughts, but we are critically aware, and accept that not everyone thinks as we do. We agree with it or differ and then move on, often to the next so-called analysis. We expect commentators to express their view, which we then absorb. We consume journalistic opinions on contemporary events almost without realizing it, or perhaps we used to.

is that you'll probably not get beyond each page without wanting to take notes for future use in debates, activism or just plain disgruntled arguments on the internet. It does make you realise just how much has happened in the last 12 years yet how little has changed in the political landscape of Britain at least as far as the prevailing prejudices of the system are concerned. I would say the level of informative, incisive journalism on display here puts him head and shoulders above that bastion of liberal dissent Noam Chomsky, as great an admirer of his that I am.Īlthough it feels a tiny bit dated that is solely down to the fact that I'm reading it fifteen years after its release and not at all down to any kind of literary flaw. There's something so stirring, inspirational and galvanizing about John Pilger's work that makes his writing essential reading for anyone with any kind of interest in world news or politics. I'm going to break the habit of waiting till I've finished a book entirely before reviewing it in this instance.