Author:Anna Minton
The inside story of London's housing crisis, by the award-winning author of Ground Control
London is facing the worst housing crisis in modern times, with knock-on effects for the rest of the UK. Despite the desperate shortage of housing, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of affordable homes are being pulled down, replaced by luxury apartments aimed at foreign investors. In this ideological war, housing is no longer considered a public good. Instead, only market solutions are considered - and these respond to the needs of global capital, rather than the needs of ordinary people. In politically uncertain times, the housing crisis has become a key driver creating and fuelling the inequalities of a divided nation. Anna Minton cuts through the complexities, jargon and spin to give a clear-sighted account of how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it.
Essential reading .... As attempts to address the crisis are still inadequate - indeed, some government policies are making it worse - and as it shows little sign of improving in the near future, the facts of this human catastrophe can't be stated too much or too strongly. The first achievement of Anna Minton's book Big Capital is to do just that
—— Rowan Moore , ObserverTimely and relevant ... I can't recommend it enough
—— Josie LongAnna Minton goes digging into the housing crisis in London and beyond. She gives us an account that indicates the crisis was made through decisions and wilful distortions ... reads like a sort of murder mystery, fully exposed
—— Saskia Sassen , author of ExpulsionsDiligent and determined ... Eye-opening ... Minton builds a powerful case ... A call to imagine what is politically possible
—— Richard Godwin , Evening StandardFierce, incisive, important. Anyone who lives or works in a building should read this book
—— Will SelfA studied, sustained attack on a market that has been mishandled by successive governments for 40 years, not because politicians have been unable to remedy it but because it has been expedient not to. It makes for painful - yet compelling - reading
—— Nathan Brooker , Financial TimesPowerfully written ... It's hard not to come away with a fresh sense of outrage
—— Matthew Partridge , MoneyweekCutting through the jargon and spin [Minton] argues that housing is a human right, not purely a financial asset, and offers clear-sighted solutions
—— Antonia Charlesworth , Big IssueBig Capital adds to what must be a commitment to change. It lays out clearly that the struggle for space will be at the top of the agenda within large cities
—— Lisa Mckenzie, Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology, London School of EconomicsDavid Enrich is a masterful story teller ... Michael Lewis has a new rival
—— Sheila Bair, former chair of the FDIC and president of Washington CollegeAn absorbing read that provides both a meticulous dissection of an immense scandal as well as a fascinating human story
—— Bethany McLean, bestselling author of THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM: THE AMAZING RISE AND SCANDALOUS FALL OF ENRONFor years, David Enrich has chased down the inside story of one the biggest financial frauds in history and was even threatened with jail by a British court if he printed what he knew. Now, in his blockbuster book The Spider Network, all of the secrets come spilling out…With an unerring eye for detail, Enrich shows in this masterful work how a toxic stew of greed, arrogance and a lust for power led to a criminal scheme of unparalleled dimensions. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the dirty underbelly of the financial world.
—— Kurt Eichenwald, Pulitzer Prize winning author of THE INFORMANTThis dwarfs by orders of magnitude any financial scams in the history of markets.
—— Andrew Lo, Professor of Finance at MITIn the hands of journalist David Enrich, the true tale of former UBS and Citigroup trader Tom Hayes becomes a page-turning crime drama that engages – and educates – readers from beginning to end.
—— The Charlotte ObserverA gripping narrative ... impressive reporting and writing chops are on full display ... reads like a fast-paced John le Carré thriller, and never lets up
—— New York Times book reviewa feat of reporting, and much of it reads like a novel
—— Leigh Gallagher , Washington Posta remarkable read
—— John Arlidge , Sunday Timesjaw-dropping
—— Financial Timesa gripping financial thriller
—— Daily MailWell worth the read. I couldn’t put it down
—— Investing.com A potent book... an incisive social critique that slices through financial jargon and gobbledygook to accurately map the all-too-common corruption in America’s hedge funds that are sucking up billions and billions that used to be invested for the growth and benefit of society as a whole in building infrastructure, expanding existing and new businesses and creating jobs
An utterly absorbing look at how Cohen pushed his traders to the limit—that “black edge”—and how he mostly insulated himself from the potential ramifications. This fast-paced, true-life thriller will leave readers enraptured—and troubled