Books: A Transferable Vote ; Politics on the Couch by Andrew Samuels Profile Books, Pounds 10.99, 235pp: Could Therapists Cure the Ills of Politics? They'll Need More Than Good Intentions and Bad Prose, Argues Joan Smith

Smith, Joan, The Independent (London, England)

POLITICS IS so obviously about public life that it is easy to forget that important decisions are influenced by the secret ambitions and internal anxieties of politicians. The latter are so powerful, and so impossible to admit, that it is still very rare for ministers to admit to making a mistake. Politics, unlike therapy, is all about appearing strong and not admitting weakness. That would suggest, at first sight, that politics and psychoanalysis are antithetical - an apparent opposition that Andrew Samuels sets out to explore.

His starting-point is that "politics in many Western countries is broken and in a mess"; that we "urgently need new ideas and approaches". This …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Books: A Transferable Vote ; Politics on the Couch by Andrew Samuels Profile Books, Pounds 10.99, 235pp: Could Therapists Cure the Ills of Politics? They'll Need More Than Good Intentions and Bad Prose, Argues Joan Smith. Contributors: Smith, Joan - Author. Newspaper title: The Independent (London, England). Publication date: January 2, 2001. Page number: 10. © 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.