Labour's second term is drawing to a close. What have they really achieved in the last four years?
Did Iraq overshadow all? Did public services improve after all? Were the targets reached, the promises met? In Better or Worse? Toynbee and Walker do a thorough audit of hospitals, schools, trains, climate change, the constitution and the countryside and find the hard facts.
The verdict? Blair II delivered. Figures show that Britain is safer, better educated, better off all round. But people don't believe it and the polls reveal this growing public mistrust. This is Labour's most profound failure. What caused this rift between perception and reality? Was it Blair's political style or the growing irresponsibility of the press?
Incisive, comprehensive and fair, Better or Worse? gets away from the personalities and the spin to reveal the true political picture of Blair's Britain now. This is an essential analysis of the Labour Party's performance during the last four years.