I've just finished reading Billy Bragg's new book "The Progressive Patriot". I really enjoyed it so I felt I had to rebut the dreadful review on Amazon. It's the ideal read for earnest lefties like me who want to wave the flag of St George when England win a football match (in the unlikely event of that ever occurring again).

The book wasn't what I expected at all, which I probably should have expected. It's part autobiography and part family history but I suppose it's not surprising that for Billy Bragg of all people, the personal is the political. And it seems that the man who patriated Route 66 with his paean to Essex motoring "A13 - Trunk road to the sea" (check out Phil Jupitus on acoustic guitar!) has done the literary equivalent by taking Mark Kurlansky's "Basque History of the World" and coming up with the Barking History of England.

Next up in the series John ponders multicultural Britain from abroad* is Daljit Nagra's fabulously titled book of poems "Look we have coming to Dover!" which arrived today.

* never 'with a broad' - sigh...