A Quiet Word

Fascinating… [Cave and Rowell] lay bare the tricks of the trade, from “astroturfing” (whipping up what looks like grassroots protest against new regulatory threats, but is in fact a front for industry interests) to using thinktanks as “wonk whores” that can push helpful ideas – Gaby Hinsliff * Guardian *Indispensable – George Monbiot * Guardian *Demonstrates beyond doubt how lobbyists distort democracy and ensure that elite opinion crowds out public views * New Statesman *A chillingly accurate description of how presentation and spin trumps substantive argument in the upper echelons of power… A Quiet Word is important and, generally, right – Mark Leftly * Independent on Sunday *A timely account of how voters are conceding power to a silent industry – JP O’Malley * Mail on Sunday *Makes a very persuasive case for much more openness in lobbying – Douglas Osler * Scotland on Sunday *This book shines a bright light on the murky dealings surrounding politics, PR, big business and journalism… Revelatory and disturbing – Tim Holmes * Open Democracy *Fascinating… The discussion of the “commercial influence industry”…is thorough, illuminating and instructive… A very useful introduction to a complex subject – Anne Griktis * Public Service Magazine *Highly recommended – Roger Backhouse * Barkingside 21 *

Tamasin Cave is a writer, campaigner and commentator. She is a director of Spinwatch, which investigates corporate PR and lobbying, as well as government spin. Since 2007, she has also led the campaign for transparency regulations for lobbyists.

Andy Rowell is an award-winning journalist and author. As a founder-director of Spinwatch, he has been writing about the industry for over twenty years, particularly as it relates to environmental and health issues. He is also a part-time senior research fellow at the University of Bath.