A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-2000's 0.02oC a year.

The IPCC says the one `virtually certain' impact of global warming is `reduced human mortality from decreased cold exposure'. A 2003 Department of Health study confirmed this, predicting a decrease in cold-related mortality of 20,000 and an increase in heat-related mortality of 2,000 by the 2050s.

On the IPCC's worst case scenario, of 1% growth a year in the developed countries and 2.3% in the developing countries, global warming could cost us 5% of world GDP by 2100. This would make developed countries' GDP 2.6 times today's rather than 2.7 and developing countries' GDP 8.5 times today's rather than 9.5.

Lawson argues that we should drop the precautionary principle because it is wrong to take decisions on the basis of worst-case possibilities: probabilities, not possibilities, should be our guide.

He looks at the prospects of some specific disasters. He notes that Antarctic ice-sheets are growing, that the IPCC's 2007 report said that an `abrupt transition' of the Gulf Stream is `very unlikely' and that the World Meteorological Organization said of climate change's effects on hurricanes, "no firm conclusion can be made on this point."

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme has increased profits for selected emitters and not cut emissions. Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism has done no better. The EU promotes growing biofuels, yet the Chinese government has suspended the production of the biofuel ethanol because it has raised food prices.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said that meeting the EU's agreed target of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 would raise our electricity costs by £18-22 billion a year.

In June 2007 Merkel and Blair tried to get the G8 to agree to cut emissions by 50% by 2050. The rest rejected the idea. Six months later, Britain and Germany lost again when they proposed a mandatory global emissions cut of 25-40% by 2020.

We could control the world's temperature by severely limiting carbon dioxide emissions through raising prices of carbon-based energy, to make non-carbon-based energy more competitive. But this would force our energy-intensive industries out to China and other countries. (Although China's, and India's, emissions per head are still far less than the West's.) 1990s Russia showed that the only way to meet the Kyoto targets is to destroy your industries.

Lawson argues for an across-the-board carbon tax, even if it forces our remaining energy-intensive industries abroad, and for ending subsidies to all carbon-based energy. Instead, we need to keep our industries, se we need new carbon-based power stations and new gas storage facilities, which the market has not provided and will not provide.

A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-2000's 0.02oC a year.

The IPCC says the one `virtually certain' impact of global warming is `reduced human mortality from decreased cold exposure'. A 2003 Department of Health study confirmed this, predicting a decrease in cold-related mortality of 20,000 and an increase in heat-related mortality of 2,000 by the 2050s.

On the IPCC's worst case scenario, of 1% growth a year in the developed countries and 2.3% in the developing countries, global warming could cost us 5% of world GDP by 2100. This would make developed countries' GDP 2.6 times today's rather than 2.7 and developing countries' GDP 8.5 times today's rather than 9.5.

Lawson argues that we should drop the precautionary principle because it is wrong to take decisions on the basis of worst-case possibilities: probabilities, not possibilities, should be our guide.

He looks at the prospects of some specific disasters. He notes that Antarctic ice-sheets are growing, that the IPCC's 2007 report said that an `abrupt transition' of the Gulf Stream is `very unlikely' and that the World Meteorological Organization said of climate change's effects on hurricanes, "no firm conclusion can be made on this point."

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme has increased profits for selected emitters and not cut emissions. Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism has done no better. The EU promotes growing biofuels, yet the Chinese government has suspended the production of the biofuel ethanol because it has raised food prices.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said that meeting the EU's agreed target of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 would raise our electricity costs by £18-22 billion a year.

In June 2007 Merkel and Blair tried to get the G8 to agree to cut emissions by 50% by 2050. The rest rejected the idea. Six months later, Britain and Germany lost again when they proposed a mandatory global emissions cut of 25-40% by 2020.

We could control the world's temperature by severely limiting carbon dioxide emissions through raising prices of carbon-based energy, to make non-carbon-based energy more competitive. But this would force our energy-intensive industries out to China and other countries. (Although China's, and India's, emissions per head are still far less than the West's.) 1990s Russia showed that the only way to meet the Kyoto targets is to destroy your industries.

Lawson argues for an across-the-board carbon tax, even if it forces our remaining energy-intensive industries abroad, and for ending subsidies to all carbon-based energy. Instead, we need to keep our industries, se we need new carbon-based power stations and new gas storage facilities, which the market has not provided and will not provide.




Why only four stars?, 15 Oct 2008
I have had this book for a long time and along with most Childcare students consider it a must have, so was surprised to find it had only four stars on Amazon. I had to look! It transpires that the people who gave it less than five stars mostly had bought the wrong book for their purposes! Shouldn't a book be marked for it's quality for it's designated purpose? If that was the case this would always get 5 stars! The key to the books popularity, and suitability for it's purpose lies in it's full title; Child Development, An Illustrated Guide. It doesn't claim to be a book on development theory, or a book just for the early years, it is best used in alongside other more theoretical books. Why do some people not bother to read covers of books before buying them?

Excellant!, 23 Feb 2007
I was given this book, before starting my NC child care and early education, i then used if for both my level 2 and 3 SVQ modern aprrentice, and found this much easier to use than books supplied on the course's. I say this book is a must have for anyone studying or wishing to study childcare.

Fantastic help for NVQ3, 27 Jun 2006
This book is really really helpful, I am currently working my way through my NVQ3 and ordered this book in the hope that it would provide more information than what is given in the child care and development book when breaking down the ages and stages of child development, especially in the cognitive and language development sections, which are covered in less detail in the other child care book. The way it is set out is clear and concise and also provides activity ideas too.

excellant, 02 May 2006
This book is a must for anyone doing courses in childcare.
It is written in clear and is very easy to understand. I have found it invaluable whilst attending my cache diploma course. I have even used it to assess my own children. This book focuses on all child development upto the age of 16.

A Must have, 03 Apr 2006
I'm currently in my 2nd year of the CACHE Diploma and this book is an absolute necessity. It features sections on all ages upto 16 years and a section on child development theory.
It is ideal for observations and assignments and is a must have for any student/practitioner.

Hopefully, it will come in handy for when I start University in September.

A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-2000's 0.02oC a year.

The IPCC says the one `virtually certain' impact of global warming is `reduced human mortality from decreased cold exposure'. A 2003 Department of Health study confirmed this, predicting a decrease in cold-related mortality of 20,000 and an increase in heat-related mortality of 2,000 by the 2050s.

On the IPCC's worst case scenario, of 1% growth a year in the developed countries and 2.3% in the developing countries, global warming could cost us 5% of world GDP by 2100. This would make developed countries' GDP 2.6 times today's rather than 2.7 and developing countries' GDP 8.5 times today's rather than 9.5.

Lawson argues that we should drop the precautionary principle because it is wrong to take decisions on the basis of worst-case possibilities: probabilities, not possibilities, should be our guide.

He looks at the prospects of some specific disasters. He notes that Antarctic ice-sheets are growing, that the IPCC's 2007 report said that an `abrupt transition' of the Gulf Stream is `very unlikely' and that the World Meteorological Organization said of climate change's effects on hurricanes, "no firm conclusion can be made on this point."

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme has increased profits for selected emitters and not cut emissions. Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism has done no better. The EU promotes growing biofuels, yet the Chinese government has suspended the production of the biofuel ethanol because it has raised food prices.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said that meeting the EU's agreed target of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 would raise our electricity costs by £18-22 billion a year.

In June 2007 Merkel and Blair tried to get the G8 to agree to cut emissions by 50% by 2050. The rest rejected the idea. Six months later, Britain and Germany lost again when they proposed a mandatory global emissions cut of 25-40% by 2020.

We could control the world's temperature by severely limiting carbon dioxide emissions through raising prices of carbon-based energy, to make non-carbon-based energy more competitive. But this would force our energy-intensive industries out to China and other countries. (Although China's, and India's, emissions per head are still far less than the West's.) 1990s Russia showed that the only way to meet the Kyoto targets is to destroy your industries.

Lawson argues for an across-the-board carbon tax, even if it forces our remaining energy-intensive industries abroad, and for ending subsidies to all carbon-based energy. Instead, we need to keep our industries, se we need new carbon-based power stations and new gas storage facilities, which the market has not provided and will not provide.




Why only four stars?, 15 Oct 2008
I have had this book for a long time and along with most Childcare students consider it a must have, so was surprised to find it had only four stars on Amazon. I had to look! It transpires that the people who gave it less than five stars mostly had bought the wrong book for their purposes! Shouldn't a book be marked for it's quality for it's designated purpose? If that was the case this would always get 5 stars! The key to the books popularity, and suitability for it's purpose lies in it's full title; Child Development, An Illustrated Guide. It doesn't claim to be a book on development theory, or a book just for the early years, it is best used in alongside other more theoretical books. Why do some people not bother to read covers of books before buying them?

Excellant!, 23 Feb 2007
I was given this book, before starting my NC child care and early education, i then used if for both my level 2 and 3 SVQ modern aprrentice, and found this much easier to use than books supplied on the course's. I say this book is a must have for anyone studying or wishing to study childcare.

Fantastic help for NVQ3, 27 Jun 2006
This book is really really helpful, I am currently working my way through my NVQ3 and ordered this book in the hope that it would provide more information than what is given in the child care and development book when breaking down the ages and stages of child development, especially in the cognitive and language development sections, which are covered in less detail in the other child care book. The way it is set out is clear and concise and also provides activity ideas too.

excellant, 02 May 2006
This book is a must for anyone doing courses in childcare.
It is written in clear and is very easy to understand. I have found it invaluable whilst attending my cache diploma course. I have even used it to assess my own children. This book focuses on all child development upto the age of 16.

A Must have, 03 Apr 2006
I'm currently in my 2nd year of the CACHE Diploma and this book is an absolute necessity. It features sections on all ages upto 16 years and a section on child development theory.
It is ideal for observations and assignments and is a must have for any student/practitioner.

Hopefully, it will come in handy for when I start University in September.

Driving Instructors view , 09 Dec 2008
Roadcraft: The Essential Police Driver's HandbookThis paper back book is what every new driver taking intensive driving lessons should read as well as the highway code. This doesn't always happen, so if you have been driving for one hour or many years you would still benefit from reading this book.
This book is well laid out and of a high quality. Clear in content it is very useful for someone having driving lessons to read it all. All points are illustrated with pictures or diagrams, So if you are training and having driving lessons in London or else where, or doing a crash driving course, it will seem obvious when you read it like all good advice. You will learn how to be a safe driver. How to handle your car and avoid accidents so it will not turn into a driving crash course so to speak, no matter what other drivers are up to otherwise called defensive driving.
There are no techniques on police pursuit driving. This is about road driving safely and quickly. Within the law, serious reading if you are going for an advanced driver badge or just having cheap driving lessons and looking to improve yourself quickly.
Have a great driving week read it


A book for every good driver, 09 Aug 2008
Don't be fooled by the new cover on the most recent issue of Roadcraft. This book is not just for Advanced Police drivers but for everyone who has a keen interest in driving and for driving safely. As a traffic cop myself it is the bible for all the courses, however, it also takes drivers who have passed the DVLA standard test and through very well laid out sections, teaches them a whole different approach to their driving.

Without giving too much away, it teaches drivers to adopt a proven system of car control which WILL improve anticipation and observation skills dramatically amongst many other things.

A very worthwhile read indeed.

The Police Driver's Handbook, 10 Feb 2007
For anybody interested in motoring, it gives an insight into advanced driving techniques. For those of us who passed their driving test when Adam was a lad, it is well worth a read. An excellent and well written book.

Excellent, 05 Jan 2007
A very necessary book to take u on from the basic test. Do not think that this will teach u all the art of high speed driving and fast car attitudes as it wont. But stops short for obvious reasons so u will get as much as legally possible to make u a very well improved driver. This book is used not only by Police driving schools but also international drivers as well. The whole Police advanced course is based and tested on this book u will not go wrong. A good supplement to this is the roadcraft DVD which covers the book visually. I have used this book for over 15 years and highly recommend it.

Roadcraft - honest opinion, 17 Mar 2005
This book covers all the relevant knowledge required for safe,systematic driving and as the book describes, the safe use of "driving to the system". It helps everyone finally understand why it is their driving that causes accidents and not the vehicles they drive. It covers cornering,steering, use of gears, overtaking (which is legal you know, regardless of people sticking their fingers up at you for doing it and flashing you when you have plenty of room and don't sacrifice anyones safety to do it !), skidding and how to correct it and much more including drivers behaviours and tips on how to generally drive safely (not necessarily slowly !). It enables any driver to observe everything around him, anticipate any hazards before its too late. This book is well worth a read if you are not the most confident of drivers or indeed you have had a few accidents and think you have learnt because the stats in this book will shock you. The only criticism of this book is that to explain a relatively straight forward task, does involve long winded words, which for some people they would find taxing and quite boring. But with a dictionary to hand, you would be fine. If it is used to train police officers, which i think from what i see living in London everyday, it does a good job ! enjoy. AW.

A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-2000's 0.02oC a year.

The IPCC says the one `virtually certain' impact of global warming is `reduced human mortality from decreased cold exposure'. A 2003 Department of Health study confirmed this, predicting a decrease in cold-related mortality of 20,000 and an increase in heat-related mortality of 2,000 by the 2050s.

On the IPCC's worst case scenario, of 1% growth a year in the developed countries and 2.3% in the developing countries, global warming could cost us 5% of world GDP by 2100. This would make developed countries' GDP 2.6 times today's rather than 2.7 and developing countries' GDP 8.5 times today's rather than 9.5.

Lawson argues that we should drop the precautionary principle because it is wrong to take decisions on the basis of worst-case possibilities: probabilities, not possibilities, should be our guide.

He looks at the prospects of some specific disasters. He notes that Antarctic ice-sheets are growing, that the IPCC's 2007 report said that an `abrupt transition' of the Gulf Stream is `very unlikely' and that the World Meteorological Organization said of climate change's effects on hurricanes, "no firm conclusion can be made on this point."

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme has increased profits for selected emitters and not cut emissions. Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism has done no better. The EU promotes growing biofuels, yet the Chinese government has suspended the production of the biofuel ethanol because it has raised food prices.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said that meeting the EU's agreed target of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 would raise our electricity costs by £18-22 billion a year.

In June 2007 Merkel and Blair tried to get the G8 to agree to cut emissions by 50% by 2050. The rest rejected the idea. Six months later, Britain and Germany lost again when they proposed a mandatory global emissions cut of 25-40% by 2020.

We could control the world's temperature by severely limiting carbon dioxide emissions through raising prices of carbon-based energy, to make non-carbon-based energy more competitive. But this would force our energy-intensive industries out to China and other countries. (Although China's, and India's, emissions per head are still far less than the West's.) 1990s Russia showed that the only way to meet the Kyoto targets is to destroy your industries.

Lawson argues for an across-the-board carbon tax, even if it forces our remaining energy-intensive industries abroad, and for ending subsidies to all carbon-based energy. Instead, we need to keep our industries, se we need new carbon-based power stations and new gas storage facilities, which the market has not provided and will not provide.




Why only four stars?, 15 Oct 2008
I have had this book for a long time and along with most Childcare students consider it a must have, so was surprised to find it had only four stars on Amazon. I had to look! It transpires that the people who gave it less than five stars mostly had bought the wrong book for their purposes! Shouldn't a book be marked for it's quality for it's designated purpose? If that was the case this would always get 5 stars! The key to the books popularity, and suitability for it's purpose lies in it's full title; Child Development, An Illustrated Guide. It doesn't claim to be a book on development theory, or a book just for the early years, it is best used in alongside other more theoretical books. Why do some people not bother to read covers of books before buying them?

Excellant!, 23 Feb 2007
I was given this book, before starting my NC child care and early education, i then used if for both my level 2 and 3 SVQ modern aprrentice, and found this much easier to use than books supplied on the course's. I say this book is a must have for anyone studying or wishing to study childcare.

Fantastic help for NVQ3, 27 Jun 2006
This book is really really helpful, I am currently working my way through my NVQ3 and ordered this book in the hope that it would provide more information than what is given in the child care and development book when breaking down the ages and stages of child development, especially in the cognitive and language development sections, which are covered in less detail in the other child care book. The way it is set out is clear and concise and also provides activity ideas too.

excellant, 02 May 2006
This book is a must for anyone doing courses in childcare.
It is written in clear and is very easy to understand. I have found it invaluable whilst attending my cache diploma course. I have even used it to assess my own children. This book focuses on all child development upto the age of 16.

A Must have, 03 Apr 2006
I'm currently in my 2nd year of the CACHE Diploma and this book is an absolute necessity. It features sections on all ages upto 16 years and a section on child development theory.
It is ideal for observations and assignments and is a must have for any student/practitioner.

Hopefully, it will come in handy for when I start University in September.

Driving Instructors view , 09 Dec 2008
Roadcraft: The Essential Police Driver's HandbookThis paper back book is what every new driver taking intensive driving lessons should read as well as the highway code. This doesn't always happen, so if you have been driving for one hour or many years you would still benefit from reading this book.
This book is well laid out and of a high quality. Clear in content it is very useful for someone having driving lessons to read it all. All points are illustrated with pictures or diagrams, So if you are training and having driving lessons in London or else where, or doing a crash driving course, it will seem obvious when you read it like all good advice. You will learn how to be a safe driver. How to handle your car and avoid accidents so it will not turn into a driving crash course so to speak, no matter what other drivers are up to otherwise called defensive driving.
There are no techniques on police pursuit driving. This is about road driving safely and quickly. Within the law, serious reading if you are going for an advanced driver badge or just having cheap driving lessons and looking to improve yourself quickly.
Have a great driving week read it


A book for every good driver, 09 Aug 2008
Don't be fooled by the new cover on the most recent issue of Roadcraft. This book is not just for Advanced Police drivers but for everyone who has a keen interest in driving and for driving safely. As a traffic cop myself it is the bible for all the courses, however, it also takes drivers who have passed the DVLA standard test and through very well laid out sections, teaches them a whole different approach to their driving.

Without giving too much away, it teaches drivers to adopt a proven system of car control which WILL improve anticipation and observation skills dramatically amongst many other things.

A very worthwhile read indeed.

The Police Driver's Handbook, 10 Feb 2007
For anybody interested in motoring, it gives an insight into advanced driving techniques. For those of us who passed their driving test when Adam was a lad, it is well worth a read. An excellent and well written book.

Excellent, 05 Jan 2007
A very necessary book to take u on from the basic test. Do not think that this will teach u all the art of high speed driving and fast car attitudes as it wont. But stops short for obvious reasons so u will get as much as legally possible to make u a very well improved driver. This book is used not only by Police driving schools but also international drivers as well. The whole Police advanced course is based and tested on this book u will not go wrong. A good supplement to this is the roadcraft DVD which covers the book visually. I have used this book for over 15 years and highly recommend it.

Roadcraft - honest opinion, 17 Mar 2005
This book covers all the relevant knowledge required for safe,systematic driving and as the book describes, the safe use of "driving to the system". It helps everyone finally understand why it is their driving that causes accidents and not the vehicles they drive. It covers cornering,steering, use of gears, overtaking (which is legal you know, regardless of people sticking their fingers up at you for doing it and flashing you when you have plenty of room and don't sacrifice anyones safety to do it !), skidding and how to correct it and much more including drivers behaviours and tips on how to generally drive safely (not necessarily slowly !). It enables any driver to observe everything around him, anticipate any hazards before its too late. This book is well worth a read if you are not the most confident of drivers or indeed you have had a few accidents and think you have learnt because the stats in this book will shock you. The only criticism of this book is that to explain a relatively straight forward task, does involve long winded words, which for some people they would find taxing and quite boring. But with a dictionary to hand, you would be fine. If it is used to train police officers, which i think from what i see living in London everyday, it does a good job ! enjoy. AW.

Just buy this book ..........!!!!!!, 02 Jan 2009
All I want to say is buy this book, it's an emotional roller coaster and one of the best and most clever books that I have ever read.I'm away to re-read it as you can read it and appreciate it on so many levels,pure magic !!!!!!!!!!

A sweet companion for your journey, 17 Sep 2008
I loved this book and many of my clients do too. This is a sweet story about Toad on the road to recovery from 'depression'. This book should be a companion to anyone that is having counselling or psychotherapy using Transactional Analysis. Highly recommended.

an insiration, 12 Jun 2008
I found myself so much in toads situation, a friend gave me this book. I hadn`t read a paper or watched tv for weeks, I read this book in a couple of days! This book is not only useful to inspiring herons but also to us depressed toads. I loved this book and am now in agreement to attend for counselling,couldn`t recommend it highly enough! An insight from cover to cover.

A fantastic book., 17 Oct 2007
After being given this book by my previous counsellor, I found it to be a very pleasing read. Not only does it give the reader a sense of what should be expected in counselling, it uses the story to explain several different ideas in transactional analysis.

Even if you haven't a clue what transactional analysis is, this book allows a gentle movement into what can be considered a very confusing set of theories with the familiar Mr. Toad woven into it. Brilliant.

Please read!!, 15 Sep 2007
How I wish I had read this book years ago. It was recommended by my counselling skills tutors and I believe its set me on the path to truly understanding my own behaviours as well as understanding things a little more from a counsellors view point. I can't recommend it enough. Excellent.

A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-2000's 0.02oC a year.

The IPCC says the one `virtually certain' impact of global warming is `reduced human mortality from decreased cold exposure'. A 2003 Department of Health study confirmed this, predicting a decrease in cold-related mortality of 20,000 and an increase in heat-related mortality of 2,000 by the 2050s.

On the IPCC's worst case scenario, of 1% growth a year in the developed countries and 2.3% in the developing countries, global warming could cost us 5% of world GDP by 2100. This would make developed countries' GDP 2.6 times today's rather than 2.7 and developing countries' GDP 8.5 times today's rather than 9.5.

Lawson argues that we should drop the precautionary principle because it is wrong to take decisions on the basis of worst-case possibilities: probabilities, not possibilities, should be our guide.

He looks at the prospects of some specific disasters. He notes that Antarctic ice-sheets are growing, that the IPCC's 2007 report said that an `abrupt transition' of the Gulf Stream is `very unlikely' and that the World Meteorological Organization said of climate change's effects on hurricanes, "no firm conclusion can be made on this point."

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme has increased profits for selected emitters and not cut emissions. Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism has done no better. The EU promotes growing biofuels, yet the Chinese government has suspended the production of the biofuel ethanol because it has raised food prices.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said that meeting the EU's agreed target of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 would raise our electricity costs by £18-22 billion a year.

In June 2007 Merkel and Blair tried to get the G8 to agree to cut emissions by 50% by 2050. The rest rejected the idea. Six months later, Britain and Germany lost again when they proposed a mandatory global emissions cut of 25-40% by 2020.

We could control the world's temperature by severely limiting carbon dioxide emissions through raising prices of carbon-based energy, to make non-carbon-based energy more competitive. But this would force our energy-intensive industries out to China and other countries. (Although China's, and India's, emissions per head are still far less than the West's.) 1990s Russia showed that the only way to meet the Kyoto targets is to destroy your industries.

Lawson argues for an across-the-board carbon tax, even if it forces our remaining energy-intensive industries abroad, and for ending subsidies to all carbon-based energy. Instead, we need to keep our industries, se we need new carbon-based power stations and new gas storage facilities, which the market has not provided and will not provide.




Why only four stars?, 15 Oct 2008
I have had this book for a long time and along with most Childcare students consider it a must have, so was surprised to find it had only four stars on Amazon. I had to look! It transpires that the people who gave it less than five stars mostly had bought the wrong book for their purposes! Shouldn't a book be marked for it's quality for it's designated purpose? If that was the case this would always get 5 stars! The key to the books popularity, and suitability for it's purpose lies in it's full title; Child Development, An Illustrated Guide. It doesn't claim to be a book on development theory, or a book just for the early years, it is best used in alongside other more theoretical books. Why do some people not bother to read covers of books before buying them?

Excellant!, 23 Feb 2007
I was given this book, before starting my NC child care and early education, i then used if for both my level 2 and 3 SVQ modern aprrentice, and found this much easier to use than books supplied on the course's. I say this book is a must have for anyone studying or wishing to study childcare.

Fantastic help for NVQ3, 27 Jun 2006
This book is really really helpful, I am currently working my way through my NVQ3 and ordered this book in the hope that it would provide more information than what is given in the child care and development book when breaking down the ages and stages of child development, especially in the cognitive and language development sections, which are covered in less detail in the other child care book. The way it is set out is clear and concise and also provides activity ideas too.

excellant, 02 May 2006
This book is a must for anyone doing courses in childcare.
It is written in clear and is very easy to understand. I have found it invaluable whilst attending my cache diploma course. I have even used it to assess my own children. This book focuses on all child development upto the age of 16.

A Must have, 03 Apr 2006
I'm currently in my 2nd year of the CACHE Diploma and this book is an absolute necessity. It features sections on all ages upto 16 years and a section on child development theory.
It is ideal for observations and assignments and is a must have for any student/practitioner.

Hopefully, it will come in handy for when I start University in September.

Driving Instructors view , 09 Dec 2008
Roadcraft: The Essential Police Driver's HandbookThis paper back book is what every new driver taking intensive driving lessons should read as well as the highway code. This doesn't always happen, so if you have been driving for one hour or many years you would still benefit from reading this book.
This book is well laid out and of a high quality. Clear in content it is very useful for someone having driving lessons to read it all. All points are illustrated with pictures or diagrams, So if you are training and having driving lessons in London or else where, or doing a crash driving course, it will seem obvious when you read it like all good advice. You will learn how to be a safe driver. How to handle your car and avoid accidents so it will not turn into a driving crash course so to speak, no matter what other drivers are up to otherwise called defensive driving.
There are no techniques on police pursuit driving. This is about road driving safely and quickly. Within the law, serious reading if you are going for an advanced driver badge or just having cheap driving lessons and looking to improve yourself quickly.
Have a great driving week read it


A book for every good driver, 09 Aug 2008
Don't be fooled by the new cover on the most recent issue of Roadcraft. This book is not just for Advanced Police drivers but for everyone who has a keen interest in driving and for driving safely. As a traffic cop myself it is the bible for all the courses, however, it also takes drivers who have passed the DVLA standard test and through very well laid out sections, teaches them a whole different approach to their driving.

Without giving too much away, it teaches drivers to adopt a proven system of car control which WILL improve anticipation and observation skills dramatically amongst many other things.

A very worthwhile read indeed.

The Police Driver's Handbook, 10 Feb 2007
For anybody interested in motoring, it gives an insight into advanced driving techniques. For those of us who passed their driving test when Adam was a lad, it is well worth a read. An excellent and well written book.

Excellent, 05 Jan 2007
A very necessary book to take u on from the basic test. Do not think that this will teach u all the art of high speed driving and fast car attitudes as it wont. But stops short for obvious reasons so u will get as much as legally possible to make u a very well improved driver. This book is used not only by Police driving schools but also international drivers as well. The whole Police advanced course is based and tested on this book u will not go wrong. A good supplement to this is the roadcraft DVD which covers the book visually. I have used this book for over 15 years and highly recommend it.

Roadcraft - honest opinion, 17 Mar 2005
This book covers all the relevant knowledge required for safe,systematic driving and as the book describes, the safe use of "driving to the system". It helps everyone finally understand why it is their driving that causes accidents and not the vehicles they drive. It covers cornering,steering, use of gears, overtaking (which is legal you know, regardless of people sticking their fingers up at you for doing it and flashing you when you have plenty of room and don't sacrifice anyones safety to do it !), skidding and how to correct it and much more including drivers behaviours and tips on how to generally drive safely (not necessarily slowly !). It enables any driver to observe everything around him, anticipate any hazards before its too late. This book is well worth a read if you are not the most confident of drivers or indeed you have had a few accidents and think you have learnt because the stats in this book will shock you. The only criticism of this book is that to explain a relatively straight forward task, does involve long winded words, which for some people they would find taxing and quite boring. But with a dictionary to hand, you would be fine. If it is used to train police officers, which i think from what i see living in London everyday, it does a good job ! enjoy. AW.

Just buy this book ..........!!!!!!, 02 Jan 2009
All I want to say is buy this book, it's an emotional roller coaster and one of the best and most clever books that I have ever read.I'm away to re-read it as you can read it and appreciate it on so many levels,pure magic !!!!!!!!!!

A sweet companion for your journey, 17 Sep 2008
I loved this book and many of my clients do too. This is a sweet story about Toad on the road to recovery from 'depression'. This book should be a companion to anyone that is having counselling or psychotherapy using Transactional Analysis. Highly recommended.

an insiration, 12 Jun 2008
I found myself so much in toads situation, a friend gave me this book. I hadn`t read a paper or watched tv for weeks, I read this book in a couple of days! This book is not only useful to inspiring herons but also to us depressed toads. I loved this book and am now in agreement to attend for counselling,couldn`t recommend it highly enough! An insight from cover to cover.

A fantastic book., 17 Oct 2007
After being given this book by my previous counsellor, I found it to be a very pleasing read. Not only does it give the reader a sense of what should be expected in counselling, it uses the story to explain several different ideas in transactional analysis.

Even if you haven't a clue what transactional analysis is, this book allows a gentle movement into what can be considered a very confusing set of theories with the familiar Mr. Toad woven into it. Brilliant.

Please read!!, 15 Sep 2007
How I wish I had read this book years ago. It was recommended by my counselling skills tutors and I believe its set me on the path to truly understanding my own behaviours as well as understanding things a little more from a counsellors view point. I can't recommend it enough. Excellent.

Confidence Is Key, 22 May 2008
This book was excellent in preparing me and helping me pass the PIRT.
It gave me the cofidence I needed on the day and I would reccommend it to anyone thinking about applying for the police force.
Go for it!


Lacks any real depth, 09 Jul 2007
Firstly, the book is good for the practice maths and verbal reasoning tests and helping you with your application form.

However, the book seems to lack any real help where you need it most. It seems to describe the process in detail but offer little help in the way of preparing you for the tests. For most people, the role plays and interview stages are the real worry of the Assesment Centre, there seemed to be little information of value on these stages.

As pointed out already, it is out of date. The book will teach you about writing a letter for the Assesment Centre which is no longer a requirement. In this sense, your on your own for the writen section of the Assesment Centre.

At the end of the day, the price of this book isn't going to put much of a dent in your wallet, and it does help to some extent.... but to me it didn't offer the kind of help other reviewers found it to be.

The most important information in this book is given to you, for free, prior to the Assesment Centre (should you pass the application form).

I'd advise others to buy it, but don't expect too much from it.

Worth every penny, 28 Dec 2006
I have just been accepted into Cheshire Police and this book played a large part in my application. I do believe that this book is the reason I passed my assessment centre. After reading the book I felt quietly confident going into my assessment centre and would have been a nervous wreck otherwise. I would advise anyone thinking of joining the police or already in the process of applying to buy this book as it is a great help.

so helpful, 14 Jul 2006
Just completed my a/c day for hants- this book is a bible when it comes to gathering knowledge of what to expext and practice questions

Absolutely invaluable, 06 Dec 2005
This book became absolutely invaluable to me as I was going through the recruitment process to join the Police. It gives you pointers on what to/what not to include on your application, practice questions for the pyschometric tests and good advice on what to do through the assessment centre. It helped me to get through the stages and I would recommend it to any potential new recruit.

A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-2000's 0.02oC a year.

The IPCC says the one `virtually certain' impact of global warming is `reduced human mortality from decreased cold exposure'. A 2003 Department of Health study confirmed this, predicting a decrease in cold-related mortality of 20,000 and an increase in heat-related mortality of 2,000 by the 2050s.

On the IPCC's worst case scenario, of 1% growth a year in the developed countries and 2.3% in the developing countries, global warming could cost us 5% of world GDP by 2100. This would make developed countries' GDP 2.6 times today's rather than 2.7 and developing countries' GDP 8.5 times today's rather than 9.5.

Lawson argues that we should drop the precautionary principle because it is wrong to take decisions on the basis of worst-case possibilities: probabilities, not possibilities, should be our guide.

He looks at the prospects of some specific disasters. He notes that Antarctic ice-sheets are growing, that the IPCC's 2007 report said that an `abrupt transition' of the Gulf Stream is `very unlikely' and that the World Meteorological Organization said of climate change's effects on hurricanes, "no firm conclusion can be made on this point."

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme has increased profits for selected emitters and not cut emissions. Kyoto's Clean Development Mechanism has done no better. The EU promotes growing biofuels, yet the Chinese government has suspended the production of the biofuel ethanol because it has raised food prices.

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said that meeting the EU's agreed target of 20% of energy from renewables by 2020 would raise our electricity costs by £18-22 billion a year.

In June 2007 Merkel and Blair tried to get the G8 to agree to cut emissions by 50% by 2050. The rest rejected the idea. Six months later, Britain and Germany lost again when they proposed a mandatory global emissions cut of 25-40% by 2020.

We could control the world's temperature by severely limiting carbon dioxide emissions through raising prices of carbon-based energy, to make non-carbon-based energy more competitive. But this would force our energy-intensive industries out to China and other countries. (Although China's, and India's, emissions per head are still far less than the West's.) 1990s Russia showed that the only way to meet the Kyoto targets is to destroy your industries.

Lawson argues for an across-the-board carbon tax, even if it forces our remaining energy-intensive industries abroad, and for ending subsidies to all carbon-based energy. Instead, we need to keep our industries, se we need new carbon-based power stations and new gas storage facilities, which the market has not provided and will not provide.




Why only four stars?, 15 Oct 2008
I have had this book for a long time and along with most Childcare students consider it a must have, so was surprised to find it had only four stars on Amazon. I had to look! It transpires that the people who gave it less than five stars mostly had bought the wrong book for their purposes! Shouldn't a book be marked for it's quality for it's designated purpose? If that was the case this would always get 5 stars! The key to the books popularity, and suitability for it's purpose lies in it's full title; Child Development, An Illustrated Guide. It doesn't claim to be a book on development theory, or a book just for the early years, it is best used in alongside other more theoretical books. Why do some people not bother to read covers of books before buying them?

Excellant!, 23 Feb 2007
I was given this book, before starting my NC child care and early education, i then used if for both my level 2 and 3 SVQ modern aprrentice, and found this much easier to use than books supplied on the course's. I say this book is a must have for anyone studying or wishing to study childcare.

Fantastic help for NVQ3, 27 Jun 2006
This book is really really helpful, I am currently working my way through my NVQ3 and ordered this book in the hope that it would provide more information than what is given in the child care and development book when breaking down the ages and stages of child development, especially in the cognitive and language development sections, which are covered in less detail in the other child care book. The way it is set out is clear and concise and also provides activity ideas too.

excellant, 02 May 2006
This book is a must for anyone doing courses in childcare.
It is written in clear and is very easy to understand. I have found it invaluable whilst attending my cache diploma course. I have even used it to assess my own children. This book focuses on all child development upto the age of 16.

A Must have, 03 Apr 2006
I'm currently in my 2nd year of the CACHE Diploma and this book is an absolute necessity. It features sections on all ages upto 16 years and a section on child development theory.
It is ideal for observations and assignments and is a must have for any student/practitioner.

Hopefully, it will come in handy for when I start University in September.

Driving Instructors view , 09 Dec 2008
Roadcraft: The Essential Police Driver's HandbookThis paper back book is what every new driver taking intensive driving lessons should read as well as the highway code. This doesn't always happen, so if you have been driving for one hour or many years you would still benefit from reading this book.
This book is well laid out and of a high quality. Clear in content it is very useful for someone having driving lessons to read it all. All points are illustrated with pictures or diagrams, So if you are training and having driving lessons in London or else where, or doing a crash driving course, it will seem obvious when you read it like all good advice. You will learn how to be a safe driver. How to handle your car and avoid accidents so it will not turn into a driving crash course so to speak, no matter what other drivers are up to otherwise called defensive driving.
There are no techniques on police pursuit driving. This is about road driving safely and quickly. Within the law, serious reading if you are going for an advanced driver badge or just having cheap driving lessons and looking to improve yourself quickly.
Have a great driving week read it


A book for every good driver, 09 Aug 2008
Don't be fooled by the new cover on the most recent issue of Roadcraft. This book is not just for Advanced Police drivers but for everyone who has a keen interest in driving and for driving safely. As a traffic cop myself it is the bible for all the courses, however, it also takes drivers who have passed the DVLA standard test and through very well laid out sections, teaches them a whole different approach to their driving.

Without giving too much away, it teaches drivers to adopt a proven system of car control which WILL improve anticipation and observation skills dramatically amongst many other things.

A very worthwhile read indeed.

The Police Driver's Handbook, 10 Feb 2007
For anybody interested in motoring, it gives an insight into advanced driving techniques. For those of us who passed their driving test when Adam was a lad, it is well worth a read. An excellent and well written book.

Excellent, 05 Jan 2007
A very necessary book to take u on from the basic test. Do not think that this will teach u all the art of high speed driving and fast car attitudes as it wont. But stops short for obvious reasons so u will get as much as legally possible to make u a very well improved driver. This book is used not only by Police driving schools but also international drivers as well. The whole Police advanced course is based and tested on this book u will not go wrong. A good supplement to this is the roadcraft DVD which covers the book visually. I have used this book for over 15 years and highly recommend it.

Roadcraft - honest opinion, 17 Mar 2005
This book covers all the relevant knowledge required for safe,systematic driving and as the book describes, the safe use of "driving to the system". It helps everyone finally understand why it is their driving that causes accidents and not the vehicles they drive. It covers cornering,steering, use of gears, overtaking (which is legal you know, regardless of people sticking their fingers up at you for doing it and flashing you when you have plenty of room and don't sacrifice anyones safety to do it !), skidding and how to correct it and much more including drivers behaviours and tips on how to generally drive safely (not necessarily slowly !). It enables any driver to observe everything around him, anticipate any hazards before its too late. This book is well worth a read if you are not the most confident of drivers or indeed you have had a few accidents and think you have learnt because the stats in this book will shock you. The only criticism of this book is that to explain a relatively straight forward task, does involve long winded words, which for some people they would find taxing and quite boring. But with a dictionary to hand, you would be fine. If it is used to train police officers, which i think from what i see living in London everyday, it does a good job ! enjoy. AW.

Just buy this book ..........!!!!!!, 02 Jan 2009
All I want to say is buy this book, it's an emotional roller coaster and one of the best and most clever books that I have ever read.I'm away to re-read it as you can read it and appreciate it on so many levels,pure magic !!!!!!!!!!

A sweet companion for your journey, 17 Sep 2008
I loved this book and many of my clients do too. This is a sweet story about Toad on the road to recovery from 'depression'. This book should be a companion to anyone that is having counselling or psychotherapy using Transactional Analysis. Highly recommended.

an insiration, 12 Jun 2008
I found myself so much in toads situation, a friend gave me this book. I hadn`t read a paper or watched tv for weeks, I read this book in a couple of days! This book is not only useful to inspiring herons but also to us depressed toads. I loved this book and am now in agreement to attend for counselling,couldn`t recommend it highly enough! An insight from cover to cover.

A fantastic book., 17 Oct 2007
After being given this book by my previous counsellor, I found it to be a very pleasing read. Not only does it give the reader a sense of what should be expected in counselling, it uses the story to explain several different ideas in transactional analysis.

Even if you haven't a clue what transactional analysis is, this book allows a gentle movement into what can be considered a very confusing set of theories with the familiar Mr. Toad woven into it. Brilliant.

Please read!!, 15 Sep 2007
How I wish I had read this book years ago. It was recommended by my counselling skills tutors and I believe its set me on the path to truly understanding my own behaviours as well as understanding things a little more from a counsellors view point. I can't recommend it enough. Excellent.

Confidence Is Key, 22 May 2008
This book was excellent in preparing me and helping me pass the PIRT.
It gave me the cofidence I needed on the day and I would reccommend it to anyone thinking about applying for the police force.
Go for it!


Lacks any real depth, 09 Jul 2007
Firstly, the book is good for the practice maths and verbal reasoning tests and helping you with your application form.

However, the book seems to lack any real help where you need it most. It seems to describe the process in detail but offer little help in the way of preparing you for the tests. For most people, the role plays and interview stages are the real worry of the Assesment Centre, there seemed to be little information of value on these stages.

As pointed out already, it is out of date. The book will teach you about writing a letter for the Assesment Centre which is no longer a requirement. In this sense, your on your own for the writen section of the Assesment Centre.

At the end of the day, the price of this book isn't going to put much of a dent in your wallet, and it does help to some extent.... but to me it didn't offer the kind of help other reviewers found it to be.

The most important information in this book is given to you, for free, prior to the Assesment Centre (should you pass the application form).

I'd advise others to buy it, but don't expect too much from it.

Worth every penny, 28 Dec 2006
I have just been accepted into Cheshire Police and this book played a large part in my application. I do believe that this book is the reason I passed my assessment centre. After reading the book I felt quietly confident going into my assessment centre and would have been a nervous wreck otherwise. I would advise anyone thinking of joining the police or already in the process of applying to buy this book as it is a great help.

so helpful, 14 Jul 2006
Just completed my a/c day for hants- this book is a bible when it comes to gathering knowledge of what to expext and practice questions

Absolutely invaluable, 06 Dec 2005
This book became absolutely invaluable to me as I was going through the recruitment process to join the Police. It gives you pointers on what to/what not to include on your application, practice questions for the pyschometric tests and good advice on what to do through the assessment centre. It helped me to get through the stages and I would recommend it to any potential new recruit.

Brilliant book readable & understandable., 24 Mar 2007
I am a social work student in my first year and stuggle with some academic books. This book is informative and interesting - I used it for my essays. It is well written and easy to understand. I thoroughly recommend it to future students.

Excellent, informative ,easy to read and worth the money, 23 Oct 2001
An excellent pre study book for the Open University Working with Young Children and Families course. This book was easy to read and provided a font of knowledge which could be used in OU assignments. It was fairly priced and I would recommend others to buy it. The contents were informative and presented in such a way that subject matters were quickly digested and understood. I recommend it to all.

A book for both sides, 20 Dec 2008
An excellent book with thought provoking comments for all. Lawson elucidates most effectively on the problems of science, politics and ethics coming together in a big blur. Regardless of how you feel about this issue, reading this book will help separate these and illuminate the science that you think you know. Negative reviewers appear not to have read the book, as the book does acknowledge many possible scenarios and poses intelligent questions throughout. It is such a relief to finally have a balanced publication rather than the dogma that is readily available and rarely questioned.

At last some sense!, 08 Dec 2008
At last confirmation of my views on "global warming", backed up with all the academic references to prove the case. This is an entertaining and readable book but tackling an important subject in a serious way. Although the first chapter almost completely debunks the global warming myth, the rest of the book takes the stance that if it is happening, what should we do about it? Nigel looks at the subject from an economic and political perspective, as might be expected from a former Chancellor, and in doing so considers the human cost of Kyoto and the Green-Left.

I make a point of getting people I know to read this book, and they all thank me for it. Should be compulsory reading!

Just what it says on the tin, 16 Sep 2008
This is a wonderful book. As the title suggests, it is cool, reasonable, and patient, looking carefully at all the evidence and coming to conclusions which it is hard to disagree with.

Like other reviewers, I find it hard to take excerpts from the book because I would have to quote the whole thing! However, perhaps I may try to help anyone who is wondering whether to read it. One way to look at the global warming/climate change debate is to ask oneself three questions.

First, is the world getting warmer?
Second, is human activity, and specifically CO2, a major cause?
And third, does it matter? Will there be harmful consequences? And if so, what should we do about them?

Much of the angry debate between believers and sceptics rages round the first two points. Lawson surveys the evidence on both, and comes to a conclusion. But what makes this book so powerful is its focus on the third question: whether a warmer world is one that will harm people, animals, plants, and our descendants. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) argues that it will. Lawson disagrees. He takes us through the IPCC scenarios, and their range of predictions relating to five potential impacts of a warmer world: on water, ecosystems, food, coasts, and health. In each case he demonstrates, with evidence, that a warmer world will either be neutral or even beneficial. What makes this evidence particularly persuasive is that much of it is drawn from the IPCC's own 4th report (2007)!.

It would be wrong to think of this book as complacent, a kind of 'I'm all right, Jack, pull up the ladder'. As Lawson points out, the single major cause of ill-health and death in the world is poverty, and if we take the standpoint of human welfare, the surest way to benefit humans is to lift them out of poverty. Lawson sees many serious problems facing the world, and many things that urgently need putting right. The view of this compelling and convincing book is that global warming isn't one of them.


A call for solid science to replace the hype and hysteria, 14 Sep 2008
A well written and thought provoking book that attempts to speak above the hysterical din that dominates the subject.

The author calls for a considered approach and appeals to organisations to address the issues we face in a sensible and practical way.



Thought-provoking contribution, 19 Aug 2008
In this thought-provoking book, Nigel Lawson asks key questions about global warming. Is the world warming and if so, why? How much warmer will it get? What will be the consequences? What can and should we do about it? What is the most cost-effective way to tackle it?

He looks at the temperature record. Surprisingly, temperatures have not risen since 2001, even though global CO2 emissions have been rising faster than ever. There was a 0.7oC rise over the last century while the CO2 in the atmosphere rose by 30%, largely caused by industrialisation driven by the rapid worldwide growth of carbon-based energy consumption (burning coal, oil and gas). Some, possibly most, of the warming is due to this growth of CO2 emissions and so of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report predicted a sea-level rise of between 18 and 59 centimetres by 2100. (Its 1990 report predicted a 3.67 metre rise.) The IPCC predicted a 1.8o-4oC temperature rise by 2100, a mean of less than 3oC. (At 3oC, it says, "Globally, the potential for food production is projected to increase.") 3oC is 0.03oC a year, compared to 1975-200