Why is the West broke? Why are countries that were once considered rich on the brink of bankruptcy? Douglas Carswell begins The End of Politics by putting forward the theory that the West is in a mess because it has too much government. Throughout Britain, America, Europe and Japan, officialdom costs too much. And too much government means that politicians, civil servants and central bankers have been able to determine public policy without any meaningful scrutiny. As a result, countries which were highly innovative only a generation or so ago have been reduced to slow-lane sclerosis. The End of Politics suggests that the growth of government has killed off democratic politics with real decision making passing into the hands of distant officialdom.