The scheme for full employment - Magnus Mills

A wonderfully original fable which will appeal to readers of all ages, from 'a British writer to be treasured' (Independent on Sunday)

Of course, if this had been any other country The Scheme would still be going today. In any other country it would have been regarded as a national treasure. Planned to the finest detail by people of vision, The Scheme was watertight, and could not possibly go wrong. Except in this country.'

Life on The Scheme is like being in a great big feather bed. You've got your full uniform provided, winter and summer, subsidized cups of tea and sandwiches, the opportunity for a quiet doze in a lay-by while you wait to clock off, and a generous weekly wage. And all you've got to do is turn up for work every day! But it could all so easily come to an end. Already, workers are beginning to divide into opposing camps, and a new superintendent has arrived, intent on sending The Scheme the way of 'all those other failed social experiments, like public transport, school dinners and municipal orchestras'. Might the chill winds of change spell an end to our glorious summer?