Andrew Roff, Here Are My Demands

 

- This debut novel from 'child-wrangler' and lawyer Andrew Roff is simply superb on so many levels. It's a novel with two dimensions - we're immersed in the technological and social world of 2058, and we're bogged down in a major political row in Canberra, now officially known as Ngunnawal-Ngambri.

- Getting familiar with Roff's future is a challenge, yet it's entirely credible. There are no mobile phones any more, and AI has greatly reduced work hours and job opportunities. The dominant technology is augmented reality via 'shrouds', activated by facial implants around the eyes, nose and ears, that offer projectors, cameras, microphones and earbuds that just need to be touched. In addition to projecting virtual representations of non-occupants into the virtual space, the shroud allows for physical occupants to see and hear the virtual visitors. 

- The main character is Maggie. She's twenty-six and a lobbyist. A new progressive government has been elected after 19 years in opposition. Labor and the Greens merged in the early 40’s, and transformed into the Australian Progressive Party, OzProg. Other parties are the Truvies (conservatives who broke away from the Liberal Party in the 30’s), and the Liberals. The new government, in their election campaign, promised to introduce a Universal Basic Income scheme, since this was their way of dealing with high levels of unemployment and the greatly reduced work hours available to those employed. Automation had wiped out loads of jobs, low-skilled but also accountants, winemakers, auctioneers, and middle managers.

- Maggie wrote the basic Income proposal for Tan, the Treasurer, to take to Cabinet. She is passionate about it. ‘Almost half the country lives below the poverty line…there aren’t enough human jobs to go around’. But as she's told constantly the business class will hate it, as will many MPs, and the Americans who Australia still bows and scrapes to.

- Now Tan and her boss Brij are tasking her with the job of liason. The Liberal/Truvie alliance is chucking a tantrum. One of their leaders is willing to ‘compromise’ provided corporates won't face substantially increased taxes. Maggie is morally outraged. She's asked to take some leave.

- There are a number of side stories in the novel, including family, relationships, and the press, that add richness to the central political and social focus. 

- Andrew Roff has written a deep, stimulating and fundamentally realistic novel. I found it very hard to put down.