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Big Brother Watch: The State of Civil Liberties in Britain
by Alex DeaneThe debate about our DNA database, the largest per capita in the world, has dominated headlines throughout the last few years. Britain has more CCTV cameras than any other country in the world, and even more are being installed - including in private homes, facing out into the street. With the Intercept Modernisation Programme, the current government plans to record details of every telephone call made and e-mail sent by people in the United Kingdom. A database of households, is set to be compiled for health and safety reasons, is planned by the NHS. The Independent Safeguarding Authority continues to plan a compulsory register of all those who regularly come into contact with children - perhaps a third of adults in the country. Stop-and-Search powers under the Terrorism Act are argued about as photographers are arrested for taking photographs of public buildings. Data chips in our bins monitor our domestic waste. Despite a temporary retreat on their compulsory status, identity cards (and, more importantly, the database behind them) remain with us. What is the future for civil liberties in modern Britain? Big Brother Watch brings together a collection of essays by experts in fields affected by the increasingly authoritarian nature of British culture - in a country so illiberal it's almost as if normal life is becoming unlawful.
The Prime Ministers Who Never Were: A Collection of Political Counterfactuals
by Francis BeckettEach of these chapters in this book of political counterfactuals describes a premiership that never happened, but might easily have done had the chips fallen slightly differently. The contributors, each of them experts in political history, have asked themselves questions like: what shape would the welfare state and the cold war have taken if the Prime Minister had been Herbert Morrison instead of Clement Attlee? What would have been consequences for Northern Ireland had Norman Tebbit succeeded Margaret Thatcher? How would our present life be different without New Labour - a name we would never have heard if either Kinnock or Smith had become Prime Minister and not Tony Blair? Each of the chapters in this book describes events that really might have happened. And almost did.
In Defence of Politicians: In Spite of Themselves
by Peter RiddellIn a lively and gripping essay on contemporary politics, Peter Riddell remakes the case for representative democracy but concludes that it desperately needs to be strengthened. The effect of the expenses scandal has been to turn off both existing and potential representatives and voters. Naive reformers believe the answer is wholesale constitutional reform, but the result of that is likely to be stalemate and rule by powerful and well-funded vested interests. Instead, Riddell calls for a balance between popular participation and clear-cut decision making, underlining that political parties are necessary for decent as well as strong government. A timely and considered defence of the political process at a time when they are relentlessly under fire, this book will realign the way we look at our politicians.
How to Use Politicians to Get What You Want
by Scott ColvinEver since the 2009 expenses scandal erupted, public opinion towards politicians has hit rock bottom. Even with a new intake into Parliament, people are still asking what is the point of having an MP? However, people do not realise that politicians can be used to help them get what they want in a range of situations in everyday life. Scott Colvin has spent the past ten years working in national and local politics. During that time he has worked out how to use politicians to win a range of personal battles, both as a consumer and in his community. All the battles he has won - including getting the chief executive of a FTSE-25 company to personally intervene to send an engineer to his home, saving the last post office in his town, campaigning for his child's nursery to remain open and getting a wheel clamper to remove a clamp free of charge - he has done by using MPs and councillors either passively or actively to support his campaigns. He believes that everyone could do the same if only they knew how. This book is an informal 'how to' guide for consumers, pressure groups, residents groups, etc to demonstrate how and when to use your national and local politicians to assert your rights as both a consumer and a citizen. Politicians are often seen to have played the system for their own financial and personal gain - it is time for the people they represent to get the same chance.
ED: The Milibands and the Making of a Labour Leader
by Mehdi HasanWhat makes a man put politics and ambition before family? Ed Miliband is perhaps the least understood political leader of modern times. Brought up against A backdrop of tragedy, with a prominent Marxist thinker for a father, Ed followed his brother to the same college at Oxford, into Parliament and into the Cabinet before, at the eleventh hour, snatching away David's dream of the leadership. This new and fully updated edition follows Ed through the highs of leading the charge against Rupert Murdoch and News International to the lows of plummeting poll ratings, poor press and that infamous 'Blackbusters' tweet. Yet in the wake of Osborne's 'omnishambles' Budget and Labour's impressive gains in May 2012's local elections, political commentators have started to ask, with increasing volume, if we could indeed see Prime Minister Ed Miliband. As the 2015 general election approaches, Mehdi Hasan and James Macintyre ask the important questions. Is Ed up to the job? Can he be trusted on the economy? And will he manage to bury the hatchet with David and bring his brother back to the Labour frontbench?
Total Politics Guide to Political Blogging in the UK 2011/12
by Caroline CramptonThe number of people reading and writing political blogs in the UK continues to grow, just as political bloggers grow in influence and authority. Now in its sixth year, the Total Politics Guide to Political Blogging comprises contributions from leading media commentators and bloggers analysing the state of the blogosphere and predicting where it might move next, as well as chronicling the pitfalls to avoid. The guide also contains blogging league tables, as voted for by Total Politics readers, which charts which blogs are the most influential in their field.
Masters of Nothing: How the crash will happen again unless we understand human nature
by Matthew HancockBehaviour is important. Whether this be the behaviour of those who saw it coming, or of those who constantly berated them. The behaviour of those who rode the boom and switched at the tipping point to ride the bust, or the behaviour of those who held on to their principled as the system collapsed around them. It was human behaviour after all, that led us to construct a bubble nobody suspected was dangerous, yet nonetheless would burst with disastrous consequences. Contrary to the views of many before the crash the cycle is inevitable - you cannot eliminate boom and bust. In a boom the bullish are promoted whilst the cautious are overlooked, reinforcing the cycle. This factor is generally ignored by the beautiful but flawed models of economic analysts. Since we cannot abolish the cycle, we must ensure that busts are not so dangerous in the future. The policy solutions are there if we're brave enough, from changing incentives, and creating fiscal and financial regulators with clout and discretion, through to changing corporate governance and shifting the power of executives.
Nick Clegg: The Biography
by Chris BowersIn early April 2010 Nick Clegg was fighting for recognition, even as the young, fresh and personable leader of Britain's third political party. Two weeks later he was the focus of 'Cleggmania' and his popularity was compared with Churchill's. Four weeks after that he became the second most important figure in the government - but within a year he was ridiculed and reviled as popular hopes turned to disappointment. But who is Nick Clegg? What has made him the man he is today? By what route did he enjoy one of the most spectacular rises - and falls - in British politics? This fully revised and updated edition of Chris Bowers' acclaimed biography contains an analysis of the first years of coalition government, and tells us what we can expect of the Deputy Prime Minister as the next general election approaches. With a lightness of touch that captures the spirit of the unstuffy Lib Dem leader, and with the benefit of access to Clegg himself and the many people who have shaped and worked with him, Bowers presents a sensitive, critical and above all insightful portrait of one of the leading political figures of our age.
The Purple Book
by Robert PhilpotThe Labour Party is at a crossroads. Following its ejection from government, the reasons behind Labour's defeat have been hotly debated - but where to go from here? On the benches of opposition, with ample opportunity to consider how best to travel the path back to power, leading Labour figures are delving into the party's revisionist tradition to find an answer. The challenge now is how to return to the party's core principles, and it is to this challenge that The Purple Book offers a first contribution. With a foreword by Ed Miliband and contributors including both shadow and former ministers, new MPs and senior councillors, the book presents fresh policies for Labour's revival. Calling for a progressive agenda with, at its heart, a redistribution of power to individuals and local communities, The Purple Book draws on lessons from Labour's past and looks firmly to the future. Exploring the issues that the party must tackle in order to reshape the political debate, it seeks to reframe New Labour for the twenty-first century.
Why I'm Right. . .: And Everyone Else is Wrong
by Tom HarrisFor a real insight into the bizarre circus that is the Westminster village, look no further... For two and a half years, Tom Harris used his And Another Thing... blog to dish the dirt on the reality of life as an MP. From defending politicians to dissecting Doctor Who, from how to survive a zombie holocaust to what to do when Gordon Brown forgets your name, the blog proved that politics - and politicians - do have a lighter side. Why I'm Right... And Everyone Else is Wrong compiles the very best of Harris's blog. With exclusive new material detailing the attempted coup against Tony Blair in September 2006 and his own attempt to persuade Gordon Brown to step down three years later, the book covers the highlights (and lowlights) of life in the political spotlight with humour, warmth and an insider view that's hard to beat.
After the Coalition
by Kwasi KwartengIn After the Coalition five new Conservative Members of Parliament tackle the challenges of contemporary Britain. They argue that Conservative principles adapted to the modern world are essential for national success. For Britain to prosper in today's global economy, we need a new era of responsibility, for governments as well as individuals. The Conservative Party last won a general election in 1992. The formation of the coalition in 2010 ushered in a politics of compromise for the important task of bringing the deficit under control. At the next election, the Conservative Party may well fight for its own mandate. What that will be and the ideas supporting it need to be defined now. After the Coalition is an attempt to do precisely this.
The Future of Conservatism: Values Revisited
by Brian Binley David Davis John BaronThe last outright Conservative victory came under John Major in 1992. Whilst the coalition government is predominately Conservative, the party has had to compromise with the Liberal Democrats in order to govern. To prepare for the future, there needs to be a longer-term Conservative vision for Britain. The twenty-first century is one of new instabilities and dangers: from the potentially harmful aspects of globalism to military and ideological challenges from nascent new powers. The Future of Conservatism tackles this challenge head on. It presents radical policy suggestions from a wide range of MPs and political thinkers to present a contemporary blueprint for a Conservative Britain.
Tory Pride and Prejudice: The Conservative Party and homosexual law reform
by Michael McManusTORY PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is an authoritative but highly accessible account of the Conservative Party's social attitudes from the 1950s to the present day, with a particular focus on homosexual law reform and equal rights for LGBT citizens. Presented in the context of contemporary social and political developments, it draws upon extensive primary research and exclusive interviews to chart the party's progress from a stubborn unwillingness to decriminalise homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s, via tacit acceptance in the 1970s and Section 28 in the 1980s and 1990s, to the current Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government, which has produced the first comprehensive statement on equal rights in British history.
Dishonourable Insults: A Cantankerous Collection of Political Invective
by Greg KnightThroughout the ages and across the political spectrum, there's always been a place for the dishonourable insult. It doesn't take much for the civilised veneer to crack and a wealth of spleen, invective and innuendo to pour forth. It may not change the course of history, but being skewered in public has sounded the death knell of many a stellar career. In these pages you can revel in more than one hundred years of political venom. From Churchill to Cameron, Balfour to Brown, Curzon to Clegg, Douglas Home to Duncan Smith, Healey to Howard, Macaulay to Milliband, Greg Knight has once again compiled a witty collection of barbes that will provide amusement and a delightful source of reference for anyone searching for the ultimate put-down.
To Fall Like Lucifer: The Lost Story of a Very British Scandal
by Ian HarveyThis is a story of a scandal and its victim, of a society that looked the other way, and of the few who remained loyal. On the night of the 18 November 1958, Ian Harvey, then a junior minister in Harold Macmillan's Tory government, was arrested with a guardsman in St James's Park. Homosexuality would not be decriminalised until a decade later; the scandal that ensued prompted Harvey's resignation from the government and Parliament, and brought a brilliant and promising career to a premature end. Originally published in 1971, Harvey's startlingly honest account of his spectacular fall from grace is an extraordinary record of a time and its attitudes, as well as a poignant reflection on a life caught unexpectedly in scandal.
Tommy This an' Tommy That: The military covenant
by Andrew MurrisonThere is nothing new about the military covenant, a freshly minted term for something that's been around for as long as soldiering itself. 'Tommy' may have to make the ultimate sacrifice for his country. But what will his country do for him? Over centuries the covenant has been variously honoured and ignored. Confronted daily with flag-draped coffins, shameful stories of inadequate kit and shocking images of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan: what exactly are we doing to honour those who sacrifice all in the service of their country? In Tommy This an' Tommy That Andrew Murrison uses his perspective as a senior Service doctor and frontline politician to set the events of the past ten years in historical context. He charts the ways in which societal and political changes have impacted on the wellbeing of uniformed men and women, and the nation's changing sense of obligation towards the military. Crucially he asks what the future holds for the military covenant.
Tony Benn: A Biography
by Jad AdamsTony Benn has been portrayed as both hero and villain, as a creative and as a destructive force. This comprehensively revised edition of Jad Adams's classic biography, is written with unparalleled access to Benn's private records, and describes the long and turbulent career of one of the most charismatic politicians of the last hundred years. The first biography to have been written with full access to the Benn archives chronicles the behind-the-scenes story of Benn's bitter battles with every leader of the Labour Party since Gaitskell. It details his service in the governments of Wilson and Callaghan, his role as a champion of the left during the Labour Party's long period in opposition, his retirement from Parliament, to spend more time involved in politics in 2001, and his subsequent emergence as a leading figure of the British opposition to the war in Iraq.
America and the Imperialism of Ignorance: US Foreign Policy Since 1945
by Andrew AlexanderAmerican incomprehension of the outside world has been the chief problem in international affairs since the end of World War II. In America and the Imperialism of Ignorance, veteran political journalist Andrew Alexander constructs a meticulous case, including evidence gleaned from the steady opening up of Soviet archives, demonstrating why this is so. From starting the Cold War to revisiting unlearned lessons upon Cuba and Vietnam, the Middle East has latterly become the arena in which the American foreign policy approach proved wretchedly consistent. This has created six decades in which war was not the last resort of diplomacy but an early option, and where peace and order breaking out was thought to be the natural conclusion of military intervention. Alexander traces this 'shoot-first' tendency from 1945, arguing that on a grand scale the Cold War was a red herring in which the US and her proxies set out to counter a Soviet expansionism that never truly existed, and that by the time of the George W Bush era, the 'Industrial-Military-Complex' was in office offering little hope of a change in approach.
Franco's Friends: How British Intelligence Helped Bring Franco to Power in Spain
by Peter DayPublished to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Falangist uprising in July 2011, Franco's Friends tells the little-known true story of how MI6 orchestrated the coup that brought General Franco to power in Spain in 1936, leading to the Spanish civil war and 40 years of right-wing dictatorship. It has long been known that a British plane took Franco from the Canaries to Morocco at the start of the coup and that Major Hugh Pollard travelled on the plane from London, masquerading as a tourist and accompanied by two attractive blondes to add to the deception that this was just a pleasure trip. What is not known is the importance of his role and the extent of the involvement of the British intelligence services. Franco's Friends shows that Pollard was a lifelong member of MI6 and discloses a list of Britons who helped engineer Franco's coup that reads like a who's who of British intelligence (including james Bond creator, Ian Fleming). The book shows that MI6 continued working in Spain through to the Second World War, putting together behind-the-scenes deals and ensuring that the UK's interests were maintained. Crucially, MI6 even financed bribes paid to the Spanish generals by the British naval attache in Madrid to keep Spain neutral, thus reaping the benefits for Britain in 1939-45. Franco's Friends , based on previously unknown material from the National Archives, Imperial War Museum, the British Library and private archives, is one of the great previously untold stories of the Second World War, revealing how Britain made a dubious but difficult moral choice that would have repercussions on the outcome of the Second World War.
Gridlock Nation: How To Get Moving Again
by Kwasi KwartengWhy do we spend so much time stuck in traffic? After Peak Oil, do we face the prospect of Peak Travel? Does climate change mean no more foreign holidays? In Victorian times, Britain used to have the finest transport system in the world. Today, the future seems to belong to China with its ever growing High Speed Rail networks or Dubai and its titanic new five runway airport. What went wrong? For the last hundred years, the planners at the centre of our transport system have told us what roads, railways or airports we can use. Now, to save the planet they tell us to give up our cars and planes. If we break away from the planners' control, we can have roads that run freely and trains that arrive on time. Climate change can be tackled without giving up air travel. Riding a train should be as reliable as picking up bread from your local shop. Gridlock Nation looks at the timeless problems faced in transport, from traffic jams in Rome to Victorian road rage. It examines the potential of dazzling innovations across the world, from the private sector space revolution to Google's new driverless cars. Britain needs a new revolution in transport - or gridlock will soon bring the country to a halt.
Seeking Gaddafi: Libya, the West and the Arab Spring
by Daniel KawczynskiOn 18th March 2011 the United Nations passed Resolution 1973 allowing the establishment of a No Fly Zone above the towns and cities of Libya to defend civilians from the oppressive regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. With NATO planes now patrolling the skies over Libya's main cities, the country faces an uncertain future: Revolution? Civil War? Partition? Only one man holds the answer, and he is not going to give up power easily. Seeking Gaddafi is a fascinating portrait of one of the most controversial figures in modern history. Gaddafi has, for four decades, been absolute ruler of Libya, a country where basic civil iberties are virtually nonexistent, and opposition not tolerated. For much of his reign he has been implicated in subversion and terrorist activities throughout the world and regarded as a patron of international terrorism. Of late, he had been seeking a more open relationship with the West, a courtship that ended abruptly with the events of spring 2011. As the UK is drawn into yet another overseas conflict, Daniel Kawczynski, advisor on Libyan affairs to William Hague's Foreign Office team, examines the persona and career of one of the world's most enigmatic and bizarre leaders and looks at what it would take to unseat him, and what happens next.
Six: The Real James Bonds 1909-1939
by Michael SmithThe first part of acclaimed author Mick Smith’s epic, completely unauthorised history of Britain s external intelligence community. Six tells the complete story of the service’s birth and early years, including the tragic, untold tale of what happened to Britain’s extensive networks in Soviet Russia between the wars. It reveals for the first time how the playwright and MI6 agent Harley Granville Barker bribed the Daily News to keep Arthur Ransome in Russia, and the real reason Paul Dukes returned there.It shows development of tradecraft and the great personal risk officers and their agents took, far from home and unprotected. In Salonika, for example, Lieutenant Norman Dewhurst realised it was time to leave when he opened his door to find one of his agents hanging dismembered in a sack.This first part of Six takes us up to the eve of the conflict, using hundreds of previously classified files and interviews with key players to show how one of the world’s most secretive of secret agencies originated and developed into something like the MI6 we know today.
So You Want to Be a Politician
by Shane GreerSo You Want to be a Politician is a must read for any first time candidate or anyone looking to put together and run an effective campaign at any level of public life. This accessible, practical guide offers common sense advice for almost any scenario. Featuring contributions and advice from some of the leading names in contemporary British campaigning, So You Want to be a Politician is an essential resource that some of today's serving politicians could make good use of.
Campaign 2010: The Making of the Prime Minister
by Nicholas JonesIn the run-up to the general election of May 2010 it was universally acknowledged that whatever the outcome, this vote would start a fresh chapter in British political history. But no one anticipated just how fresh that chapter would be - Twists and turns made it an election like no other. David Cameron launched the Tories' poster campaign with an unblemished photograph of himself - and it became the most parodied image of the election. Nick Clegg went into the fi rst of the leaders' television debates derided as 'The Other One' - and emerged as a major player, with 'I agree with Nick' the campaign's unlikely catchphrase. Mrs Gillian Duffy went out to buy a loaf of bread in Rochdale - and happened to encounter Gordon Brown, with disastrous consequences for the Labour cause. But none of the soap opera of the weeks leading up to 6 May could match the drama of the days following the election's inconclusive result: the positioning, the posturing, the negotiating and the bargaining which eventually saw David Cameron moving into 10 Downing Street in a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. A fresh chapter in political history - and a fresh level of political theatre incisively described by Nicholas Jones.
Talking to a Brick Wall: How New Labour Stopped Listening to the Voter and Why We Need a New Politics
by Deborah MattinsonWith a foreword by Michael Portillo. Deborah Mattinson had a unique perspective on the New Labour project. As Britain's leading political pollster, she has been monitoring public opinion since the mid-1980s, and helped transform Labour into Europe's greatest election-winning machine of the modern era. Most recently as chief pollster to Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, she has been on the frontline of electoral politics, consistently representing the voter's side of the story to the politicans. Sometimes, she has encountered scepticism - a belligerent John Smith made an unappreciative witness to one of Deborah's focus groups - and she has often had to convey unwelcome results - telling a grumpy Gordon Brown he needed to spruce up his appearance cannot have been easy. With a stellar cast, including Neil Kinnock, Peter Mandelson, John Smith, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Talking to A Brick Wall reviews the New Labour years from the voter's point of view. It tracks the ups and downs of the Blair/Brown era as seen from beyond Westminster, showing how closely political reputation correlates with voter connection. It profiles the swing voter, shows the importance of women's votes, and what gives a politician popular appeal, and maps the voters' views through the 2010 campaign and its immediate aftermath, showing how the electorate has been left out of political decision making and revealing the public's recipe for rehabilitating the Labour Party and rebuilding trust in democracy. A champion of democratic renewal through citizen engagement, Deborah Mattinson believes that we must move to new grown up partnership politics if democracy is to thrive.