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The British Coalition Government, 2010-2015: A Marriage of Inconvenience

This book examines the formation and operation of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government from May 2010 to May 2015. The authors outline the factors that enabled the union, including economic circumstances, parliamentary politics, the initially amicable relationship established between David Cameron and Nick Clegg, and the apparent ideological closeness of Conservative modernisers and Orange Book Liberal Democrats. The authors then analyse how these factors shaped the policy agenda pursued over the five years, including the issues of deficit reduction, public sector reform, and welfare reduction, before discussing the tensions that developed as a result of these decisions. Ultimately, relations between the coalition partners steadily became less amicable and more acrimonious, as mutual respect gave way to mutual recrimination.

The British Communist Party and the Trade Unions, 1933–1945

This is a pathbreaking book, essential reading for students of interwar political and social history. Previous histories of the period have underestimated the crucial role which Communists played in trade union organisation from top to bottom. Despite its relatively small size the Communist Party occupied a strategic place in the trade union movement: the leaders of the movement, notably Ernest Bevin, refused to acknowledge this at the time. Thanks to her extensive research and numerous interviews, and to the ’opening of the books’ of the Communist Part, Nina Fishman has been able to uncover a fascinating story, one which official Communist historians have never told, and which other historians could only recount in fragments. The main protagonists are the Communist Party General Seretary, Harry Pollitt, and the Editor of the Daily Worker, Johnny Campbell. The book brings to vivid life the work of activists on the shop floor and in the coalmines during the Depression and the Second World War. The book includes the first comprehensive analysis of Communist activity in key sectors of the British economy, notably in engineering shop stewards’ movements and among London busmen. It concludes with an authoritative review of Communists' part in the British war economy and a vigorous challenge to the conventional wisdom about the effect of Communist Party changes of line on the war on activists’ abilities to incite and lead strikes.

The British Communist Party and the Trade Unions, 1933–1945

This is a pathbreaking book, essential reading for students of interwar political and social history. Previous histories of the period have underestimated the crucial role which Communists played in trade union organisation from top to bottom. Despite its relatively small size the Communist Party occupied a strategic place in the trade union movement: the leaders of the movement, notably Ernest Bevin, refused to acknowledge this at the time. Thanks to her extensive research and numerous interviews, and to the ’opening of the books’ of the Communist Part, Nina Fishman has been able to uncover a fascinating story, one which official Communist historians have never told, and which other historians could only recount in fragments. The main protagonists are the Communist Party General Seretary, Harry Pollitt, and the Editor of the Daily Worker, Johnny Campbell. The book brings to vivid life the work of activists on the shop floor and in the coalmines during the Depression and the Second World War. The book includes the first comprehensive analysis of Communist activity in key sectors of the British economy, notably in engineering shop stewards’ movements and among London busmen. It concludes with an authoritative review of Communists' part in the British war economy and a vigorous challenge to the conventional wisdom about the effect of Communist Party changes of line on the war on activists’ abilities to incite and lead strikes.

The British Confederate: Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, c.1607–1661

The interplay of roles of the Marquess of Argyll, as clan chief, Scottish magnate and influential British statesman, make him a worthy counterpoint to Cromwell. This book reviews Argyll’s formative influence in shaping British frontier policy during the period 1607–38 and his radical, financially creative and highly partial leadership of the Covenanting Movement in Scotland, 1638–45, when Covenanters rather than Royalists or Parliamentarians directed the political agenda in Britain. It examines his role as reluctant but calculated revolutionary in pursuing confessional confederation throughout the British Isles, and in restoring Scotland’s international relations particularly with France. His ambivalent role as a military leader is contrasted with that of his genius as a political operator, 1646–51. Reappraising his trial and execution as a scapegoat for reputedly collaborating with Oliver Cromwell and the regicides who executed Charles I in the 1650s, it rehabilitates Argyll’s reputation as a tarnished Covenanting hero rather than an unalloyed Royalist villain. The book is firmly grounded in public and private archival sources in the UK, the USA and Scandinavia, and draws especially on privileged access to archives in Inveraray Castle, Argyllshire. It should appeal to those interested in clanship, civil war and British state formation.

British Conservatism: The Politics and Philosophy of Inequality (International Library of Political Studies)

Defence of inequality has always been a core principle of the Conservative Party in Britain. Yet the Conservatives have enjoyed great electoral success in a British society marked by widespread inequalities of wealth and income. This important new book initially examines the intellectual and political arguments which Conservatives use to justify inequality, including Conservative ideas about human nature, the apparent inevitability of inequality as indicated by historical trends and the way in which Conservatives link economic inequality with individual freedom. This study also notes how Conservatives themselves disagree over how much inequality is desirable or acceptable. Should inequality be unlimited, in order to promote liberty, incentives and rewards? Or should inequality be kept within certain bounds to prevent social breakdown and political upheaval? These debates within the Conservative Party have become even more relevant since Margaret Thatcher's leadership in the 1980s, and they continue today as David Cameron pledges to heal a 'broken society'. This book ends by examining how the Conservative Party has attracted considerable support from less well-off sections of British society, those who might otherwise have been expected to support political parties promoting equality.This wide-ranging study will be particularly valuable to students interested in the ideas and debates surrounding British Conservatism, past and present. It will also be of great interest to readers wanting to understand how the Conservative Party proved so successful electorally during most the twentieth century, to the extent that it attracted the support of up to one-third of the working class, thereby deflecting the potential challenge of socialism. Indeed, the Conservative Party has enjoyed significant opinion poll leads over Labour in recent years, in spite of a growing gulf between rich and poor and deepening inequality.

British Conservative Leaders (British Leaders Ser.)

As the party that has won wars, reversed recessions and held prime ministerial power more times than any other, the Conservatives have played an undoubtedly crucial role in the shaping of contemporary British society. And yet, the leaders who have stood at its helm - from Sir Robert Peel to David Cameron, via Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher - have steered the party vessel with enormously varying degrees of success. With the widening of the franchise, revolutionary changes to social values and the growing ubiquity of the media, the requirements, techniques and goals of Conservative leadership since the party’s nineteenth-century factional breakaway have been forced to evolve almost beyond recognition - and not all its leaders have managed to keep up. This comprehensive and enlightening book considers the attributes and achievements of each leader in the context of their respective time and diplomatic landscape, offering a compelling analytical framework by which they may be judged, detailed personal biographies from some of the country’s foremost political critics, and exclusive interviews with former leaders themselves. An indispensable contribution to the study of party leadership, British Conservative Leaders is the essential guide to understanding British political history and governance through the prism of those who created it.

The British Conservative Party and One Nation Politics

This book bestows academic light in place of disputed ideological heat emanating primarily from Conservative political polemicists on the role, influence and ideological trajectory of the One Nation Group of Conservative MPs. It contributes to the debates on policy and the role of 'think tanks' in such policy formulation over the period 1950-2005; the debate over the existence and extent of 'consensus' in post-war British politics; and to research on political parties in general and factions and tendencies in particular.

The British Conservative Party and One Nation Politics

This book bestows academic light in place of disputed ideological heat emanating primarily from Conservative political polemicists on the role, influence and ideological trajectory of the One Nation Group of Conservative MPs. It contributes to the debates on policy and the role of 'think tanks' in such policy formulation over the period 1950-2005; the debate over the existence and extent of 'consensus' in post-war British politics; and to research on political parties in general and factions and tendencies in particular.

The British Constitution: First Draft

Exactly eight hundred years ago, Magna Carta established the right not to be thrown in the Tower of London for being slightly irritating, which is the closest we've ever got to a written constitution. But come on! Things have moved on since King John. Isn't it time we had another bash at setting down a few laws and principles for us all to live by? Isn't it time we knew how to queue properly, how to banter within the limits of decency, how to handshake in a regal fashion, how to appropriately and committedly observe the weather, and how to competitively own pets?It will no doubt confuse the Taliban, perplex the Americans and move the French to shrug their shoulders and say bof, but for the good people of this island, this first draft of the British Constitution sets out and celebrates the very best bits of being British.

The British Constitution (Routledge Revivals)

First published in 1938, The British Constitution discusses the basic features of the British Constitution. The author argues that the Constitution is more than a body of institutions working in accordance with principles laid down in law or expressed in conventions. It is society in its political aspect. In addition to the features of the Constitution, the book also explains the functions of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the King, the Cabinet, the parties, the administration and the armed forces. This book will be of interest to anyone keen on learning about the British Constitution as well as students of political science and history.

The British Constitution (Routledge Revivals)

First published in 1938, The British Constitution discusses the basic features of the British Constitution. The author argues that the Constitution is more than a body of institutions working in accordance with principles laid down in law or expressed in conventions. It is society in its political aspect. In addition to the features of the Constitution, the book also explains the functions of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the King, the Cabinet, the parties, the administration and the armed forces. This book will be of interest to anyone keen on learning about the British Constitution as well as students of political science and history.

The British Constitution Now: Recovery or Decline?

In this book the former head of Mrs Thatcher's policy unit looks at the state of the British Constitution at a crucial time in its history, arguing that recent years have seen an increased willingness to monitor itself on the part of the Establishment, but that more audacious reforms are needed to restore full confidence in Parliament, government and the legal system.

The British Constitution Resettled: Parliamentary Sovereignty Before and After Brexit

Adopting a political constitutionalist view of the British constitution, this book critically explores the history of legal and political thought on parliamentary sovereignty in the UK. It argues that EU membership strongly unsettled the historical precedents underpinning UK parliamentary sovereignty. Successive governments adopted practices which, although preserving fundamental legal rules, were at odds with past precedents. The author uses three key EU case studies – the financial transactions tax, freedom of movement of persons, and the working time directive – to illustrate that since 1973 the UK incorporated EU institutions which unsettled those precedents. The book further shows that the parliament’s place since the referendum on Brexit in June 2016 and the scrutinising of the terms of the withdrawal agreement constitute an enhanced, new constitutional resettlement, and a realignment of parliament with the historical precedent of consent and its sovereignty.

British Counterinsurgency: From Palestine to Northern Ireland

British Counterinsurgency examines the insurgencies that have confronted the British State since the end of the Second World War, and at the methods used to fight them. It looks at the guerrilla campaigns in Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, South Yemen, Oman, and most recently in Northern Ireland, and considers the reasons for British success or failure in suppressing them. It provides a hard-nosed account of the realities of counterinsurgency as practised by the most experienced security establishment in the world today.

British Counterinsurgency: From Palestine To Northern Ireland

British Counterinsurgency challenges the British Army's claim to counterinsurgency expertise. It provides well-written, accessible and up-to-date accounts of the post-1945 campaigns in Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, South Yemen, Dhofar, Northern Ireland and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

British Cultural Diplomacy in South Africa, 1960–1994 (Britain and the World)

This book analyses the British government’s use of cultural diplomacy in South Africa from 1960 to 1994. Previously, scholarship on UK-South African relations has focussed mainly on political, economic, or military links; this book makes an important and original intervention by emphasising how the British government sought to use cultural ties as part of its diplomacy in South Africa. The book also highlights the controversy these links generated owing to broader international efforts to ostracise South Africa owing to the racist apartheid system in the country at the time. By examining British policy towards educational exchanges, performing arts tours, radio and television broadcasts, and sporting contact, this book provides a dynamic case study from which to analyse Britain’s use of cultural diplomacy during a period of relative decline, while also adding a new layer to the well-established literature on the UK-South African special relationship.

British culture after empire: Race, decolonisation and migration since 1945 (Studies in Imperialism #197)

British culture after Empire is the first collection of its kind to explore the intertwined social, cultural and political aftermath of empire in Britain from 1945 up to and beyond the Brexit referendum of 2016, combining approaches from the fields of history, English and cultural studies. Against those who would deny, downplay or attempt to forget Britain’s imperial legacy, the various contributions expose and explore how the British Empire and the consequences of its end continue to shape Britain at the local, national and international level. As an important and urgent intervention in a field of increasing relevance within and beyond the academy, the book offers fresh perspectives on the colonial hangovers in post-colonial Britain from up-and-coming as well as established scholars.

British culture after empire: Race, decolonisation and migration since 1945 (Studies in Imperialism #197)

British culture after Empire is the first collection of its kind to explore the intertwined social, cultural and political aftermath of empire in Britain from 1945 up to and beyond the Brexit referendum of 2016, combining approaches from the fields of history, English and cultural studies. Against those who would deny, downplay or attempt to forget Britain’s imperial legacy, the various contributions expose and explore how the British Empire and the consequences of its end continue to shape Britain at the local, national and international level. As an important and urgent intervention in a field of increasing relevance within and beyond the academy, the book offers fresh perspectives on the colonial hangovers in post-colonial Britain from up-and-coming as well as established scholars.

British Defence in the 21st Century (Contemporary Security Studies)

This book analyses UK defence as a complex, interdependent public-private enterprise covering politics, management, society, and technology, as well as the military. Building upon wide-ranging applied research, with extensive access to ministers, policy makers, senior military commanders, and industrialists, the book characterises British defence as a phenomenon that has endured extensive transformation this century. Looking at the subject afresh as a complex, extended enterprise involving politics, alliances, businesses, skills, economics, military practices, and citizens, the authors profoundly reshape our understanding of ‘defence’ and how it is to be commissioned and delivered in a world dominated by geopolitical risks and uncertainties. The book makes the case that this new understanding of defence must inevitably lead to new policies and processes to ensure its health and vitality. This book will be of much interest to students of defence studies, British politics, and military and strategic studies, as well as policy makers and practitioners.

British Defence in the 21st Century (Contemporary Security Studies)

This book analyses UK defence as a complex, interdependent public-private enterprise covering politics, management, society, and technology, as well as the military. Building upon wide-ranging applied research, with extensive access to ministers, policy makers, senior military commanders, and industrialists, the book characterises British defence as a phenomenon that has endured extensive transformation this century. Looking at the subject afresh as a complex, extended enterprise involving politics, alliances, businesses, skills, economics, military practices, and citizens, the authors profoundly reshape our understanding of ‘defence’ and how it is to be commissioned and delivered in a world dominated by geopolitical risks and uncertainties. The book makes the case that this new understanding of defence must inevitably lead to new policies and processes to ensure its health and vitality. This book will be of much interest to students of defence studies, British politics, and military and strategic studies, as well as policy makers and practitioners.

British Defence Policy: Striking the Right Balance

This study of British defence policy argues that a "one-off" defence review is not enough but a regular process of defece reviews every five years provide a long-term strategic direction which, the author maintains, is lacking at present.

British Devolution and European Policy-Making: Transforming Britain into Multi-Level Governance (Transforming Government)

In 1999 the Blair government introduced British devolution as part of a major programme of constitutional reform. This development posed major questions concerning how relations with the European Union would be affected. Previously, policymaking in the UK had been centralized on Whitehall and Westminster. However, devolution to Scotland and Wales introduced new actors; the Scottish Executive and Parliament, and the National Assembly for Wales. This study explores the institutional changes designed to accommodate these devolved authorities, whilst maintaining a central role for the UK government.

British Diplomacy and Swedish Politics, 1758–1773 (The\nordic Ser. #1)

British Diplomacy and the Descent into Chaos: The Career of Jack Garnett, 1902-19 (Britain and the World)

Recreating the diplomatic career of Jack Garnett, from 1902-1919, John Fisher reveals a fascinating individual as well as contextualizing his story with regard to British policy in the countries to which he was posted in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, during a period of rapid change in international politics and in Britain's world role.

British Diplomacy and the Iranian Revolution, 1978-1981 (Security, Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary World)

This book investigates how British diplomats in Tehran and London reacted to the overthrow of the Shah and the creation of an Islamic Republic in Iran, which had previously been a major political and commercial partner for London in the Middle East. Making substantial use of recently declassified archival material, the book explores the role of a significant diplomatic institution – the resident embassy – and the impact of revolutions on diplomatic relations. It evaluates the performance of those charged with British diplomacy during the Iranian Revolution, as Britain’s position fell from favour under the post-revolutionary regime. Examining the views of key diplomatic personnel at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and British ministers, this study seeks to explain how British policy towards Iran was shaped and the means of diplomacy employed. In charting the evolution of Britain’s diplomatic relationship with Iran during this period, a number of factors are considered, including historical experience, geography, economics, world politics and domestic concerns. It also highlights the impact of events within the Iranian domestic political scene which were beyond London’s control but which shaped British policy significantly.