The revelatory memoir of one of New Labor.s three founding architects is.devoted to the soap opera years of Labor government and the breakdown of relationships.between Mandelson, Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown.Drawing heavily on detailed diary notes he took .
In the sweep of human history, the European Union stands out as one of humankind's most ambitious endeavours. It encompasses half a billion people, twenty-seven member states, twenty-three languages, and an economy valued at over $15 trillion. Modern Europe's stunning achievements aside, its sovereign debt crisis has shaken the world's largest political and economic union to its core. Can the federal institutions and shared values of Europeans meet the challenges of debt crisis that are as much political as economic? Or, are Europe's current woes indicative of a series of deep structural faults that foreshadow the breakup and failure of the European Union? In this edition of the Munk Debates -- Canada's premier international debate series -- former EU Commissioner Lord Peter Mandelson and EU parliament co-president of the Greens/European Free Alliance Group Daniel Cohn-Bendit, German publisher-editor and author Josef Joffe, and renowned economic historian Niall Ferguson debate the future of the EU -- one of the most pressing global issues of our day. For the first time ever, this electrifying debate, which played to a sold-out audience, is now available in print, along with candid interviews with Niall Ferguson and Lord Peter Mandelson. As youth unemployment rates flare, currencies collapse, and political alliances erode, the Munk Debate on Europe tries to answer: Has the great European experiment failed?
Peter Hain has always spoken his mind. So he does in this book. Here he tells his story as an outsider turned insider: anti-apartheid militant to Cabinet minister, serving twelve years in Labour's government between May 1997 and May 2010. Growing up as the son of courageous anti-apartheid South Africans, Peter Hain was first in the public eye aged fifteen, reading at the funeral of an anti-apartheid friend hanged in Pretoria. Living in exile in Britain during his late teens, he led campaigns to disrupt whites-only South African sports tours. His political notoriety resulted in two extraordinary Old Bailey trials and a letter bomb. Hain recalls his role in negotiating the historic 2007 settlement in Northern Ireland, being Britain's first-ever African born Africa Minister, and acting as a passionate advocate and deliverer of devolved government to Wales. Featuring Iraq, Mugabe, Europe, Gibraltar, blood diamonds, work alongside MI5 and MI6, and the delivery of justice for workers robbed of their pensions and compensation for sick miners, Hain's autobiography gives a fascinating insight into life near the top of the Blair and Brown governments.
There are few subjects these days that cause parents more stress than the education of their children. In his new book, Peter Hitchens describes the misjudgements made by politicians over the years that have led to the increase of class distinction and privilege in our education system. This is of course the opposite of what was intended, especially by former Minister of Education Shirley Williams and Margaret Thatcher, her successor in that role, who closed down many more Grammar Schools than Williams. Given that the cost of private secondary education is now in the region of £50,000 a year and the cream of Comprehensive Schools are now oversubscribed (William Ellis, Camden School for Girls, The Oratory, Cardinal Vaughan), parents are spending thousands on private tutoring and fee-paying prep schools in order to get their children into these academically excellent schools. Meanwhile hypocritical Labour politicians like Diane Abbott send their children to expensive private day schools. So, what alternatives – if any – are there? Peter Hitchens argues that in trying to bring about an educational system which is egalitarian, the politicians have created a system which is the exact opposite. And what's more, it is a system riddled with anomalies - Sixth Form Colleges select pupils on ability at the age of 15, which rules out any child who does not have major educational backing from home (heavy involvement by working parents or private tutors, for example) and academies also are selective, though they pretend not to be. This is an in-depth look at the British education system and what will happen if things don't change radically.
I wrote this book when I was trying to find out what went wrong with our legal system, why no litigants trusted the judiciary anymore and why in the last twenty years no litigant-migrant is allowed to win any case in court mainly in the civil court. Many of the key ideas about things that I found puzzling were evolved in odds moments in the war between the judges and litigants or between the host society and persons with migrant backgrounds. In my early job, I travelled a lot to the war zones on fact findings where I talked to both sides of the warring parties. As a rep for the posting country, I had privilege to tapping on the reservoirs of information about almost everything. The army, the recruiting agents and the private contractors doing big business for the government. At home of the adopted country, things were getting worst. At some points, I become increasingly entangled in both ideas of secession and unity and in court the investigation has gone nowhere. I was told that if I join the group I will have access to certain information about the underworld who controls the outcomes of every case. The case is never settled or justiciable by the court despite tons of evidence by the deponents and admission of unlawful acts by the respondents. Other cases had come up during the years but Maga find the ways blocked and ended-up in huge bills. Joe, who is involved in litigation, offers to continue his aid when needed and he agrees to divide his time between this and other private work.
The first volume of Anthony Seldon's riveting and definitive life of Tony Blair was published to great acclaim in 2004. Now, as the Labour Party and the country get used to the idea of a new leader and a new Prime Minister,Seldon delivers the most complete, authoritative and compelling account yet ofthe Blair premiership. Picking up the story in dramatic fashion on 11 September 2001, Seldon recaps very briefly Blair's trajectory to what may now be regarded as the high-point of his leadership, and then brings us right up to date as Blair hands over the reins to hisarch-rival, Gordon Brown. Based on hundreds of original interviews with key insiders, many of whose views have hitherto been kept private, BLAIR UNBOUND serves both as a fascinating 'volume two' of this masterclass in political biography and a highly revealing and compelling book in its own right.
It's 2008 and Jeremy Stubbles (or 'Stubbsy' as he's better known) is due to turn 30. Born and bred in Cowes, Isle of Wight, he lives a bachelor existence in his Art Deco flat overlooking the Solent. He is the proud owner of a floor-shaking Wurlitzer Bubbler jukebox, a retro king-sized water-bed, last season's Musto jacket and a Ford Scorpio that is lovingly valeted as soon as the suggestion of a speck of dust mars its finish. Despite these enviable assets, he never seems to quite succeed in enticing eligible young women back to his flat to admire the view from the bedroom. Maybe it's the eccentric behaviour of Nobby and Bobby, his African grey parrots? Or Angela, his cleaner, who feels that having a tidy fridge would do wonders for Stubbsy's love-life? But Stubbsy's life is about to change when the delectable Judith Onions arrives on the scene... In this comic novel, Peter Broadbent perfectly captures the spirit of life on the Island - from the realities of the Isle of Wight Festival, Cowes Week and the Brambles Bank cricket match, to the fantasies of the arm-wrestling championship, the 'Thong in Cheek' underwear boutique, and skinny-dipping in the Medina.
What is supposed to be a straightforward property deal turns into a nightmare for the English lawyer David and his partner Thomas. Precisely in the unspoilt countryside of northern Umbria, where the couple live, a group of international speculators want to invest in a grand-scale project to build a country club for millionaires. When shortly before the related contracts are to be signed the neighbouring sheep farmer is found murdered and soon after him the pet dog of the project developer, David and Thomas fear they, too, could be on the criminals' death list. Then they own the house and land that the speculators desperately need for the project to go ahead ...
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.
Exploring British Politics is a concise, comprehensive, and accessible guide to the subject. Fully updated and revised, the new edition covers developments since 2016 in the role of the executive, Parliament, the civil service, political parties, general elections, party ideology and membership, as well as examining turmoil and leadership battles within the Labour and Conservative parties, the politics of growing inequality, demographic trends and their political consequences, and the future of the UK itself. Stimulating critical analysis and lively debate, it provides new perspectives on two key themes – the health of British democracy and the transition from traditional models of government to more flexible forms of ‘governance’. Key features include: a comprehensive analysis of the 2019 general election, Brexit developments since the 2016 Referendum to today’s ongoing negotiations, and the shadow cast by the COVID-19 global pandemic and its implications; topical coverage of the fall of the Corbyn and May leaderships, the new Starmer and Johnson era, the rise and fall of the ‘Change UK’ party, the economic crisis, the role of special advisers, new social movements such as Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter, and much more; extensive guides to further reading at the end of each chapter; and rich illustrations visually representing examples and data. Whilst the book provides an essential historical background, contemporary issues are to the fore throughout and readers are encouraged to assess critically received wisdoms and develop their own thoughts and ideas. Whether studying the subject for the first time or revisiting it, Exploring British Politics is the ideal undergraduate text.
This textbook introduces students to the public policy-making process in Britain today. Assuming no prior knowledge, it provides a full review of the key actors, institutions and processes.
What's gone wrong with capitalism and how should governments respond? Did Big Government or Big Banking cause the global financial crisis? Is the answer austerity or investment in growth; untrammelled market forces or regulating for the common good? Anthony CroslandÕs The Future of Socialism (1956) provided a creed for governments of the centre left until the global banking crisis. Now Peter Hain, with over 50 yearsÕ experience in politics, revisits this classic text and presents a stimulating political prospectus for today. Hain argues that capitalism is now more financially unstable and unfair, productive but prone to paralysis, dynamic but discriminatory. A rousing alternative to the neoliberal, right-wing orthodoxy of our era, HainÕs new book should be read by everyone interested in the future of the left.
Provides an analysis of the external relations and the European Union's (EU) identity in Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. This work allows readers to gauge the EU's identity across three levels, media analysis, public opinion survey and key stakeholder interview.
He illuminates, often for the first time, precise Prime Ministerial attitudes toward, and authority over, nuclear weapons policy, the planning and waging of war, and the secret services, as well as dealing with governmental overload, the Suez crisis, and the "Soviet threat." He concludes with a controversial assessment of the relative performance of each Prime Minister since 1945 and a new specification for the premiership as it meets its fourth century."--BOOK JACKET.
This book is concerned with the realignment of progressive political forces in Britain. It focuses on the relationship between the Liberal and then Liberal Democrats and the Labour parties, and seeks to provide an understanding of the factors which have created the potential for the realignment of the centre left of the political spectrum and the forces which have historically impeded its attainment. This authoritative account of the British left and centre since the nineteenth century offers essential background for current politics.
A selection of fascinating extracts from notes and digital recordings made by Peter Hain during his twelve years serving in government, The Hain Diaries offers an invaluable insight into the workings and workers of the New Labour Cabinet. Providing a unique record of the ups and downs of ministerial life, informed and enhanced by Peter's experiences before and outside politics, the diaries form a compilation of candid and thoughtful reflections on parliament, power and problem-solving. Peter's career in government was marked by daily struggles to reconcile rival interests and individuals in bold attempts to resolve some of the most historically sensitive political issues of the time - from Iraq to Northern Ireland to Europe - and it is these events that provide the backdrop to his writings. However, although he was a figure who achieved senior office and was directly involved in key Cabinet decisions, Hain fell into neither the Blair nor Brown camps and is therefore perfectly placed to offer a rare non-sectarian perspective of New Labour in power. Serving as a brilliant complement to his memoir Outside In (Biteback Publishing), this collection documents Peter's successes and failures - as well as the lessons learned from them - and makes absorbing reading for anybody interested in a genuinely personal account of government life.
ONE OF 2023'S BIGGEST NEW BOOKS (GUARDIAN) A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2023 A GUARDIAN 'IF YOU READ ONE BOOK ABOUT . . .' POLITICS PICK A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023: POLITICS Six years after Brexit, it can feel like we’re still having the same conversations. This is the explainer we need to move on. And we do need to move on, because in the meantime so much has changed. The economic realities that are making the UK less competitive, less productive and less well-off are ever more obvious – and more and more people are finding out the Brexit they were sold was based on falsehoods and fantasy. So what exactly went wrong with Brexit? In this book, Peter Foster dispels the myths and, most importantly, shows what a better future for Britain after Brexit might look like. With clear-headed practicality, he considers the real costs of leaving the EU, how we can recover international trust in the UK, how to improve cooperation and trade with our neighbours, and how to begin to build the Global Britain that Brexit promised but failed to deliver. The politicians won’t talk about it, so we need to.
Do the great British public get the press the "Red Tops" think they deserve? Or are the tabloids' pious protestations of public interest really just a self-serving attempt to halt declining circulation? Peter Burden examines the News of the World's performance—with its Fake Sheikh and the illegal mobile phone tapping, which lead to a jail sentence for royal reporter Clive Goodman and the resignation of the editor. Burden also highlights the papers hypocrisy when Mazher Mahmood, the Fake Sheikh, was himself unmasked. This is a book for everyone concerned about standards in British tabloid journalism and people who care about privacy rights and the debate over serving the Public Interest versus the interest of the public.
As the leading student text in the field, this title provides both a detailed examination of the law of the World Trade Organization and a clear introduction to the basic principles and underlying logic of the world trading system. It explores the institutional aspects of the WTO together with the substantive law. New to this edition are examinations of the WTO rules on the protection of intellectual property and the rules on technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Assignments are integrated throughout to allow students to assess their understanding, while chapter summaries reinforce learning. In addition further-reading sections have been added to each chapter and exercises have been included to draw on primary sources and real-life trade scenarios, enabling students to hone their practical and analytical skills. The title is an essential tool for any student of the WTO, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
On 20 June 1998 Peter Temple-Morris, Conservative MP for Leominster, crossed the floor to join his rivals on the Labour party benches. What drove a seasoned Conservative politician - one of the so-called 'Cambridge Mafia', with 24 years' experience as a Conservative MP - to change his allegiance so radically? In this memoir of a long and varied political career, Temple-Morris answers this question, unveiling the slow, gradual process of disillusionment with the Conservative party, especially under Margaret Thatcher, and the growing appeal of the New Labour movement under Tony Blair. As well as providing an important overview of British domestic politics in the second half of the twentieth century, Temple-Morris also explains his crucial role in Irish politics, especially in the peace process talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
The third part of the trilogy documenting modern-day Northern Ireland, by the author of Provos and Loyalists In the final part of his trilogy exploring 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland, Peter Taylor talks to undercover agents of the British state and reveals for the first time the hidden secrets of the war they waged against the IRA for thirty years. PROVOS and LOYALISTS told the story of the conflict from the point of view of the Republicans and Loyalists; now the story, with all its tragic twists and turns, is told from the British perspective. For the first time, undercover soldiers, Special Branch officers and a top MI6 agent step out of the shadows and, along with the Whitehall mandarins who helped shape policy from Westminster, tell their stories. *PRAISE FOR PETER TAYLOR* 'Only a journalist of Peter Taylor's standing could have persuaded people from all sides in the conflict to cooperate in such a manner. The result was a first-rate piece of journalism. It was also first-rate history' Guardian
The Conservative Party is Britain's most successful political party. For large parts of modern British history it has been the dominant party, though it has always suffered from internal division and periods of defeat. This colourful account of the Party's history since the late 18th century takes the reader on a voyage of discovery.
The year 2004 marks three hundred years since Britain took possession of Gibraltar, a rocky promontory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula sometimes referred to as 'The Rock'. Gibraltar: British or Spanish? provides a detailed study of the attempts that have been made by Spain, especially since 1984 when Britain and Spain signed an agreement to discuss the future of Gibraltar, to regain the sovereignty of 'The Rock', despite the wishes of the Gibraltarians.
A cracking read by a great writer." – Chris Mason, BBC political editor "A rare, fascinating and funny look at life in the corridors of power." – Isabel Hardman, author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians and Spectator assistant editor "It's the book we have long needed." – Michael Crick "A timely look at how some of the key relationships in Westminster work, and how they sometimes misfire." – Laura Kuenssberg, BBC presenter and former political editor *** Shadowy geniuses whispering, Rasputin-like, into the ears of our elected politicians under a cloak of secrecy, or a crucial but undervalued cog in the machinery of government? ... Or just a rag-tag band of weirdos and misfits? Despite the acres of speculation devoted to special advisers from Alastair Campbell to Dominic Cummings, their role is much misunderstood. Who are the people Piers Morgan once called 'these miserable little creatures' and just how much influence do they have? Peter Cardwell served as SpAd to four Cabinet ministers, acting as media adviser, political fixer, troubleshooter and occasional wardrobe consultant. In this candid, compelling and frequently hilarious insider account, he reveals what the job really involves, from dealing with counter-terror emergencies in Cobra to explaining to the Justice Secretary what a dental dam is, to having your inside leg measured in a government office. Packed with advice on navigating the perks and pitfalls of the job, The Secret Life of Special Advisers will inform and entertain anyone who has ever wondered what these mysterious figures really do all day.
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