Political parties and party platforms Books

Book SynopsisFor a brief moment in 2019 Britain’s politics looked like it might be transformed. Just when it seemed that the divisions within and across British political parties over Brexit could not get any more intense, 7 Labour and 3 Conservative MPs broke away to form The Independent Group (TIG) – later Change UK. This is the first book to explore the meteoric lifespan of that party, within the wider context of the experiences of other small political groupings in the House of Commons. Ultimately, it shows why the party failed and disbanded after just a few months. Timely and thoroughly researched, Louise Thompson’s book takes us deep inside the struggles facing MPs who leave behind the comforts of the large political parties. Drawing on interviews with current and former politicians, it explores the practicalities of being a small party MP in the Commons. What challenges face you? Who can you turn to? And just how can you make an impact? Crisply written for the non-specialist reader, this fascinating book opens a window onto the perilous world of parliamentary politics.Trade Review'Louise Thompson’s account of the short life and fast times of Change UK helps explain why no new governing party has emerged in the UK for a hundred years.'Mark D'Arcy, BBC Parliamentary Correspondent'A fascinating in-depth account of how small-parties, whether they be start-ups or established players, either sink or swim in an environment in which - given their relatively limited access to funding, air-time, and even space - the odds are all-too-often stacked against them.'Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London and Co-Director, Mile End Institute'An outstanding book, packed with insights about the difficulties faced by independents and small parties in the House of Commons. It will be a go-to benchmark on these issues for many years to come. Highly recommended.' Alistair Clarke, Reader in Politics, Newcastle University -- .Table of Contents1 Three days in February2 Finding their feet3 Establishing and resourcing a new parliamentary party4 Making your voice heard 5 Whither the two-party system?BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisVolume 2 of this series of documents with commentary covers the domestic aspects of the regime between 1933 and 1939: the political stystem, the economy and society, propaganda and indoctrination, policies towards youth and women, the SS system of terror, antisemitism and popular attitudes towards the regime - consent, dissent and resistance.Table of Contents Contents Preface to the 2000 New Edition 6 The Nazi Political System 7 Central Government and the Role of the Reich Chancellery 8 The 'Coordinatio'n of the Civil Service 9 Party/State Relations- at the Centre 10 Party/Sate Relations at Regional and Local Level 11 The Nazi Economic Programme 12 The Policies of Schacht 13 The Four-Year Plan, 1936-39 14 Business 15 Agriculture 16 Nazism and the Working Class 17 The Regime and the People 18 Propaganda and Indoctrination 19 Youth and Education 20 Women, The Family and Population Policy 21 Law and Order 22 The SS-Police System 23 Antisemitism 24 Popular Opinion-Consent, Dissent, Opposition and Resistance List of Sources A Selective Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBroken Heartlands is an essential and compelling political road-trip through ten constituencies that tell the story of Labour’s red wall from Sebastian Payne – an award-winning journalist and Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times.The Times Political Book of the YearA Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail and FT Book of the Year'Immensely readable' - ObserverHistorically, the red wall formed the backbone of Labour’s vote in the Midlands and the North of England but, during the 2019 general election, it dramatically turned Conservative for the first time in living memory, redrawing the electoral map in the process.Originally from the North East himself, Payne sets out to uncover the real story behind the red wall and what turned these seats blue. Beginning in Blyth Valley in the North East and ending in Burnley, with visits to constituencies across the Midlands and Yorkshire along the way, Payne gets to the heart of a key political story of our time that will have ramifications for years to come.While Brexit and the unpopularity of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were factors, there is a more nuanced story explored in Broken Heartlands – of how these northern communities fared through generational shifts, struggling public services, de-industrialization and the changing nature of work.Featuring interviews with local people, plus major political figures from both parties – including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer – Payne explores the significant role these social and economic forces, decades in the making, played in this fundamental upheaval of the British political landscape.'Impressive and entertaining' - Sunday Times'A must-read for anyone who wants to understand England today' - Robert PestonTrade ReviewBroken Heartlands is the product of rich reporting on the ground . . . Payne tells many stories of many places and people with affection and respect, to weave a picture of the changing political fabric of England -- Laura KuenssbergA compelling chronicle of why English politics is undergoing such fundamental change. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand England today -- Robert PestonA really fascinating and surprisingly moving book. Payne takes us on a journey that feels personal as well as political and helps us better understand what the red wall really is, who its voters are, and what politics has meant to them over the past few tumultuous years -- Isabel Hardman, author of Why We Get The Wrong PoliticiansA must-read for all those who want to learn the lessons of Labour's 2019 defeat -- Paul Mason, author of PostCapitalism Sebastian Payne demolishes the clichés that smother debate about the north of England and provides a simultaneously tender and acute guide to the land that London forgot -- Nick CohenPart travelogue, part Question Time, Payne interviews pretty much everyone. This is a first draft of history as first drafts of history should properly be written -- Tom HollandImmensely readable. Labour’s crisis in the red wall . . . will shape the future of English politics. This engrossing, warm and insightful work is an indispensable guide to how it came about -- Observer, book of the weekCompelling, authoritative but human . . . the book will inevitably become an important resource for historians * Sunday Times *Reminiscent of Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier, Payne travels around Labour's former 'red wall' to paint a stark picture of those left behind * Daily Telegraph *Payne’s entertaining and insightful book is essential reading * Evening Standard *The political book of the year about one of the most consequential elections of my lifetime. Essential reading -- Andrew NeilComprehensive and entertaining -- The Times, book of the weekOne of the book’s many strengths is its precision . . . Payne’s book examines the narratives on Red Wall constituencies like the layers of an onion: starting with superficial readings, before peeling them back to reveal greater complexity -- Stephen Bush, New StatesmanEntertaining political travelogue . . . plenty of insights . . . Payne is a guide without any trace of snobbery * Financial Times *Payne, who grew up in Gateshead . . . has an instinctive rapport with people who feel overlooked and abandoned by Labour * The Week *First class political reportage . . . should be considered required reading for anyone interested in British politics * Mail on Sunday *Nuanced take on Labour's lost strongholds. Raised in Gateshead, Payne brings intimacy and depth * Guardian *The most revealing book about politics just doesn't happen to come from America: The United Kingdom's 'red wall,' Albion's version of the Rust Belt, is the subject of Broken Heartlands * Washington Post *Broken Heartlands digs into the fabric of the post-industrial communities that only make headlines at election time and challenges received wisdom and lazy myths * Literary Review *It's difficult to become a Westminster institution and be a successful leader writer on the Financial Times before you're 30, but Sebastian Payne has achieved both -- Iain Dale, author of The Prime Ministers

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Book SynopsisFollowing the Arab Spring, Syria descended into civil and sectarian conflict. It has since become a fractured warzone which operates as a breeding ground for new terrorist movements including ISIS as well as the root cause of the greatest refugee crisis in modern history. In this important book, former Special Envoy of the Netherlands to Syria, Nikolaos van Dam, explains the recent history of Syria, covering the growing disenchantment with the Asad regime, the chaos of civil war and the fractures which led to an immense amount of destruction in the refined social fabric of what used to be the Syrian nation. Through an in-depth examination, van Dam traces political developments within the Asad regime and the various opposition groups from the Arab Spring to the present day, and provides a deeper insight into the conflict and the possibilities and obstacles for reaching a political solution.Trade Review'[A] monumental work on Syrian power politics' - Robert Fisk, The Independent, 'An excellent book' - Patrick Seale, 'An admirable study... invaluable for anyone with a serious interest in Middle Eastern politics' - Peter Mansfield, 'The most informative explanation of the effects of sectarianism and regionalism on Syrian politics' - Philip S. Khoury, MERIP Reports, '[An] excellent study of the sectarian bases of Syrian politics' - Foreign Affairs, 'Only a handful of important books have been written on modern Syria; and Nikolaos van Dam's The Struggle for Power in Syria is one of them' - Joshua Landis, International Journal of Middle East Studies, 'Nikolaos van Dam is a rare species: An academic analyst and an excellent diplomat who has accompanied and shaped recent Syrian history in theory and practice. He is also brutally honest, including with Western policy failures, and hard to be put into a political camp in this polarized conflict. On the basis of profound studies of the Baath system, he explains how Syria's disaster inevitably unfolded in the context of the Arab Spring, the brutal internal logic of an encrusted regime, and the vested interests of foreign powers. Van Dam's insights from old and new Syria make this book a valuable guide in the complex web of this worst conflict of our century. We get a taste of the difficult search for a new social contract and a political solution in Syria - if this is still possible before the state fails.' - Carsten Wieland, author of Syria: A Decade of Lost Chances, 'Nikolaos van Dam is simply one of the top experts on Syria. Setting the Syrian conflict within its historical and contemporary contexts, he draws on his unique combination of scholarly excellence and practical diplomatic experience. This book is a sophisticated, yet accessible and readable analysis of a highly complex situation. It substantially updates and advances our understanding of the ever evolving war in Syria.' - David W. Lesch, Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of History at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas and author of Syria: The Fall of the House of Assad.Table of ContentsPreface 1 Introduction 2 Ba’thist history before the Syrian Revolution (2011) 3 Could the War in Syria have been avoided? 4 Confrontation between the military of the regime and the opposition 5 The ambivalent Western approach to the Syria conflict 6 Intra-Syrian talks but no negotiations 7 Conclusions Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisVolume 1 of this series of documents with commentary covers the period from the founding of the Nazi Party in 1919 to Hitler's assumption of the office of Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor of 1 August 1934.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Preface Introduction 1 From the Founding Party to the Putsch 1919-23 (i) The founding of the Party (ii) Hitler takes over the Party leadership, August 1921 (iii) The Development of the Party, 1921-23 (iv) The Hitler-Putsch 8-9 November 1923 2 The Creation of a Nationwide Party Organisation 1924-28 (i) The Refounding of the Party 27 February 1925 (ii) The assertion of the Primacy of the 'Fuhrer' (iii) The creation of the Party Cadre 3 The Emergence of Nazism as a Mass Movement 1928-1933 (i) The Breakthrough 1928-30 (ii) Propaganda 1930-32 (iii) Statistics and the Social and Geographical Bases of Nazism 4 The Struggle for Power 1930-33 (i) The Path of Legality and the problem of the SA (ii) Relations between Nazis and Nationalists in 1931-32 (iii) From Bruning to Papen (iv) The Crisis Months, August-December 1932 The Appointment of Hitler as Chancellor, 30 January 1933 5 The 'Seizure of Power' 1933-34 (i) The 'National Uprising'-The Election Campaign of February-March 1933 (ii) The Seizure of Power in the States and the SA/Party 'Revolution from Below' of March 1933 (iii) The 'Coordination' of the Reichstag and of the Political Parties, March-June 1933 (iv) The Revolution Stabilised: Conflict with the SA List of Sources A Selective Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA memoir from one of Richard Nixon’s senior domestic policy advisors. John Roy Price provides firsthand insight into key moments regarding Nixon’s political and policy challenges in the domestic social policy arena.Trade Review"Price's story is more than just a helpful explainer for the more recent thorny and contentious debates over child tax credits. It’s also a portrait of a Republican party that once knew how to broker its own coalition, governing through the power of two wings, a conservative ‘base,’ and an ‘establishment’ leadership."—Law & Liberty"Price’s compelling and persuasive book will be of great interest to those who study domestic policy as well as party politics."—Political Science Quarterly"Contains abundant, telling historical detail and analysis."—Choice "Are you ready for some revisionism? Price’s Nixon was trying to bring the country together. He understood that politics was ‘poetry’—you needed more than good policy positions. But good ones he had. His domestic policies would have ended the financial incentives to break up low-income families and would have kept catastrophic health issues from bankrupting middle-class families. We see Nixon doing the right thing because it is the right thing. This book is thought-provoking from beginning to end."—Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, author of Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969–1974"John Roy Price’s The Last Liberal Republican is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Nixon presidency as well as the presidential/congressional relationship as it relates to domestic policymaking. Price’s memoir not only explains the domestic policy agenda during a seminal point in American history but also shows how a Republican president worked with a Democratic Congress to revise and expand parts of the New Deal and Great Society agendas. Price’s ability to illustrate the policy battles as they played out on the political frontlines makes this book essential reading."—Lori Cox Han, author of Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan"For all those who thought there was nothing more—nothing new—to say about Richard Nixon, John Roy Price has a surprise, and an important one. Here is a Nixon seldom seen, a Nixon leaning left even as he moved the Republicans right, a Nixon worried about his place in history even as he was soiling his place in history. No biography of the thirty-seventh president written in the remainder of this century can be unaffected by this vital and indispensable book."—David Shribman, Pulitzer Prize–winning nationally syndicated columnist and former executive editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"John Roy Price’s The Last Liberal Republican is an indispensable memoir about working the domestic policy beat for President Richard Nixon. Price writes well, has commanding knowledge of the era, and is determined to set the historical record straight. I consider it a gift to Cold War–era scholarship. Highly recommended!"—Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history, Rice University, and coeditor of The Nixon Tapes"Not so very long ago the Republican Party was the home of serious policy thinkers and doers who believed in the power of the federal government to improve American lives and then exercised that power with skill and finesse. John Roy Price throve in that world, and in these pages he brings it captivatingly to life with fresh, nuanced portraits of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Robert Finch, George Shultz, and many others, including, most remarkably, Richard Nixon. The Last Liberal Republican is just the book we need in our own illiberal time."—Sam Tanenhaus, author of The Death of Conservatism: A Movement and Its Consequences and Whittaker Chambers: A BiographyTable of Contents Preface Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Path to Eisenhower and Nixon: The Struggle for the Soul of the Republican Party 2. The Disruptive Decade: The 1960s and the Formation of the Ripon Society 3. Partisan Strife, San Francisco’s 1964 Convention, and Electoral Calamity 4. 1965-1968: Back to the Center? 5. The Oval Office Has a new Occupant 6. Organizing for Domestic Policymaking: Enter Daniel P. Moynihan 7. the Council for Urban Affairs: The Launch 8. A President in a Hurry 9. “Our Monument”: Laying the Foundation 10. The Battle for Nixon's Decision 11. The Fencing Moves Épées to Sabers 12. The Hunger Issue and the Food Stamp Revolution 13. “A Gamble on Human Nature”: Nixon in a Minority in His Cabinet 14. Briefing Ronald Reagan: The Beginnings of the Conservative Rebellion 15. The Center Does Not Hold—Nixon Folds His Hand on FAP 16. Richard Nixon and a Health Strategy Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsContents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1 • Internationalizing Struggle, 1977–1979 2 • Triumph and Consolidation, 1979–1980 3 • The Revolution under Attack, 1981–1982 4 • Creative Defense, 1983–1984 5 • Fundraising for the Revolution, 1985–1986 6 • Peace and Elections, 1987–1990 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEssential reading for anyone interested in Turkey and its future' Literary ReviewEssential reading full stop' Peter FrankopanIt is a must' The TimesWho is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and how did he lead a democracy on the fringe of Europe into dictatorship? How has chaos in the Middle East blown back over Turkey's borders? And why doesn't the West just cut off Erdogan and his regime?Offering extraordinary, eye-opening insight into a country that often hides its cards, Hannah Lucinda Smith combines a history of modern Turkey with close-up studies of its mercurial leader, its tumultuous politics and the broader political currents playing across Europe.Trade Review‘A brilliant guide, filled with insights … Not only essential reading for those wanting to understand contemporary Turkey, its politics and those of the wider region; essential reading full stop.’ Peter Frankopan ‘An engagingly written and factually scrupulous portrait … She captures his essence: the charisma and the paranoia, the skill of the political natural … Smith’s narrative has an empathetic and fair-minded grasp of Turkey’s colliding narratives … Full of dazzling cameos and incidental delights.’ Financial Times 'A comprehensive and nuanced account of Erdogan’s rule and the way he has ridden the tides of politics. For anyone interested in Turkey it is a must, but it also roams widely through the study of power and populism, full of revealing detail … Smith has a subtle intelligence; she deftly weaves the blowback from the collapse of Syria into her contemporary story … She writes very well, with an engaging mix of personal anecdote, acute observation, interviews and well-informed research; there’s no fat on this book and never a dull page.' Times ‘Fascinating … Much more than just a political biography … Essential reading.’ Literary Review ‘Does a brilliant job of revealing what has been going on in Turkey … Written in a lively and inviting style, her book records journeys throughout Turkey and its borders in search of those who can help to explain, or at least illuminate, Erdogan’s years in power.’ TLS ‘A fine book showing an aptitude to look way beyond the surface, and an eye for telling details which comes from her being an accomplished journalist based in Turkey’ Independent ‘One should begin by applauding Smith’s courage and determination in remaining in both Syria and Turkey during their upheavals and keeping her cool as a journalist … Could not be timelier … Excels in explaining elements of recent Turkish history.’ New Statesman

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Book SynopsisGUARDIAN AND NEW STATESMAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017**Winner of best memoir at the Parliamentary Book Awards**Now with a new epilogue for the paperback''Compelling ... She has guts to spare ... An important story ... Role model? You bet'' Tim Shipman, Sunday Times''So human and inspiring, and my favourite book of the year so far'' Rohan Silva, GuardianWhen Harriet Harman started her career, men-only job adverts and a ''women''s rate'' of pay were the norm, female MPs were a tiny minority - a woman couldn''t even sign for a mortgage. But, she argues, we should never just be grateful that things are better now. There''s still more to do. In A Woman''s Work Harriet, Britain''s longest-serving female MP, looks at her own life to see how far we''ve come, and where we should go next. This is an inspiring and refreshingly honest account of the part she has played (and the setbacks Trade ReviewA personal memoir but also the story of women in politics and public life. Since Harriet entered parliament in 1982 ­ pregnant with her first child ­ she has seen the number of women MPs increase to more than 200. Many of us are there because of her -- Rachel Reeves, 'Books of the Year' * New Statesman *A Woman's Work is a fantastic and inspiring read which I would recommend to anyone interested in overcoming prejudice and promoting fairness. Over her 35 year career in Parliament no-one has fought harder or more effectively for gender equality than Harriet Harman. She is an outstanding role model -- John Bercow, Speaker of the House of CommonsIf I had a teenage daughter, especially one who didn't see the point of politics, this is the book I'd buy her. Chatty, accessible and occasionally eye-opening, it's a history of the things conventional political memoirs miss out ... a lively account of the one subject most political memoir writers know next to nothing about: how it felt to be a woman working in one of the least forgiving careers around -- Gaby Hinsliff * Guardian *Compelling ... She has guts to spare and is interesting on the difficulties of a work-life balance in parliament ... Her own judgments on her performance are commendably unsparing ... An important story ... Role model? You bet -- Tim Shipman, Political Editor * Sunday Times *A painfully honest memoir ... where lesser politicians would have slunk from public gaze, Harman reacted by getting tougher -- Mary Riddell * Sunday Telegraph *Countless blows have tempered Harman into something fearless and indestructible. Hell, why shouldn't this be her prime? -- Janice Turner * The Times *Fantastic - I can't recommend it highly enough * Open Labour *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRichly nuanced, the most stimulating book I have read on Labour in ages. -- Martin Kettle * The Guardian *A brilliant book ... a reading of left-wing politics that suggests a road ahead. -- John Rentoul * Independent *Wide-ranging, clever and original, it's a vital read for anyone interested in not just left populism, but any sort of populism at all. -- Andrew Sparrow * The Guardian *A splendid critique of left-wing populism and Labour's electoral woes ... a thesis that convincingly accounts for the defeats of leaders as outwardly disparate as Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock and Ed Miliband, not to mention Jeremy Corbyn and, perhaps ultimately, his successor. -- James O'Brien * Times Literary Supplement *Chris Clarke's thought-provoking examination of the populist issues that have bedevilled the modern left is a bracing corrective to complacency. This dismantling of myths and memes alike, along with dispelling the belief that the left has any kind of monopoly on morality, is an essential read and a reminder that Keir Starmer has quite a job on his hands. -- Alexander Larman * The Observer *The best book written about the Labour Party in recent years ... a must read for those of us wanting the Labour Party to become once again a Party of Government. -- Douglas Alexander, former Minister of State for TradeA highly original take on Labour mythology and how this impacts the party's ability to connect with the voters ... offers one of the most innovative explanations of how Labour has lost its way over the past decade. -- Anthony Broxton * The Critic *

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling book that inspired the Bafta-winning BBC dramaCorruption. Blackmail. Conspiracy to murder. A Very English Scandal has all the hallmarks of a classic thriller with one difference. It''s all true.In the late 1960s Jeremy Thorp, the charismatic leader of the Liberal Party, was at the height of his political career. But homosexuality had only just been legalized, and a former relationship with a younger man named Norman Scott threatened to destroy Thorp''s carefully curated facade. Helped by fellow politicians, Thorpe schemed, deceived and embezzled until he saw only one way to silence his ex-lover for good.Meticulously researched and endlessly extraordinary, Thorp''s trial captured the moment that British society discovered the truth about its political class - and learned just how far the Establishment will go to protect its own.''Gripping. A story of cack-handed assassins, buffoonish policemen, dodgy Home Secretaries'' Trade ReviewThe shocking true story of the first British politician to stand trial for murder * Publisher's description *This is a brilliant, sad, startling nonfiction novel about the Jeremy Thorpe murder-plot scandal. It is as funny and dark as anything by Evelyn Waugh or Jonathan Coe. And in these post Cyril Smith/Jimmy Saville days, it's so timely and relevant * Jon Ronson *A terrific book and brilliantly researched. John Preston writes wonderful dead-pan prose and reveals the depths of depravity, the absurd power of snobbery and the old boy networks of the time -- Claire TomalinA brilliant exploration of an extraordinary political scandal... deeply researched, fluently written, and darkly comic, it reads like a thriller -- Ben MacintyreI loved it; eccentric, dark, humane and English in the very best sense. It's going to be a sure fire-hit -- Alain de BottonThe most forensic, elegantly written, compelling account of one of the 20th century's great political scandals... a real page-turner' * Observer *Very funny and endlessly extraordinary... makes for amazing reading -- Catherine Shoard * Guardian *Impeccably researched... full of shocks, surprises and laugh-out-loud moments. Preston revives a forgotten era and delves into the personalities behind the headlines. * Times Crime Club *Retold with masterful skill... It grips like a detective story, as compelling as BBC2's Life of Duty and every bit as dirty in what it exposes about the upper echelons of society in the Sixties and Seventies * Daily Mail Book of the Week *This brilliant account made me feel I was hearing the tale for the first time ... Preston is an enthralling narrator * Mail on Sunday *Gripping ... cack-handed assassins, buffoonish policemen, dodgy Home secretaries and sozzled judges. The conclusion of an Establishment cover-up is hard to avoid * Daily Telegraph *The unbelievable truth... Preston is a natural storyteller ... he provides the context for actions that seem unbelievable today * The Times *Wonderfully readable ... John Preston is the ideal author, having researched for years many minor characters and talked to dozens of well-known political and literary friends and enemies of Thorpe * Standpoint *Fluent, readable ... a vivid tableau of the players in Thorpe's long, tragic downfall * Evening Standard *I spent a thrilling 48 hours reading it. The narrative is so vivid, the characterisation so brilliant... I thought I knew all about these events, but the full horror of them has only now become apparent -- Antonia FraserA gripping account of the Jeremy Thorpe case. The details make one laugh out loud or gasp with amazement -- Charles Moore * Spectator *The whole affair is retold here compellingly and fluently, bringing to life the cast of characters with some verve * The i *Nothing comes close to the eyepopping outrageousness of the gay murder shenanigans that engulfed and almost destroyed a Liberal leader. Reads like a comic thriller -- Rachel JohnsonA wonderful, wonderful read -- Nick Robinson, BBC Today Programme

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Book SynopsisTo try to get a clearer picture of what the real Ronald Reagan legacy is, in this book Marcus Witcher details conservatives' frequently tense relationship with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and explores how they created the latter-day Reagan myth.Trade ReviewThe legend is that Ronald Reagan unified the GOP and led it to a long string of successes. This outstanding book tells the true story, which is far more complex and fascinating. With depth, balance, and subtlety, Witcher explains how Reagan went from being the leader of a fractious party to a symbol of its aspirations. Getting Right with Reagan makes a major contribution to the study of American political history, offering rich insights into the history and political uses of the Reagan myth." - John J. Pitney, Jr., Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics, Claremont McKenna College"Marcus Witcher has written a bold and provocative book. Not everyone will be persuaded by his revisionist portrayal of President Reagan as a ‘pragmatist,’ or by Witcher’s contention that conservative ‘purists’ since the 1980s have constructed an idealized and mythical Reagan who owed his success to an unbending devotion to conservative principles. But readers of this volume will gain a deeper appreciation of Reagan’s immense and continuing impact on the mental landscape of the American Right." - George H. Nash, author of The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America since 1945"The American conservative movement’s adoration for Ronald Reagan is seemingly limitless and only seems to grow with each passing decade. Yet Reagan was not the unwavering standard-bearer of conservative purity that his contemporary admirers imagine-though his pragmatism and flexibility were reasons for his success. In this valuable study, Marcus Witcher provides a more nuanced picture of Reagan’s presidency, explains how conservative views of the fortieth president evolved in the years that followed, and shows the consequences of the mythical Reagan." - George Hawley, author of Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism"Marcus M. Witcher’s Getting Right with Reagan is a brilliant analysis of the US conservative revolution of the 1980s and beyond. It’s essential reading for anybody interested in the Cold War and the American political system. Highly recommended!" - Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University and author of American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space RaceTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Evolution of Conservatives' Perception of ReaganPart I: Conservative Frustration with Reagan, 1945-19881. The Origins and Evolution of Reagan's Economic Policies2. The Battle for Fiscal Conservatism: Supply-Siders vs. Budget Hawks3. The Origins of the New Right and the Seeds of Future Frustrations4. The Battle for America's Soul: Conservative Disillusion with Reagan on Social Issues5. AIDS, the New Right and Reagan's Response6. Neoconservatives, the New Right, and Reagan's First Two Years of Foreign Policy7. The Year of Fear: Ronald Reagan and the Transformation of America's Foreign Policy8. The Battle for the Cold War: Conservative Frustration with the INF TreatyPart II: The Legacy of Evolving Mythology of President Reagan: 1988-20169. Recasting Reagan: How the Fortieth President Framed His Legacy, 1989-199410. Remembering Reagan: The Reagan Legacy in Conservative Politics, 1994-199611. Memorializing Reagan: Enshrining the Reagan Legacy, 1996-200012. Reinventing Reagan: George W. Bush and the Emergence of the Reagan Myth, 2000-200413. Reconstructing Reagan: How the Conservatives Created a Mythical Reagan, 2004-200814. Resurrecting Reagan: The Tea Party Movement and the Manifestation of the Reagan Myth, 2008-20169Conclusion: Beyond Reagan?NotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe concluding volume of David McCullagh's new life of Eamon De Valera.In this, the concluding volume of David McCullagh's monumental new biography of the revolutionary and statesman, we join de Valera in 1932 as he takes the reins of power in the first Fianna Fáil government and follow him as he confronts one challenge after another the Economic War, the drafting of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Emergency, the North, the declaration of the Republic, economic stagnation in the 1950s and sets about gradually remaking a sovereign Ireland in his own image.Beautifully written and deeply researched, McCullagh's De Valera is a provocative and nuanced portrait of Ireland's most enigmatic leader, as well as a balanced assessment of his role in shaping our national self-image.

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Book SynopsisThe revised 2nd edition of this successful textbook explores Japanese politics in the postwar era from theoretical and comparative perspectives. After providing historical context, it offers an in-depth exploration of postwar political institutions, political reform in the 1990s, the policymaking process, and the politics of economic growth and stagnation. By delving into Japan's international relations, the book sheds light on Japan's security and foreign policies, and Japan's role in Asia. The textbook concludes by addressing what has changed since party alternation in 2009, the triple disaster in March 2011 and the global Covid pandemic.Themes and questions addressed throughout the text include: How and why did Japan modernize so successfully when so many other countries fell prey to colonialism and authoritarianism? What explains the Japanese economic miracle and its subsequent economic stagnation? What accounts for Japan's successful Table of Contents1. Introduction: Why Japan matters 2. The making of a modern state 3. The postwar settlement 4. The postwar political system 5. Political parties 6. Elections and electioneering 7. The economic miracle 8. Economic slowdown 9. Policymaking 10. State-society relations 11. Prime ministerial leadership 12. National security and foreign policy 13. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisSebastian Payne is the Director of the think tank Onward and the former Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times. He is the author of the acclaimed Broken Heartlands, which was The Times' Political Book of the Year. Sebastian presented the Payne's Politics podcast, which was shortlisted for News Podcast of the Year' at the National Press Awards. The Fall of Boris Johnson is his second book and was a winner at the Parliamentary Book Awards.Trade ReviewAn entertaining and illuminating fly on the wall romp through Boris Johnson's final nine months, where the fly, Seb Payne, must frequently have thought he was on hallucinogens. It's more fun than a Downing Street party and contains a suitcase full of news. -- Tim ShipmanA timely reminder of the fine art of defenestration written by one of Fleet Street’s most trusted insiders. Delicious detail, break-neck pace and a curiosity which is both urgent yet empathetic. We are lucky to have Sebastian Payne. One of the finest of his generation. -- Emily MaitlisA genuinely page-turning, gripping account of some of the most extraordinary days in modern British history. Very well sourced, this is a book historians will be turning to for a long time to come. The fall of emperors often seems a more interesting theme than their rise; Seb Payne triumphantly confirms it. -- Andrew MarrBrilliant, a devastating piece of contemporary history and I’d recommend anyone with a remote interest in politics reads it. However bad you thought the Boris Johnson denouement was, Payne shows that it was much worse. We’re living in a time of epic political implosions, and the definitive history of this one has just been written. -- Fraser NelsonAny Tory MP tempted by a Johnson comeback should be prescribed this book by their GP -- The Times, A Political Book of the YearPayne writes with great skill . . . borders on the best of Tom Sharpe . . . revelatory * The Daily Telegraph *I urge you to read -- Nick CohenRevealing stories . . . delicious detail * The Times *Seasoned Westminster commentator Payne brilliantly, breathlessly and low-blow by low-blow captures the car crash at Downing Street -- Daily Mail, A Book of the YearHas all the pace, intrigue, complexity and dirt worthy of the finest Netflix drama * Metro *Payne tells the inside story, charting the crescendo of scandals that led to the resignation of a prime minister * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisFrom Boogaloo Bois and Rassemblement National, to Nordic Resistance Movement and Forza Nuova, majoritarian ethnonational movements and extreme-right politics are growing in different national contexts and continue to challenge democratic norms around the globe.This collection brings together research by prominent senior scholars and up-and-coming junior researchers to present an up-to date examination of the rightâs resurgence in Europe and North America. Its chapters focus on movement-party intersections, social media, identity work, extremism, anti-immigration rhetoric, and theoretical approaches and methodologies to studying the right.Bringing together several studies originally presented as plenary talks at the Mobilization Conference, the editors combine their expertise and scholarly networks to offer a collection of research on the extreme right that will be significant for years to come and which should be widely acquired by both sociologists and political scientists who are sensitive to and interested in current trends.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2022 VICTORIA SCHUCK AWARD, GIVEN BY THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Why Democratic women far outnumber Republican women in elective officesFrom Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren to Stacey Abrams and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, women around the country are running inand winningelections at an unprecedented rate. It appears that women are on a steady march toward equal representation across state legislatures and the US Congress, but there is a sharp divide in this representation along party lines. Most of the women in office are Democrats, and the number of elected Republican women has been plunging for decades. In The Partisan Gap, Elder examines why this disparity in women's representation exists, and why it's only going to get worse. Drawing on interviews with female office-holders, candidates, and committee members, she takes a look at what it is like to be a woman in each party. From party culture and ideology, to candidate recruitment and the makeup of rTrade Review"Laurel Elder's excellent book authoritatively shows how structural forces and the realignment of the parties along racial, ideological, and regional lines both promotes the advancement of Democratic women in office and hinders such opportunities for Republican women. Her approach also teaches us much about the state of the two parties in America today and makes a convincing case for why the voices of all women are needed in government. A must-read!" -- Melissa Deckman, author of Tea Party Women: Mama Grizzlies, Grassroots Leaders, and the Changing Face of the American Right"The Partisan Gap is a most comprehensive, insightful and historical exploration of partisanship and women’s quests for political office in the United States. Laurel Elder describes and explains the growth in the partisan gap in women’s election to state legislative and congressional office, with Democratic women advancing their numbers and representation while Republican women ‘s numbers have stagnated. This book expertly explains the structural forces that have reshaped the American party system resulting in this contemporary partisan gender gap." -- Barbara C. Burrell, author of The Women of 2018: The Pink Wave in the US House Elections ... and Its Legacy in 2020"In this book, Laurel Elder shines a light on a phenomenon that hasn’t received enough attention. Her meticulous documentation of the partisan gender gap in political representation establishes a new standard of scholarly excellence. It serves as a stark reminder of how much gender equality is hindered in the U.S. by the struggles of women to win elected office as members of the Republican Party." -- Brian Frederick, author of American Presidential Candidate Spouses: The Public’s Perspective"Elder’s careful analysis clarifies that the expansion of elected female Democrats is likely to be self-perpetuating and that Republicans are likely to continue electing men. An illuminating read for anyone concerned for the future of women in US electoral politics." -- T. Marchant-Shapiro, Southern Connecticut State University * Choice *

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Book SynopsisConventional wisdom emerging from China and other autocracies claims that single-party legislatures and elections are mutually beneficial for citizens and autocrats. This line of thought reasons that these institutions can serve multiple functions, like constraining political leaders or providing information about citizens. In United Front, Paul Schuler challenges these views through his examination of the past and present functioning of the Vietnam National Assembly (VNA), arguing that the legislature's primary role is to signal strength to the public. When active, the critical behavior from delegates in the legislature represents cross fire within the regime rather than genuine citizen feedback. In making these arguments, Schuler counters a growing scholarly trend to see democratic institutions within single-party settings like China and Vietnam as useful for citizens or regime performance. His argument also suggests that there are limits to generating genuinely "consultative authoritarianism" through quasi-democratic institutions. Applying a diverse range of cutting-edge social science methods on a wealth of original data such as legislative speeches, election returns, and surveys, Schuler shows that even in a seemingly vociferous legislature like the VNA, the ultimate purpose of the institution is not to reflect the views of citizens, but rather to signal the regime's preferences while taking down rivals.Trade Review"Why does a single-party state have well-developed electoral and legislative institutions? Schuler provides a compelling answer to this question in this persuasive, far-reaching account. His work pushes forward our understanding of institutions not only in one of the few remaining Communist states, but also in authoritarian regimes more broadly." -- Jennifer Gandhi * Emory University *"A firecracker of a book and a critical contribution to scholarship on authoritarian institutions and Vietnamese politics. In punchy and thrilling prose, using deep knowledge and cutting-edge empirical tools, Schuler challenges existing theories that parliaments resolve informational problems for autocrats, arguing instead that they are better suited to signal dominance and promote popular legitimacy." -- Edmund Malesky * Duke University *"As a study of political science, Schuler makes a major contribution by challenging the dominant view in scholarship that often conflates legislatures in single-party regimes with other authoritarian or hybrid regimes... Schuler has written an outstanding book that deserves to be read widely by both political scientists and Vietnam experts." -- Tuong Vu * Pacific Affairs *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction: Introduction chapter abstractThe introduction presents the book's central research question and the theory and evidence used to explore it: Why might the Vietnam National Assembly and some single-party legislatures be empowered with greater responsibilities and greater electoral competitiveness? Recent work suggests that legislative institutionalization demonstrates "resilient" or "consultative" authoritarianism, whereby autocrats can inform or constrain themselves through limited debate in a legislature and limited electoral competitiveness. This book challenges this view, arguing that single-party legislatures and elections do not inform or constrain autocrats but instead are meant to signal strength. When such legislatures are active, they are supposed to direct their activity against the autocrat's agents in the government. Elections serve to mobilize compliance with the regime. The theory of this book suggests that autocrats cannot simultaneously encourage input and signal strength through the same institutions. The introduction concludes with a preview of the chapters. 1The Signaling Trap: Why Single-Party Legislatures Must Be Controlled chapter abstractThis chapter examines existing explanations for the role of authoritarian legislatures and elections, raising questions about the applicability of these theories to Vietnam. It also lays out the book's core theoretical argument that while autocrats may use institutions such as legislatures and elections to achieve multiple goals, some goals are incompatible. In particular, if autocrats hope to use legislatures and elections to signal strength, this compromises their ability to use those same institutions to constrain or inform themselves. The chapter then argues that autocrats in single-party regimes are more likely to use legislatures and elections to signal strength at the expense of constraint or information provision because these institutions are publicly visible and state sanctioned. The chapter concludes with the observable implications of the argument for legislative organization, electoral behavior, delegate behavior, and public opinion. 2How Elections Work in Vietnam chapter abstractThis chapter lays out the structure of Vietnam's electoral system, highlighting some of the key institutions that block linkages between citizens and delegates. It focuses in particular on party management of campaigns and vetting institutions to show how the "five gates" system effectively keeps genuinely independent candidates from winning seats. The chapter shows how the regime further undermines the competitiveness of elections by manipulating the districts such that even candidates who survive vetting face bias in favor of the regime's preferred candidates. This chapter serves two purposes: providing important background on Vietnam's electoral institutions, and highlighting important institutions that facilitate the signaling value of elections and give the regime control over legislative behavior. 3"Unconditional Party Government": Legislative Organization in the VNA chapter abstractThis chapter examines legislative organization in the VNA, describing the extremely hierarchical system as "unconditional party government." Building from a theory of "conditional party government" to explain party control of legislatures in democracies, this chapter describes the extreme dominance of the VNA Standing Committee over legislative proceedings and agenda setting. Given the party's role in deciding who will serve on the Standing Committee and fill vital full-time roles in the legislature, the party ensures its control over legislative output and the legislative agenda. As with elections, party dominance of legislative output through the Standing Committee ensures that the VNA serves to signal strength to the population at the expense of the legislature's capacity to inform or constrain. 4Explaining the Evolution of the VNA chapter abstractThis chapter explores the institutionalization of the VNA to examine the argument that the Vietnam Communist Party empowered it to check the government rather than to constrain or inform the party leadership. Before defending this argument, which contradicts existing accounts of the development of authoritarian legislatures and the VNA, the chapter also establishes that the VNA is a most likely case for the competing arguments for authoritarian legislative institutionalization and a least likely case for the book's signaling argument. The chapter then defends the signaling argument by examining the role party leaders played versus those of political and economic reformers at critical moments when the legislature gained increased powers. An examination of the decisions to empower the legislature with greater staff, televised query sessions, and a regularized vote of confidence measure shows that it was the party leaders who supported the measures rather than economic liberalizers in the government. 5Mobilized or Motivated? Voting Behavior in Vietnamese Elections chapter abstractThis chapter examines how electoral institutions impact electoral behavior in a single-party regime. Existing work suggests that citizens in authoritarian regimes vote in a partially informed manner and provide information through their votes. By contrast, this chapter argues that party strength rather than voter interest drives electoral behavior. Using unique data from Vietnam, which for the first time combine actual electoral returns with district-level survey data, this chapter shows little evidence of strategic voting, competitiveness driving turnout, or knowledge of candidates. Instead, connection to the party drives participation. The findings imply that Vietnamese voters are ill informed about their candidates and that their votes contain little informational content. Consequently, elections are largely an exercise in mobilizing public compliance and support for the party. 6Explaining Oversight Behavior: Position Taking or Position Ducking? chapter abstractThis chapter examines legislative behavior in the VNA. The signaling and blame deflection theory of the book holds that the legislature should not criticize the party. By contrast, when the legislature is critical, it should direct its attention toward government leaders. Using an original dataset of public opinion data and legislative behavior, this chapter uses automated text analysis to show that the VNA only debates hot-button issues on government-controlled issues. When issues arise on party-controlled portfolios, the legislature is not called into action. The findings imply that the legislature does not primarily inform or constrain the party through legislative behavior but rather serves to damage rivals in the government. 7Intimidation or Legitimation? The Signaling Value of the VNA chapter abstractA final implication of the book's signaling theory is that legislative behavior and elections should increase support for the party and reduce the likelihood of public resistance. Such an effect could operate through two potential channels. First, it could convince citizens that resistance is futile. Alternatively, it could convince citizens more directly to support the regime. Using an Internet-based survey experiment in Vietnam, this chapter shows that legislative behavior and elections seem to boost public confidence in the legitimacy of the legislature and the electoral process. This in turn leads to greater support for the party and satisfaction in the overall political environment in Vietnam. Conclusion: Conclusion: Curbing our Expectations for the VNA, Single-Party Legislatures chapter abstractThe conclusion examines the implications of the theory and findings for broader understanding of the role of legislatures in single-party and hybrid regimes outside Vietnam. This chapter argues that while elections for legislatures in hybrid regimes may be more informative than in single-party contexts, the importance of legislatures for policy outcomes is likely minimal in these contexts as well. The chapter then examines why such legislatures have been associated with improved investment and economic growth if they have little policy input. It suggests that one reason is that legislative closures are typically correlated with the process of consolidation, which hinders these outcomes. The chapter also considers the implications of the argument for theories of democratization and Vietnam's political development. It argues that while the VNA may facilitate a smoother transition should democratization occur, the VNA and other single-party legislatures are not likely to spearhead such a transition.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers an original interpretation of Britain’s relationship with Europe over a 25 year period: 1959-84 and advances the argument that the current problems over EU membership resulted from much earlier political machinations. This evidence based account of the seminal period analyses the applications for EEC membership, the 1975 referendum, and the role of the press. Was the British public misled over the true aims of the European project? How significant was the role of the press in changing public opinion from anti, to pro Common Market membership? Why, after over 40 years since Britain became a member of the European community, does the issue continue to deeply divide not only the political elite, but also the British public? These, and other pertinent questions are answered in this timely book on a subject that remains topical and highly controversial.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Political elites2 Sovereignty3 The first application4 The second application5 Taken in by Heath6 The 1975 Referendum on EEC membership7 Post referendum8 Positions taken on Europe, 1959-1984Conclusion Appendix 1: Labour Parliamentary Private Secretaries sacked by Wilson – May 1967Appendix 2: The 33 Labour rebels – May 1967Appendix 3: The full termsAppendix 4: The 69 Labour rebels – October 1971Appendix 5: House of Commons three-day debate – April 1975Appendix 6: Conservative and Labour trajectoriesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisWith Trump's four years in the White House now in the rearview, an unprecedented period in American political history is concluded. The transition, however, has set off a mad scramble for control of a Republican Party that for so long has reflected the domineering image of one man-and might even still in the years ahead. Who emerges from the warring factions and familial rivalries that proliferated and quietly festered during Trump's presidency could determine the fate of the GOP for a generation, and the first hint of what's to come begins with the 2024 campaign to crown the first Republican nominee, and national party leader, of the post-Trump era.With Trump's exit, a singular era in American political history has ended-and the Republican Party, whose identity had for so long been centered around one man, will be forced to redefine itself for the future.Featuring profiles of everyone from Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, and Nikki Haley to Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and those in the Trump family, IN TRUMP'S SHADOW tells the story of a GOP under-and after-the forty-fifth president, and all of those jousting for influence over the party's direction in the wake of Donald Trump.

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Book SynopsisOver the last year, award-winning journalist and videographer Max Blumenthal has been behind some of the most sensational (and funniest) exposes of Republican machinations. Whether it was his revelation that Sarah Palin was "anointed" by a Kenyan priest famous for casting out witches, or his confronting Republican congressional leaders and John McCain's family at the GOP convention about the party's opposition to sex education (and hence, the rise in teen pregnancies like that of Palin's daughter), or his expose of the eccentric multimillionaire theocrat behind California's Prop 8 anti- gay marriage initiative, Blumenthal has become one of the most important and most constantly cited journalists on how fringe movements are becoming the Republican Party mainstream. Republican Gomorrah is a bestiary of dysfunction, scandal and sordidness from the dark heart of the forces that now have a leash on the party. It shows how those forces are the ones that establishment Republicans-like John McCain-have to bow to if they have any hope of running for President. It shows that Sarah Palin was the logical choice of a party in the control of theocrats. But more that just an expose, Republican Gomorrah shows that many of the movement's leading figures have more in common than just the power they command within conservative ranks. Their personal lives have been stained by crisis and scandal: depression, mental illness, extra-marital affairs, struggles with homosexual urges, heavy medication, addiction to pornography, serial domestic abuse, and even murder. Inspired by the work of psychologists Erich Fromm, who asserted that the fear of freedom propels anxiety-ridden people into authoritarian settings, Blumenthal explains in a compelling narrative how a culture of personal crisis has defined the radical right, transforming the nature of the Republican Party for the next generation and setting the stage for the future of American politics.Trade Review"With scarcely more than a pith helmet, a notebook, and a tattered copy of Escape from Freedom, Erich Fromm's great study of authoritarian psychology, the dauntless Max Blumenthal set forth years ago to explore the dank forests of American Christianism. Now he has returned to civilization, bringing back a fine collection of shrunken heads and a riveting account of a religio-political subculture that's even weirder than you thought it was. Republican Gomorrah is an irresistable combination of anthropology and psychopathology that exerts the queasy fascination of (let's face it) something very like pornography." -Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor, The New Yorker "A brave and resourceful reporter adept at turning over rocks that public-relations-savvy Christian conservative leaders would prefer remain undisturbed." -Rick Perlstein,

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Book SynopsisA Revelatory Account Of The 2020 Election—The Most Secure, Verifiable, And Transparent In American History—And The Heroes Brave Enough To Get It RightThe Big Truth illuminates a crowning achievement in America’s quest for a robust democracy in the face of slander by sore losers and opportunists. Filled with interviews of the guardians of democracy—election workers, January 6th Committee members Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and more—it is an overpowering counterattack against the Big Lie. CBS Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett and National Election Expert David Becker, the Executive Director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, reveal why Big Lie “fraud” allegations evaporate under scrutiny. They report what actually happened in 2020 while calling out each Trumpian misdirection designed to con and beguile Americans into chasing phantom allegations of election crimes. The 2020 election was not what Trumpist deniers claim. Our political parties knew the rules and procedures. We had record turnout and few election snarls. The result: an accurate count, a seven-million-vote margin of victory, 306 electoral votes for Joe Biden, and Republican gains in congressional and state races. But then-President Trump stoked paranoia—never looking for evidence, contesting results even before anyone cast a ballot, and seeking to bend our system until it almost broke with a violent Capitol riot. The Big Lie—the true corruption of American democracy—has shaken our confidence in stable self-government. On the heels of voter-fraud claims, the Capitol siege, and damaging voting laws, the next midterm and presidential election will test our democracy more severely than at any time since the Civil War. How we react may well determine if we are led into another war against ourselves. The Big Truth debunks the 2020 election conspiracy myth once and for all, while celebrating those who held up our democracy under arguably the most intense scrutiny in American electoral history. Trade Review“A second civil war? What once was the plot device of fiction writers now seems all too thinkable. In a deeply reported look at the corrosion of American democracy, Major Garrett and David Becker see a nation on a ‘springboard’ to civil war—and describe what can be done to stop it, before it’s too late. The Big Truth is provocative and sobering, but it’s not hopeless.” —Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief, USA TODAY, and New York Times bestselling author of Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power “The Big Truth shows with precision and depth why elections—including those held in 2020 that produced President Biden and sizable down-ballot Republican gains—can and should be believed. And it challenges all political actors to step back from the abyss of election denialism, which spread like wildfire in 2020. Ultimately, The Big Truth poses the grand question we all must ask ourselves as Americans: do we really want to be a democracy, or do we just want our side to win?” —Chris Krebs, Former United States Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency “The Big Truth provides us with a compass to navigate through the minefield of partisan agendas and hyperbole that permeate our political discourse and equips us with the tools we need to identify and share truthful, trusted information. It is one of the most definitive accounts of what really happened in 2020 and essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the depths and nuances of the challenges facing our American democracy and what we can collectively do to overcome them.” —Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State “Will America survive as a unified nation until its 300th birthday in 2076? In this urgent, timely and passionate book, Major Garrett and David Becker persuasively argue that the answer will turn on what happens between now and its 250th in 2026. With razor-sharp argument and encyclopedic command of the evidence they dismantle Donald Trump’s wild claims of 2020 fraud and document the full sweep of what they accurately call his ‘attempted coup.’” —Ron Brownstein, Senior Political Analyst at CNN and New York Times bestselling author of Rock Me on the Water: 1974—The Year Los Angeles Transformed Music, Movies, Television and Politics “If American democracy has a modern mirror, Major Garrett and David Becker hold it up and brazenly stand behind it. From its very first page, the authors argue the fragility of the American experiment and the need to defend it, connecting the past to our turbulent present. From their posts in journalism and election law, Garrett and Becker narrate the facts of the election and call out the lies perpetrated by the craven grifters seeking to undermine our democracy.” —Kyung Lah, Senior National Correspondent, CNN “Concerned that the sanctity of the 2022 midterm elections are at stake, if not democracy itself, Major Garrett, CBS’s Chief Washington Correspondent and elections expert David Becker have written one of the definitive books on the subject. Vivid, doggedly researched, and deeply important, it is a crucial work at an important time. It will be of interest to citizens of all parties and political persuasions alike.” —Jay Winik, historian and New York Times bestselling author of April 1865: The Month That Saved America and 1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History “The Big Truth shows how American democracy is threatened, even as everyone claims to be defending and protecting it. This book is a stark warning for every American who thinks that it can’t happen here, that our nation cannot turn against itself. Major Garrett and David Becker show that our union is closer to dissolving than we might think and our democracy is very much at risk. The political project of our time is to rebuild national trust and defend democracy.” —Jennifer Mercieca, award-winning historian and author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump "A thoughtful consideration of how and why to protect the vote—and, with it, American democracy."—Kirkus Reviews "The story of our times...Essential reading."—Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°

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Book SynopsisWhy do we always assume it was the New Right that was at the centre of constructing neoliberalism? How might corporatism have advanced neoliberalism? And, more controversially, were the trade unions only victims of neoliberal change, or did they play a more contradictory role? In How Labour Built Neoliberalism, Elizabeth Humphrys examines the role of the Labour Party and trade unions in constructing neoliberalism in Australia, and the implications of this for understanding neoliberalism's global advance. These questions are central to understanding the present condition of the labour movement and its prospects for the future.Trade Review"Humphry's brilliant How Labour Built Neoliberalism utterly transforms our understanding of modern Australian politics and compels us to rethink established ideas about the role of the trade union movement in the making of neoliberalism. I consider this to be a landmark work in Australian political sociology and an invaluable contribution to the literature on global neoliberalism."—Melinda Cooper, University of Sydney, Author of Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism(2017, Zone Books)."In this fascinating book, Elizabeth Humphrys challenges the narrative that neo-liberalism was generally imposed onto labour by right-wing governments such as the Thatcher government in the UK and the Reagan government in the US during the 1980s. Through a detailed analysis of the Australian political economy between 1983 and 1996, she demonstrates how restructuring was also carried out by a Labour Party in close co-operation with trade unions.Written in a beautiful and highly accessible prose, she makes clear that trade unions are not automatically progressive or reactionary. Ultimately, trade unions too are sites of class struggle, which decides on whether a particular trade union is a force for social justice or not. Humphrys' book is a must-read in guiding our explorations of this question and the search for alternative, progressive strategies."— Andreas Bieler, Professor of Political Economy, University of Nottingham, UK"This is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the emergence of neoliberalism in Australia, or the contradictory role trade unions can play during an economic crisis."—Alfredo Saad-Filho, Professor of Political Economy, SOAS, University of London"How Labor Built Neoliberalism is a scholarly, erudite and persuasive account of Labor's neoliberal turn and of the Accords. It should be widely read by labour historians, political economists, unionists and Labor politicians."—Tim Lyons, Labour History Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsList of IllustrationsList of Abbreviations 1 Introduction 1 The ALP & ACTU Accord 2 The Social Contract's Gala Dinner 3 Neoliberalism's Corporatist Origins 4 A Hegemonic Political Project 5 Corporatist &' involucro' 6 A Note on Method 7 Structure of the Book 2 Theorising the State-Civil Society Relationship 1 Introduction 1.1 Some Preliminary Comments 2 Marx's Critique of Hegel 3 From Critique of Politics to Critique of Political Economy 4 From Marx to Gramsci 4.1 Lo stato integrale 5 Gramsci contra Marx? The Limits of Integration 6 Conclusion 3 Corporatism in Australia 1 Introduction 2 Understanding Corporatism 3 Panitch's Approach 4 Corporatism and the Accord 5 The Context of Arbitration 6 Conclusion 4 Destabilising the Dominant Narrative 1 Introduction 1.1 Conceptual Diversity 2 The Dominant Narrative 2.1 Harvey: A Brief History of Neoliberalism 2.2 Klein: The Shock Doctrine 2.3 Peck, Theodore, Tickell and Brenner: &'Neoliberalisation' 2.4 Destabilising the Dominant Narrative 3 A Class Approach to Neoliberalism 3.1 Harvey: &'The restoration of class power' 3.2 Davidson: &'An entirely new political regime' 3.3 A Hegemonic Political Project 4 Conclusion 5 Periodising Neoliberalism 1 Introduction 2 Periodising Neoliberalism in Australia 3 Proto-neoliberal stage: 1973-1983 3.1 The Economic Crisis 3.2 The Whitlam Government 3.3 The Fraser Government 4 Vanguard Neoliberal Stage: 1983-1993 4.1 The Impasse of the 1970s 4.2 Developing the Accord 5 Piecemeal Neoliberalisation Stage: 1993-2008 5.1 Howard's Piecemeal Neoliberalism 6 Crisis stage: 2008 Onwards 7 Conclusion 6 The Disorganisation of Labour 1 Introduction 2 The Accord Agreement 3 Wages and the Accord 3.1 The First Accord (1983) 3.2 Accord Mark II (1985-1987) 3.3 Accord Mark III (1986-1987) 3.4 Accord Mark IV (1988-1989), V (1989-1990) & VI (1990-1993) 3.5 Accord Mark VII (1993) & VIII (Draft Only) 4 Wage Suppression 4.1 Labour Disorganisation 5 Conclusion 7 An Integral State 1 Introduction 2 Accord Divergences 2.1 The National Economic Summit and Communiqué 2.2 Prices 2.3 &'Big bang' and Other Neoliberal Reforms 2.4 Trade Liberalisation 3 Privatisation 4 Social Wage and Contested Understandings 4.1 Medicare 4.2 Superannuation 4.3 Worth the Cost? 5 The Concord of Neoliberalism and the Accord 5.1 A Brace against Neoliberalism? 5.2 Theorising the Corporatism-Neoliberalism Connection 5.3 An &'informal Accord'? 5.4 The Accord as involucro 6 Conclusion 8 How Labour Made Neoliberalism 1 Introduction 2 From Worker Agency to State Agency 2.1 The Shift to Support the Accord 2.2 Planning as a Solution to Crisis? 2.3 Consultation on, and Support for, the Accord 2.4 Sticking with the Accord 2.5 Industry policy and Australia Reconstructed 3 Managing Dissent and Disorganising Labour 3.1 Civil Legal Action against Labour Disputes 3.2 Deregistration of the Builders Labourers' Federation 3.3 Pilots' Dispute 4 Enterprise Bargaining and the Antinomies of the Accord 4.1 Hegemony Unravelling 5 Conclusion 9 A Return to the International 1 Introduction 2 A Brief Detour in the Antipodes 3 The British Social Contract (1974-1979) 4 The Carter Administration (1977-1981) and Prior 5 New York City Council Fiscal Crisis (1975-1981) 6 Contemporary Finland 7 Conclusion 10 Conclusion: Neoliberalism at Dusk 1 Internal Relations 2 Antinomies and Residues 3 Neoliberalism at Dusk Appendices Appendix B: Timeline of Predecessors to the AMWU ReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis new edition of Donald Sassoon's magisterial history of the Left in the twentieth century includes a substantial new introduction by the author. With unique authority and unparalleled scholarship, Sassoon traces the fortunes of the political parties of the left in Western Europe across 14 countries, covering the fortunes of socialism from the rise of the Bolsheviks through two World Wars to the revival of feminism and the arrival of "green" politics.Trade Review'A genuinely major contribution to political understanding.' New York Times 'A remarkable new work of historical analysis, which will soon establish itself as a classic, Donald Sassoon's lucid and erudite One Hundred Years of Socialism, demonstrates that...the effective parties of the left, whether social democratic or (in a few cases such as France and Italy) communist...have served to regulate and socialise the wealth-creating and directionless economic dynamism of capitalism, not replace it.' Eric Hobsbawm, Guardian 'A majestic work. Nothing like this great survey exists in any language...stylishly written, with an ironic wit and vivid gift of metaphor, the book is an unfailing pleasure to read.' The Economist 'Epic...and encyclopedic comparative work drawing freely on the histories of countries as diverse as Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark and Finland...its greatest strength lies in his placing of the left-right ideological batle within the context of the change and development of a capitalist system. Thus, [Sassoon] says, there has been no defeat of socialism by capitalism; the crisis of socialism was precipitated by the expansion of and changes in capitalism.' Alan Thompson, Times Higher Education Supplement 'Brilliant...Sassoon's view is based on quite phenomenally extensive reading and knowledge. Yet we never feel ourselves to be drowning in a morass of unconnected or undigested detail. Nor does learning here preclude liveliness and wit...an astonishing achievement, whish deserves to become a classic of socialist history.' Anthony Arblaster, Tribune 'Sassoon's book is remarkable. A massive and original synthesis which deserves to become a classic, there is nothing comparable to it in the English language.' David Marquand '[An] extraordinary achievement...Sassoon constantly stresses, with and amazing and enviable width of scholarship, how the pre-existent cultures of different countries made the socialist project so different in each...this book is a small masterpiece. It is vastly informative...and wise in its conclusions...I have not felt so sure that a work would be a standard book in a long time'. Sir Bernard Crick 'An astonishing achievement. One Hundred Years of Socialism is so learned and wide-ranging, so densely packed and yet so readable, so subtle and refined in its judgements and scholarship, it is a constant source of inspiration.' Hugo Young 'I read it with unflagging interest and appetite never wishing it a page shorter. After reading Sassoon's enthralling account, glib capitalist triumphalism seems as historically misconceived as the naive socialist millenarianism of an earlier generation.' Peter Clarke 'Donald Sassoon tells his kaleidoscopic story with ease and urbanity as he guides his readers, with great skill, through the complex issues of ideology and industrial development, diplomacy and war, which have shaped one hundred years of European socialism.' Paul Preston 'Admirable...based on vast reading (the sixty-page bibliography is no exercise in vanity, but is copiously exploited in ninety pages of helpful notes), the book is an authoritative guide to the recent history of Social Democratic parties and governments not only in the major Western European states but also in the many smaller countries.' Tony Judt, Time Literary Supplement 'The panoptic history of the European left, from Oslo to Athens, and 1900 to 1995, is uninterruptedly interesting...the author has scaled a mountain of scholarship and returned with an indispensable work of reference and reflection.' Norman Birnbaum, Political Quarterly 'A compelling account.' Malcolm Rutherford, Financial Times 'This history of the western European Left, recounted by Donald Sassoon with style and sympathy, is the history not of revolution but of reform'. Stephen Tindale, Prospect 'Compelling...an antidote to the fin de siecle gloom and modish talk of the end of ideology.' Fabian Review 'The major political book of the year...Sassoon offers an extraordinary, wide-angle focus on socialist parties over a century and across the industrialized world.' Patricia Hewitt, New Statesman Books of the Year 'A brilliant and scholarly work.' Tony BennTable of ContentsList of Tables List of Figures Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations New Introduction Introduction to the First Edition Book One: Expansion Part One: The Hard Road to Political Power 1. The Establishment of Socialism Before 1914 2. From War to War (1914-40) 3. Thwarted Alternatives 4. The War, Resistance and Its Aftermath: The Rise and Fall of West European Communism 1939-48 Book Two: Consolidation Part Two: The Construction of Western Socialism 1945-50 5. The Socialists After 1945 6. Building Social Capitalism 1945-50 7. External Constraints: A Socialist Foreign Policy? Part Three: Toward Revisionism 1950-69 8. The Golden Age of Capitalism 9. Between Neutralism and Atlanticism 10. The Foundations of Revisionism Part Four: The Perplexing Sixties: 'Something in the Air' 11. The Return of the Left 12. The Establishment of a Foreign Policy Consensus Part Five: The Great Contestation 13. The Revival of Working Class Militancy 1960-73 14. The Revival of Ideology and the Student Contestation 15. The Revival of Feminism Book Three: Crisis Part Six: The End of the Great Capitalist Boom 1973-89 16. The Crisis and the Left: An Overview 17. Social Democracy in Small Countries: Austria, Sweden, Holland and Belgium 18. Germany and Britain: SPD and Labour in Power 19. The French Experiment 20. The Failure of Italian Communism 21. The End of Authoritarian Regimes in Western Europe: Portugal, Spain and Greece Part Seven: The Great Crisis of Socialism 22. Workers, Women and Greens 23. The 1980s: Radicalism in its Last Redoubt 24. The New Revisionism Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis'…as the Labour candidate I prepared for every possible question on the local radio Election Phone-In. What I had not prepared for was my mum ringing up to say that she agreed with John O’Farrell. On EVERYTHING.'Where Did We Go Right? is the personal story of one political activist helping Labour progress from its 1997 landslide to the unassailable position it enjoys today. Along the way, he stood for Parliament against Theresa May but failed to step into her shoes; he was dropped from Tony and Cherie’s Christmas card list after he revealed he always sent their card on to a friend from the SWP; and he campaigned for a new non-selective inner-city state school, then realised this meant he had to send his kids to a non-selective inner-city state school. The long-awaited sequel to the best-selling Things Can Only Get Better is for everyone who could use a good laugh after Brexit, Boris and Trump. A roller-coaster ride through the last two decades via the very best political jokes (excluding the ones that keep getting elected).Trade ReviewHilarious, insightful and has that rare quality of making politics fun. A brilliant book everyone should read, whoever you vote for. -- Owen Jones, author of The EstablishmentEven Conservatives will like this -- Roland White * The Sunday Times *Reading this book is like reliving the last twenty years as a Labour supporter. John O’Farrell has, in his own unique and hilarious way, captured the highs and lows, pride and embarrassment, joy and frustration of being Labour. -- Sadiq Khan, Mayor of LondonO’Farrell hasn’t lost his touch. There are laughs as well as large doses of common sense. -- Chris Mullin * Guardian *John O'Farrell couldn't be unfunny if he tried but this book is even better than his famous take on Labour's 18 years in opposition. Hilarious and insightful in equal measure this is vintage stuff from Maidenhead's finest political brain. -- Alan Johnson

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Book SynopsisDemolishing the Blairite opposition in 2015, Jeremy Corbyn saw off an attempted coup against his leadership under the banner of the "soft left" one year on. This unassuming antiwar socialist now leads Labour with a huge mandate. For the first time in decades, socialism is back on the agenda-and for the first time in Labour's history, it defines the leadership.This book tells the story of how Corbyn's rise was made possible by the long decline of Labour and a deep crisis in British democracy. It surveys the makeshift coalition of trade unionists, young and precarious workers, and students who rallied to Corbyn. It shows how a novel social media campaign turned the media's "Project Fear" on its head, making a virtue of every accusation thrown at him. And finally it asks, with all the artillery that is still ranged against Corbyn, given the crisis-ridden Labour Party that he has inherited, the devastating impact of the coup attempt and the fall-out from Brexit, what it would mean for him to succeed.Trade ReviewRichard Seymour has a brilliant mind and a compelling style. Everything he writes is worth reading. -- Gary YoungeOne of our most astute political analysts turns his attention to Corbyn, and the result is predictably essential: not just to make sense of how we got to this unlikely situation, but for his thoughts on what the left might do next. -- China MiévilleSeymour is an essential voice on the left, and this book is a necessary intervention, explaining this daunting political moment and bringing the focus back to strategy. Not so much a call to arms as a call to brains. -- Laurie PennyNo one writes about politics the way Richard Seymour does. He takes a very British story of the rise of Jeremy Corbyn, with all its peculiarities and details, and turns it into a revelation of the international crisis of parliamentary democracy. Whether you love Corbyn -- or Sanders or Podemos or Syriza -- or loathe him (and them), you'll find here the most sophisticated diagnosis of why men and women across the globe are turning to the left and why their aspirations are so continuously being frustrated. Seymour is a magnificent explainer: pointed without being pedantic, funny with out being flip, and always insisting that we take in the whole. -- Corey RobinThe Anglophone left has been cheered by the surprising rise of Bernie Sanders in the U.S. and Jeremy Corbyn in Britain. Richard Seymour's elegantly written book is a reminder of all the obstacles facing Corbyn. Even if you're not as pessimistic as Seymour about his prospects, you really need to pay attention to this critique. It will make you a better fighter of the necessary class war. -- Doug Henwood, author of My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the PresidencyLong after the Labour left was thought to be dead, Jeremy Corbyn's emergence has inspired millions. There is no one better positioned than Richard Seymour to take a look at his emergence and whether Corbyn can actually turn Labour into a force for radical change. -- Bhaskar Sunkara, editor of JacobinCorbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics is the fullest and fairest account of Jeremy Corbyn's rise released to date. In avoiding much of the rhetoric espoused in similar accounts focusing on Corbyn's early career this book provides a frank account of how the unlikely leader took charge of the Labour party. It is a very readable account too. Richard Seymour writes plainly but effectively and his writing is both accessible and incredibly informative. -- Liam Young * New Statesman *Laser-sharp analysis of British 'Labourism' and its contradictions... This book is terrifically astute -- Jamie Maxwell * The National *Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics is the first serious analysis of Jeremy Corbyn's unexpected ascent. -- Yohann Koshy * Vice *A must-read for militants inside and outside the Labour Party. * rs21 *Corbyn is not about Corbyn in much the same way that Richard Seymour's earlier and much shorter book, The Meaning of David Cameron, wasn't really about its eponymous anti-hero. Rather it is an analysis - and an astute one - of the socio-political conditions which have given rise to Corbynism, its future prospects and the substantial obstacles it will inevitably face. -- Tom Mills * Ceasefire *The best, and the definitive, account of what Corbyn's victory the first time round meant. One year on the essential summer 2016 read. * Philosophy Football *A brilliant and incisive analysis by a long-term watcher of the party. -- Asa Winstanley * Middle East Monitor *It is a point of contention whether the politics represented by Jeremy Corbyn offers a pathway out of the crisis or we are instead witnessing the last hurrah of Britain's harried and diminished workers' movement. That is one of the questions Richard Seymour tries to answer in his excellent new book.Seymour's analysis remains indispensable -- Alex Doherty * New Statesman *The finest study of Corbyn yet written -- Stephen Bush * New Statesman *Seymour provides a rich narrative of the Labour Party's history, including its early socialism, its post-WWII achievements, and the long period of its stagnation and decline. -- Norman Markowitz * Socialism and Democracy *

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Senator Bernie Sanders explains where he comes from. He describes in detail how, after cutting his teeth in the Civil Rights movement, Sanders helped build an extraordinary grassroots political movement in Vermont, making it possible for him to become the first independent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in forty years and now the longest-serving independent in U.S. political history. An extensive afterword by The Nation's National Affairs correspondent John Nichols continues the story with Sanders's entrance into the Senate, the drama of the 2016 Democratic Primary, his ongoing resistance to Trump, and the thrilling launch of his 2020 bid for the White House. A new foreword by Nina Turner, former president of Our Revolution and co-chair of the Sanders for President campaign, provides a rare glimpse of Bernie as a person. Outsider in the White House tells the story of a passionate and principled political life.Trade Review"I endorse Brother Bernie Sanders because he is a long-distance runner with integrity in the struggle for justice for over fifty years. Now is the time for his prophetic voice to be heard across our crisisridden country." --Cornel West, author of Race Matters "Bernie's been in the forefront of all the crucial environmental fights of recent years." --Bill McKibben, cofounder of 350.org "Bernie is the real thing. He's not about reading the polls and finding out what he needs to say in order to get elected. He's about an unwavering commitment to basic justice, equality and sound financial sense." --Ben Cohen, cofounder of Ben & Jerry's and founder of Stampede: Stamp Money out of Politics "I feel weird using words like 'values' and 'morals' because those are words that have been co-opted to justify terrible things like bigotry and greed. I'd like to take those words back and use them to describe Bernie Sanders because his moral compass and sense of values inspire me." --Sarah Silverman, comedian and social commentator Praise for the original edition, Outsider in the House "A clear, compelling and comprehensive vision for reinvigorating democracy, reducing poverty, rebuilding the middle class and restructuring our health care and education systems. Sanders gives us a vision of the day when 'we will no longer be outsiders in the House.'" --In These Times "Outsider in the House is a rare achievement: a concise, compelling book that both tells an interesting story and provides a readable, down-to-earth blueprint for political change." --The Onion "A road map for how progressives can win elections and not be a part of the two party duopoly." --Ralph Nader "A grass-roots 'how-to' guide, especially helpful and inspirational for prospective independent candidates--a firsthand description of the career of the most successful American socialist politician in modern times." --The Hill

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Book SynopsisWhy won’t Scots simmer down?Why batter on about independence when folk voted No a decade back?After all. Scotland’s not as populated as Yorkshire, nor as wealthy as London. But it’s also not as Conservative, as keen on Brexit, or as willing to flog public assets to Tory party pals.So does Nicola Sturgeon’s departure terminally damage the case for independence?The answer, with all respect to her legacy, is no.Scotland has bigger fish to fry.In this book, Lesley Riddoch makes an impassioned call to action, weaving academic evidence with story, international comparison and anecdote to explain why Scotland is ready to step forward as the world’s newest state.We need optimism. And contagious stories of inspiration. Told out loud. In the open. Repeatedly. So, folk can engage emotionally, dare to dream of better – and go get it. Scotland is a social democracy stuck in a Conservative state that’s preoccupied with its own lost imperial status. And stuck, Scotland cannae thrive.Let’s cast aside preconceptions. Whichever way you voted in 2014 – if you did – the world, Europe, the UK, Ireland and our Nordic neighbours have all changed. Scots need the freedom to change too – the freedom to flourish.Trade ReviewExcellent read. ALEX NEIL Former MSPIt’s essential reading for anyone who wants something better for everyone living in Scotland, who needs that reminder it’s not silly or naive to dream, and is ready to spark those conversations of 2014 back to life. NIAMH MCNULTY, BellacaledoniaI loved it - felt very inspired! SARA SHERIDAN, AuthorThrive is concise, quotable, persuasive & often funny. If every voter could read a copy we'd be independent, simple as. It's all in there. A breath of fresh air to the cause. ANDREW SCOTT, AuthorThe final chapter envisages Scotland Ten Years after Independence with our children ‘finally digging where they stand.’ It makes me greet every time I read it. ELAINE C SMITHIf you are interested in Scottish independence you need to read this from Lesley Riddoch. The first chapter will, by itself, amply reward your spend. Then read the rest. RICHARD MURPHY

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Book SynopsisNUMBER 1 BESTSELLER IN THE IRISH NON-FICTION CHARTS "Rough Beast is shocking, important and unputdownable." Roddy Doyle Rough Beast is Máiría Cahill's harrowing story of her life and of what she went through at the hands of what is now Ireland’s largest and richest party. That story is told here for the first time in full detail and with unsparing honesty. It is a story of unimaginable trauma and political corruption. It brings to life a world of paramilitary secrecy and parallel laws, but above all it is the story of one young woman’s defiance of the power wielded by ex-gunmen inspiring fear and silence, and their influence over elected politicians. Máiría Cahill grew up steeped in the traditions of Irish republicanism and the shadowy world of the IRA: her great-uncle Joe was one of the main founders of the Provisional IRA and her grandfather was Gerry Adams's mentor in the republican movement. From an early age she seemed destined for a glittering career within the increasingly successful political machine of Sinn Féin, which was then enjoying the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement. She worked in a radio station alongside leading republicans; the Sinn Féin offices were her second home. She knew Gerry Adams and other senior republicans as family friends. But at the age of 16, she was sexually abused by a prominent Belfast IRA man. When she confided in some friends she trusted about the abuse, one of them told the IRA without Máiría's knowledge. A year later the organisation came calling, and forced her to take part in an inept and grotesquely insensitive internal investigation. She was subjected to round after round of interrogations by senior IRA men and women, usually in a network of safe houses around Belfast. Doubt was cast on her account of what had been done to her. Her assailant was allowed to confront and denounce her. Eventually her rapist was permitted to vanish from Belfast while Sinn Féin and the IRA professed bafflement about his whereabouts.Trade ReviewRough Beast is shocking, important and unputdownable. * Roddy Doyle *A true story of crime, memory, and justice, Rough Beast is absorbing and endlessly moving. It is a meteor of a book, blazing and unforgettable. * Flynn Berry *[A] searing account of sexual abuse * The Telegraph *Remarkable and shocking...Cahill writes with clarity and describes events in a direct, no-nonsense way * Irish Times *A book which everyone in the British Isles should read * Impartial Reporter *The most perceptive and devastating insight into the deranged morality of the Sinn Fein/IRA movement of recent years * Sunday Independent *Cahill’s uncompromising account of her abuse should make any Sinn Féin supporter feel deeply uncomfortable * Business Post *[A] s searing memoir of rape and abuse at the hands of the Irish Republican Army * Financial Times *A book that goes head to head with republicans like no other, because she knows the situation from the inside. * Olivia O'Leary *Cahill’s modest story is an important record. It hints at an adjacently possible world that doesn’t have to repeat the poisonous cycles of the past... The book momentary clears the pall of forgetfulness on less regarded acts that fall outside the shiny allure of grand narratives. As such, it’s worth its weight in gold. * Slugger O'Toole *Ms Cahill writes in harrowing detail of her treatment by Sinn Féin when she went public and why she feels let down by the PSNI. For all those with an interest in how society treats women, republicanism or modern Irish politics, this book is a must read. * Newstalk *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first full-length study of the material and visual culture of the British labour movement in almost half a century. It draws together the fruits of recent research into a comprehensive material and visual analysis of the nineteenth-century labour movement’s development. It analyses the meaning of ‘labour things’, the role they played in the lives of working people and the ways they have influenced the writing of labour history. Over ninety beautifully illustrated, expertly contextualised objects are used to narrate the history of British labour in its most crucial phase of development. Chapters on curation and preservation, a directory of museums where labour things may be seen, and a full bibliography complete the treatment of this important and rapidly developing field, making the book not just essential academic reading but a handbook for anyone who wishes to explore this vital part of our shared culture.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester Preface List of images 1 Understanding labour things 2 Images and objects 3 Preservation, collections, curation and conservation 4 Directory of places that have nineteenth- century labour and working- class objects Notes Select bibliography

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Book SynopsisAs we rebuild our lives in the wake of Covid-19 and face the challenges of ecological disaster, how can the left win a world fit for life? Planet on Fire is an urgent manifesto for a fundamental reimagining of the global economy. It offers a clear and practical road map for a future that is democratic and sustainable by design. Laurie Laybourn-Langton and Mathew Lawrence argue that it is not enough merely to spend our way out of the crisis; we must also rapidly reshape the economy to create a new way of life that can foster a healthy and flourishing environment for all. Planet on Fire offers a detailed and achievable manifesto for a new politics capable of tackling environmental breakdown.Trade ReviewWe now face an environmental crisis that has to be confronted. This book sets out the scale of the emergency as well as marks out the route to a better society. This is an essential read. -- John McDonnell, MPFor all who would build tomorrow not merely suffer it; for all who would heal the rifts that threaten us today between the generations and among the peoples; for all who know that human beings and human societies alike stand always within Nature never above it; for all who know that we must now turn our backs once and for all on domination, oppression, and exploitation, of Nature and of each other: this book is a manifesto and a call to arms. Please read it." -- John Ashton, UK climate change envoy 2006-12This book lays bare how capitalism led to the age of environmental breakdown and what this will mean for human societies. Most importantly, it focuses on explaining what an eco-socialist future would look like and that this future is a realistic, achievable and hopeful alternative to the predominant narrative of doom which typically surrounds discussions of environmental destruction. -- Carola Rackete, activist and author of It's Time to ActEloquent, clear-sighted and erudite, Planet On Fire is an important analysis of the interlocking political and economic forces driving us towards ecological catastrophe, and a credible route-map towards an alternative -- Will DaviesThis clear and incisive book starts from the immensely important insight that we cannot understand climate breakdown outside of the capitalist social relations that produced it. Planet on Fire reminds us that climate breakdown is intimately linked to all the overlapping crises humanity faces - from the rise of the far right, to growing socioeconomic inequality, to the COVID-19 pandemic - and that ecosocialism is the only route to an equal and sustainable world. -- Grace BlakeleyFor all who would build tomorrow not merely suffer it; for all who would heal the rifts that threaten us today between the generations and among the peoples; for all who know that human beings and human societies alike stand always within Nature never above it; for all who know that we must now turn our backs once and for all on domination, oppression, and exploitation, of Nature and of each other: this book is a manifesto and a call to arms. Please read it. -- John Ashton"Capitalism would create a desert and call it profit." Halfway through Planet on Fire, Mathew Lawrence and Laurie Laybourn-Langton drop this devastating judgement-but they don't stop at doom. Instead they offer blueprints, rally-points for energies, and chronicles of useful pasts for a decarbonized future. In the end, the climate crisis, they remind us, is not about individual morality or scientific authority but power and politics. This is a handbook for the fights to come. -- Quinn SlobodianThis book lays bare how capitalism led to the age of environmental breakdown and what this will mean for human societies. Most importantly, it focuses on explaining what an eco-socialist future would look like and that this future is a realistic, achievable and hopeful alternative to the predominant narrative of doom which typically surrounds discussions of environmental destruction. -- Carola RacketeA clear, powerful vision for ecosocialist transition. Don't miss this book. -- Jason HickelTrump may have left, but Trumpism is here to stay. In response, a transformative Green New Deal is more urgent than ever, charting a course beyond fossil fuel capitalism and deepening eco-apartheid and inequality. This vital contribution is a roadmap for how we get there and a political guide for the times ahead. -- Kate AronoffThe authors' vision of the path to climate justice is an antidote to disaster politics in so many ways, not least because it is both fair and unexpectedly luxurious. Each page is absolutely brimming with ideas as they meticulously take us through every important sector of the economy and reveal carefully thought through recommendations for reform. By focusing on power and who wields it they correctly identify the levers for change and who must now be empowered to push them. * Michelle Meagher, author of Competition is Killing Us: How Big Business is Harming Our Society and Planet - and What To Do About It *Reading Planet on Fire feels like traversing a humming, interdependent ecosystem of ideas, porous to the post-crash movements and thinkers shaping today's progressive environmentalism ... Starkly realistic whilst unflinchingly radical, Planet on Fire is a guidebook of hope for this crucial decade. -- Flora Parkin * LSE International Development *A practical starting point for reworking power structures that are dependent on extraction and initiating the new, society-oriented systems ... essential reading. -- Martha Dillon * It's Freezing in LA! *Offers an urgent alternative. -- George Eaton * New Statesman *Framing the situation in terms of the global inequality that fuels extractive global capitalism, and its roots in colonialism, Lawrence and Layborne-Langton put this power imbalance at the heart of their analysis. It enables them to offer some worthwhile answers for how we might solve our interconnected crises. -- Ann Pettifor * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn 2012 Narendra Modi became the first Hindu nationalist politician thrice elected to lead a state of the Indian Union, his stewardship as Chief Minister of Gujarat being the longest in that state's history. Modi and his BJP supporters explained his achievement by pointing to economic growth under his leadership, yet detractors point out that Modi has been more business-friendly than market-friendlyto the benefit of large industrial corporations, and at the cost of great social polarisation. In 2002, an anti-Muslim pogrom of unparalleled ferocity occurred in Gujarat, leading to the biggest number of Muslim deaths since Partition. The state's Hindu majority immediately rallied around Modi. No serious riot has occurred in Gujarat since, but polarisation was key to Modi's strategy there, and he has deployed that strategy again and again since he became Prime Minister of India in 2014. For Modi has cultivated a communal image. A marketing genius, his messaging combines

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Book SynopsisImagine what it’s like to effectively organise and develop a political party with over 65 million (65m) members – that’s bigger than the total populations of many of the world’s most developed countries such as the UK (65m), France (64m), and Australia (24m).Then imagine that, if the Communist Party of China (CPC) was a country, its population would rank as the 21st biggest in the world. In addition to developing and organising its 65m party members, it had to embed them among a population of 1.38bn people so that the party could lead and guide the world’s biggest population to develop from economic backwardness after years of war and destruction to become the 2nd largest economy in the world within nine decades.Now, imagine what it takes to achieve that in terms of structure and organisation and you have a good grasp of the scale of the CPC’s achievement from its founding with just 50 members in 1921 until 2015 with some 65m members.The Communist Party of China: the Past, Present and Future of Party Building gives a blow-by-blow and chapter-by-chapter account of how the CPC got from where it was in 1921 shortly after the founding of the party to where it is now.

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Book SynopsisRecent years have seen a populist wave across the Western world, exposing the vulnerabilities of liberal democracy and driving the political agenda to the right. In 2017 the far-right populist party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), swept into the Bundestag, claiming to be the voice of the people against a corrupt liberal elite and making waves with a series of extremist statements and overturning the delicate post-war political consensus. ‘We are the People’ examines the sudden growth and radicalisation of the AfD, from Eurosceptic beginnings in 2013 to a far-right populist party with an influential extremist, ethno-pluralist wing. The AfD’s use of inflammatory, xenophobic and even Nazi-era language has raised fears that, once again, Germany has a right-extremist party in parliament. Bochum lucidly explains the group's ideology and how their brand of populism is distinct and based on German experiences and history. Worldwide political and economic insecurity make it possible support for the AfD will grow in coming years and Bochum examines ways in which experiences both in Germany and the UK illustrate how the populist tide can be stemmed, warning against the adoption of populist policies by the political mainstream.Trade Review"The book offers readers a valuable insight into the development of the AfD and its various factions, providing a useful springboard from which readers can broaden their understandings of the contemporary German political landscape and its recent controversies." * LSE Review of Books blog *"A well-written introduction to the subject." * The Chartist Magazine *"We Are the People provides a timely attempt to analyse what is driving [the AfD], and how to counter its appeal." * The World Today *“Penny Bochum offers a timely analysis of the rise and radicalisation of the AfD. As ‘never again’ comes dangerously close to ‘once again,’ many Europeans have yet to avail themselves fully of the threat the new far right poses to our democratic politics. The book shines a light on this danger. It is an important contribution to efforts to protect European societies from these new authoritarians.” -- Dr. Luke Cooper, consultant researcher at the London School of Economics“This extremely insightful work not only expertly charts the rise of the AfD in Germany, but puts forward a convincing prospectus to deal with the populist challenge in advanced democracies. We Are the People argues that established parties must become more effective at speaking to voters, bridging social divides, while combating declining faith in government and political institutions. The book is a must-read.” -- Dr. Patrick Diamond, Queen Mary, University of LondonTable of ContentsRecent years have seen a surge of populism across the Western world, exposing the vulnerabilities of liberal democracy and driving the political agenda to the right. In 2017 the far-right populist party – the Alternative for Germany (AfD) – swept into the Bundestag, claiming to be the voice of the people against a corrupt liberal elite and overturning the delicate post-war political consensus in Germany.‘We are the People’ examines the sudden growth and radicalisation of the AfD, from eurosceptic beginnings in 2013 to its increasing extremism. Its leaders’ use of inflammatory, xenophobic and even Nazi-era language mirrors that of emerging far-right forces acrossmuch of the Western world. Bochum lucidly examines the group’s ideology, showing that their brand of populism is distinct and based on German experiences and history.

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Book SynopsisThe Conservative Private Members (1922) Committee is an important but elusive force in British politics. Despite becoming almost a household name during the leadership crises of 2022, it remains little understood beyond the corridors of Westminster.Established in 1923 by a group of Conservative MPs elected the year before, the Committee offers backbenchers an opportunity to discuss their views and coordinate independently of the frontbench. Over time it has become the kingmaker of the Conservative Party, overseeing leadership elections and confidence votes such as that faced by Boris Johnson over ‘partygate’.How did the Committee come together? How is it structured and how much power does it really wield? These are among the questions the book considers. Providing unprecedented insights into this long-standing institution, it is essential reading for anyone who cares about the integrity of our political system.Trade Review'Impeccable scholarship and a degree of charm'Simon Heffer, The Sunday Telegraph'With unrestricted access to its records, Lord Norton’s masterful account sheds fresh light on the workings of this mysterious committee.'Lord Lexden, The House magazine'The 1922 is probably the most significant body in British politics that almost no one knows anything about – and what they do think they know is probably wrong. Philip Norton does a superb job at disentangling myth from reality.'Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London'Nobody knows more about parliament, or about the Conservative Party, than Philip Norton. So he is the perfect guide to the little-understood but increasingly newsworthy 1922 Committee. This meticulously researched history illustrates how much of parliament’s most important influence really goes on behind the scenes.'Meg Russell, Professor of British and Comparative Politics, University College London 'This highly insightful and accessible book sheds important new light on the history, organisation and politics of the Conservatives' backbench 1922 Committee. Drawing on his decades of experience observing and analysing parliamentary politics, Philip Norton reveals how the Committee works, its day-to-day power and its occasional role in terminating premierships.'Isabelle Hertner, Senior Lecturer in Politics, King’s College London'Anyone who wants to really understand the British Conservative Party, and indeed parliamentary parties in general, would be well advised to read this book.'Tim Bale, Party Politics'An admirable textbook about this obscure body which plays a vital role in crowning and defenestrating Conservative leaders, and therefore in the British Constitution.'Andrew Gimson, ConservativeHome -- .Table of Contents1 Setting the scene: parliamentary parties in perspectivePart I: History2 Modest beginnings: the origins of the 19223 Speaking truth to power: in war and peace4 Wielding the sword: the era of electing the leader5 The maker and slayer of leaders: from Cameron to SunakPart II: Organisation and leadership6 Who and when: membership and meetings7 Engaging members' interests: backbench committees8 Transforming or presiding? Leadership in the '22Part III: The impact of the 19229 What's going on? Bedding in and being heard10 Collective action: a trade union for backbenchers11 Us versus them: maintaining the integrity of the party12 'May I have a word, minister?' Influencing policy, challenging ministers13 'The men in grey suits': choosing a leader14 Conclusion: the 1922 in British politicsIndex

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Book SynopsisIn 2020 the United Kingdom reached a bewildering milestone: ten successive years of Conservative rule. In that decade there were three prime ministers, each in turn described as the worst leader we ever had; ministerial resignations by the hundred; and an unrelenting stream of ineffectual, divisive bum-slurry oozing from 10 Downing Street.The Decade in Tory is an inglorious, rollicking and entirely true account of ten years of demonstrable lies, relentless incompetence, epic waste, serial corruption, official police investigations, anti-democratic practices, abuse of power, dereliction of duty and hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths.With his signature scathing wit, Russell Jones breaks down the government’s interminable failures year by year, covering everything from David Cameron’s pledge to tackle inequality – which reduced UK life expectancy for the first time since 1841 – through the bewildering storm of lies and betrayals that led to Brexit, devastating education cuts, serial mismanagement of the NHS and Boris Johnson’s calamitous response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It will leave you gasping and wondering: can things possibly get any worse?

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Book SynopsisJennifer Allen details a German utopian movement that arose against capitalist triumphalism at the end of the Cold War. Describing public art and history projects, alongside novel community-centered political institutions, Allen shows how activists invited ordinary people to build a radically new society free from alienation and disenfranchisement.Trade ReviewJennifer Allen’s splendid book on the survival and transformation of utopia in late–twentieth-century Germany announces a brilliant career. Far from dying, hope was rehabilitated in surprising places and projects across the divide of 1989, sheltered in fascinating new forms she intrepidly reconstructs in luminous prose. Those forms matter for their own sakes, and because the future does not just threaten catastrophe and desperation. It might also bring us within reach of stupendous and unexpected opportunity. -- Samuel Moyn, author of The Last Utopia: Human Rights in HistorySustainable Utopias provides innovative insights into creative social movements that brought up a new artistic and democratic ‘history from below.’ Allen brilliantly analyzes different ways of coping with the German past that have shaped both the present and visions of the future. If you want to know how a new memory culture was created in the streets of Berlin, read this book. -- Frank Bösch, University of PotsdamAllen takes us deep into the intellectual world of West Germany’s left-liberal activist milieu. Against the backdrop of Helmut Kohl’s 1980s, she compellingly uncovers the utopian projects pursued by ‘spatial interventionist’ artists, the West Berlin History Workshop, and the Green Party. Sustainable Utopias is essential reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary Germany. -- Astrid M. Eckert, author of West Germany and the Iron CurtainIn this excitingly multifaceted study of Germany in the 1980s and 1990s, Allen combines art and aesthetics with the social history of intellectuals and the emergent political forms of the time. She sees history’s epistemologies as intricately grounded not just in the period’s cultural and political climate, but in the working contexts and working practices historians and artists tried to develop. -- Geoff Eley, University of MichiganA fascinating, original study of ‘sustainable’ utopias in German society from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. Allen examines three utopian networks never before brought together under the same narrative umbrella. Instead of trying to create ‘heaven on earth,’ they had more adaptive and limited aims achievable not through the wholesale transformation of society but through repeatable micro-actions in small-scale venues. Based on impressive research, this book is an important contribution to the scholarship on German utopian thought and contemporary cultural and political history. -- Rudy J. Koshar, University of Wisconsin, Emeritus

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Book SynopsisThe Paradox of Parliament addresses the widespread and perennial dissatisfaction with Parliament in Canada.Table of Contents1. Introduction Explanations for Parliament’s Problems Paradox and the Competing Logics Conclusion 2. Historical Foundations and the Competing Logics Indigenous Peoples and Legislative Representation The Early Development of Canadian Legislatures The Logic of Governance The Logic of Representation Attempting to Reconcile the Logics: “Every Reform Creates A New Problem” Reforms of the 1960s–1980s The 1990s: The Reform Party and Paul Martin’s “Democratic Deficit” The 2004–2011 Minority Era and Beyond Consensus Legislatures Canada in Comparative Perspective Conclusion 3. Parties Canadian Political Parties: An Overview The Weakness of Canadian Parties Party Discipline: Is Canada Exceptional? Party Discipline in Practice “Excessive” Discipline Party Discipline and the Party System Parties in Minority Governments Electoral Systems and Parties Conclusion 4. MPs Why Do MPs Run? Who Gets Elected as an MP? Gender and Race Socioeconomic and Occupational Backgrounds Age Learning to Be an MP MPs in the House MPs in the Constituency Life as an MP: The Personal Dimension Managing Their Public Roles Managing Their Personal Lives MP Pay Staffing An MP’s Day Departure, Turnover, and “Amateurism” Conclusion 5. House of Commons Business The Roles The Speaker The Clerk and Procedural Staff House Leaders and Whips The Setting The Chamber and Decorum The Parliamentary Day The House of Commons at Work: Four Aspects Government Bills and Debate Question Period Private Members Business Opposition Days and Confidence/Non-confidence Motions Process in Minority Parliaments Committees Conclusion 6. Diversity Persons with Disabilities LGBT Persons Women in Parliament Women in the Senate Women in the House Figure 9.1 Women in the House of Commons since 1968 (%) Women as Legislators Race Symbolic Descriptive Table 9.1 Racialized MPs in the House of Commons Compared to General Population Substantive Conclusion 7. The Senate Bicameralism A Brief Description of the Senate History of the Senate Senate Reform The Senate since 2016 8. Scrutiny Scrutiny in Theory and Practice Parliament and Money Officers of Parliament Parliamentary Scrutiny: How Far Can It Go? Parliament’s Access to Documents and People Conclusion 9. The Future of Parliament Technological Sociological Citizen Attitudes Conclusion

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Book SynopsisIn 1937, a group of young Capetonians, socialist intellectuals from the Workers’ Party of South Africa, embarked on a remarkable public education and cultural project. They called it the New Era Fellowship (NEF). In different forums – public debates, lectures, study circles and cultural events – the seeds of radical thinking were planted, nurtured and brought to full flower. The group sought to disrupt and challenge not only prevailing political narratives but the very premises – class and ‘race’ – on which they were based. In the critical thinking and analytical discipline they brought to bear to dismantle these constructs, they were 40 years ahead of their time. Their leaders were extraordinary men and women who, in bringing their individual lived experiences into the arena, were able to connect with issues at a deep, personal level. Taking a position of non-collaboration and non-racialism, the NEF played a vital role in challenging society’s responses to events ranging from the problem of taking up arms during the Second World War for an empire intent on stripping people of colour of their human rights to the Hertzog Bills, which foreshadowed apartheid in all its ruthless effectiveness. In subsequent narratives of liberation their significance has been overlooked, even disparaged, and has never been fully understood and acknowledged. By shining a contemporary light on the NEF and locating its contribution in current sociological and political discourse, Crain Soudien shows how its members were at the forefront of redefining the debate about social difference in a racially divided society.Table of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 A Battle of Ideas Chapter 2 Planters of the Seed Chapter 3 ‘Anything Under the Sun’ – The Formation of the NEF Chapter 4 Honest, Sincere and Fearless – 1937-1940 Chapter 5 The Road to Emancipation – 1940-1953 Chapter 6 A Cauldron of Conflict Chapter 7 Legacy Notes List of Illustrations Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPresents a memoir from one of Nixon's senior domestic policy advisors. A member of the moderate wing of the Republican Party, John Roy Price’s memoir makes a valuable contribution to our evolving scholarship and understanding of the Nixon presidency.Trade ReviewAre you ready for some revisionism? Price's Nixon was trying to bring the country together. He understood that politics was 'poetry' - you needed more than good policy positions. But good ones he had. His domestic policies would have ended the financial incentives to break up low-income families and would have kept catastrophic health issue from bankrupting middle-class families. We see Nixon doing the right thing because it is the right thing. This book is thought-provoking from beginning to end." - Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, author of Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969-1974"John Roy Price's The Last Liberal Republican is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the Nixon presidency as well as the presidential/congressional relationship as it relates to domestic policymaking. Price's memoir not only explains the domestic policy agenda during a seminal point in American history but also shows how a Republican president worked with a Democratic Congress to revise and expand parts of the New Deal and Great Society agendas. Price's ability to illustrate the policy battles as they played out on the political frontlines makes this book essential reading." - Lori Cox Han, author of Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan"For all those who thought there was nothing more-nothing new-to say about Richard Nixon, John Roy Price has a surprise, and an important one. Here is a Nixon seldom seen, a Nixon leaning left even as he moved the Republicans right, a Nixon worried about his place in history even as he was soiling his place in history. No biography of the thirty-seventh president written in the remainder of this century can be unaffected by this vital and indispensable book." - David Shribman, Pulitzer Prize-winning nationally syndicated columnist and former executive editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Book SynopsisOn February 19, 2009, CNBC commentator Rick Santelli delivered a dramatic rant against Obama administration programs to shore up the plunging housing market. Invoking the Founding Fathers and ridiculing losers who could not pay their mortgages, Santelli called for Tea Party protests. Over the next two years, conservative activists took to the streets and airways, built hundreds of local Tea Party groups, and weighed in with votes and money to help right-wing Republicans win electoral victories in 2010.In this penetrating new study, Harvard University''s Theda Skocpol and Vanessa Williamson go beyond images of protesters in Colonial costumes to provide a nuanced portrait of the Tea Party. What they find is sometimes surprising. Drawing on grassroots interviews and visits to local meetings in several regions, they find that older, middle-class Tea Partiers mostly approve of Social Security, Medicare, and generous benefits for military veterans. Their opposition to big government entails reluctance to pay taxes to help people viewed as undeserving freeloaders - including immigrants, lower income earners, and the young. At the national level, Tea Party elites and funders leverage grassroots energy to further longstanding goals such as tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation of business, and privatization of the very same Social Security and Medicare programs on which many grassroots Tea Partiers depend. Elites and grassroots are nevertheless united in hatred of Barack Obama and determination to push the Republican Party sharply to the right. The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism combines fine-grained portraits of local Tea Party members and chapters with an overarching analysis of the movement''s rise, impact, and likely fate.Trade Review[E]xceptionally informative. * Timothy Noah, The New York Times Book Review *The authors pepper firsthand anecdotes with extensive-and at times weighty-statistical and polling data...A timely study of a contemporary movement and its far-reaching effects on politics and policy. * Kirkus Reviews *Readers interested in grassroots political organizations, the influence of outside interests on political parties, or the Tea Party itself, as well as those whose leanings fall elsewhere on the political spectrum will find this an eye-opening book." * Library Journal *This is an indispensable guide to the Tea Party phenomenon, and also an excellent demonstration of the power of first-hand research to add a richness of understanding that survey results can't provide. By spending patient time with Tea Party activists around the country, Skocpol and Williamson have been able to create a far fuller picture of the Tea Party than we have had before. * Nicholas Lemann, Dean, and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University *This important book will draw fire from both the political left and right, for contrary to the denunciations of liberal commentators, the Tea Party is not a motley collection of racist crazies. And contrary to the praise of conservative commentators, the Tea Party is not a pure grass-roots citizens' movement. Skocpol and Williamson provide a much-needed dose of analysis that begins to balance out the polemics that dominate discussion of the Tea Party. * Morris P. Fiorina, Wendt Family Professor of Political Science, Stanford University *Skocpol and Williamson have produced the richest, most nuanced portrait of the Tea Party since it burst onto the political scene in early 2009. Drawing on a wealth of observational, interview, survey, and web-based research, their analysis and presentation is both sympathetic with the participatory ethic of the Tea Partiers and critical of the way they have been used by conservative advocacy groups and press outlets to breed misinformation and shift the Republican agenda sharply to the right. A must-read book for the 2012 election season. * Thomas Mann, Brookings Institution, co-author of The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track *An interesting look at an influential political movement. * Booklist *[A] fine-grained nuance and thoughtfulness that resonates. * Publishers Weekly *Until three years ago, we knew the tea party as a long-ago event in Boston Harbor, aimed at a government across the Atlantic. In 2010, a new tea party stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and was aimed directly at Washington. That event changed the Republican Party, the United States Congress, and the Obama presidency. This book delves deeply into what happened in 2010, why it happened, and what the Tea Party means for the future of American politics. It's a book every student of American politics should read." -Mickey Edwards, author of The Modern Conservative Movement...the best academic work on the Tea Party" - David Frum, The Daily BeastSkocpol and Williamson have provided us with an excellent roadmap to trace where it came from, where it has been, and where it might be going. * Contemporary Sociology *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction: "I Want My Country Back!" 1. Behind the Costumes and Signs: Who are the Tea Partiers? 2. What They Believe: The Ideas and Passions of Tea Partiers 3. Mobilized Grassroots and Roving Billionaires: The Panoply of Tea Party Organizations 4. Getting the Word Out: The Media as Cheerleader and Megaphone 5. How the Tea Party Boosts the GOP and Prods It Rightward 6. The Tea Party and American Democracy

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