Search results for ""Biteback Publishing""

How would we treat Paddington Bear if he came to the UK today? Perhaps he would be a casualty of extortionate visa application fees; perhaps he would experience a cruel term of imprisonment in a detention centre; or perhaps his entire identity would be torn apart at the hands of a hostile environment that delights in the humiliation of its victims. Britain thinks of itself as a welcoming country, but the reality is very different. This is a system in which people born in Britain are told in uncompromising terms that they are not British, in which those who have lived their entire lives on these shores are threatened with deportation, and in which falling in love with anyone other than a British national can result in families being ripped apart. Now fully updated to include the Nationality and Borders Bill, in this vital and alarming book, campaigner and immigration barrister Colin Yeo tackles the subject with dexterity and rigour, offering a roadmap of where we should go from here as he exposes the injustice of an immigration system that is unforgiving, unfeeling and, ultimately, failing.

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The royal family say they can do without many things, but not their animals. For countless monarchs and their consorts, dogs, cats, horses and even the occasional parrot have acted as constant, faithful companions, unquestioning allies and surrogate children. With intimate anecdotes and fascinating detail, royal expert Brian Hoey describes the mini palaces provided for the Queen's pampered corgis; Princess Anne's badly behaved bull terriers; the wild animals - including crocodiles, hippopotami and an elephant - presented to princes and princesses; a regal passion for all things equine; and the pigeon awarded a military medal for its efforts in the Second World War.

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A SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR - 'a dark remembrance of 1953, when nuclear annihilation was only the press of a button away'. January 1953. Eight years on from the most destructive conflict in human history, the Cold War enters its deadliest phase. An Iron Curtain has descended across Europe, and hostilities have turned hot on the Korean peninsula as the United States and Soviet Union clash in an intractable and bloody proxy war. Former wartime allies have grown far apart. An ageing Winston Churchill, back in Downing Street, yearns for peace with the Kremlin - but new American President Dwight Eisenhower cautions the West not to drop its guard. Joseph Stalin, implacable as ever, conducts vicious campaigns against imaginary internal enemies. Meanwhile, the pace of the nuclear arms race has become frenetic. The Soviet Union has finally tested its own atom bomb, as has Britain. But in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the United States has detonated its first thermonuclear device, dwarfing the destruction unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For the first time, the Doomsday Clock is set at two minutes to midnight, with the risk of a man-made global apocalypse increasingly likely. As the Cold War powers square up, every city has become a potential battleground and every citizen a target. 1953 is set to be a year of living dangerously.

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A searing account of corruption, racism and mismanagement inside Britain's most famous police force Barely a week goes by without the Metropolitan Police Service being plunged into a new crisis. Demoralised and depleted in numbers, Scotland Yard is a shadow of its former self. Spanning the three decades from the infamous Stephen Lawrence case to the shocking murder of Sarah Everard, Broken Yard charts the Met's fall from a position of unparalleled power to the troubled and discredited organisation we see today, barely trusted by its Westminster masters and struggling to perform its most basic function: the protection of the public. The result is a devastating picture of a world-famous police force riven with corruption, misogyny and rank incompetence. As a top investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and The Independent, Tom Harper covered Scotland Yard for fifteen years, beginning not long after the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian killed by Met Police officers after being mistaken for a terror suspect in 2005. Since then, reporting on Scotland Yard has been akin to witnessing a slow-motion car crash. Using thousands of intelligence files, witness statements and court transcripts provided by police sources, as well as first-hand testimony, Harper explains how London's world-famous police force got itself into this sorry mess - and how it might get itself out of it.

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John Quin worked for thirty-three years as a physician for the NHS in both Scotland and England, specialising in endocrinology. Days on the wards were uproariously funny one minute, infinitely tragic the next. Starting with a stern lesson from the president of the British Society of Gastroenterologists that the younger doctor was not 'a f****** comedian', Dr Quin, Medicine Man is packed with vividly told tales of the joy and reward of getting the diagnosis right, the disaster of getting it wrong. Darkly amusing and with a keen eye for the absurd, this sharply observed memoir is not only an acute insight into the farcical frustrations and tensions of working in a chronically underfunded system but also a timely reminder of the humanity of the NHS staff who care for us.

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When Taliban forces took Kabul on 15 August 2021, it marked the end of the Western intervention that had begun nearly twenty years earlier with the US-led invasion. The fall of Afghanistan triggered a seismic shock in the West, where US President Joe Biden announced an end to America's involvement in conflicts overseas. In Afghanistan itself it produced terror for the future for those who had worked with and grown up under the coalition-supported administration. Now, with the country spiralling into economic collapse and famine, Losing Afghanistan is a plea for us to keep our gaze on the plight of the people of Afghanistan and to understand how action and inaction in the West shaped the fate of the nation. Why was Afghanistan lost? Can it be regained? And what happens next? Edited by international development expert Brian Brivati, this collection of twenty-one essays by analysts, politicians, soldiers, commentators and practitioners - interspersed with powerful eyewitness testimony from Afghan voices - explains what happened in Afghanistan and why, and what the future holds both for its people and for liberal intervention.

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In the middle of 2019, Rishi Sunak was an unknown junior minister in the local government department. Seven months later, at the age of thirty-nine, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, grappling with the gravest economic crisis in modern history. Michael Ashcroft’s new book charts Sunak’s ascent from his parents’ Southampton pharmacy to the University of Oxford, the City of London, Silicon Valley – and the top of British politics. It is the tale of a super-bright and hardgrafting son of immigrant parents who marries an Indian heiress and makes a fortune of his own; a polished urban southerner who wins over the voters of rural North Yorkshire – and a cautious, fiscally conservative financier who becomes the biggest-spending Chancellor in history. Sunak was unexpectedly promoted to the Treasury’s top job in February 2020, with a brief to spread investment and opportunity as part of Boris Johnson’s levelling-up agenda. Within weeks, the coronavirus had sent Britain into lockdown, with thousands of firms in peril and millions of jobs on the line. As health workers battled to save lives, it was down to Sunak to save livelihoods. This is the story of how he tore up the rulebook and went for broke.

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They’re not like us, the royal family. Or are they? We simply don’t know and we’re all desperate to find out. This A-Z of royalty is the practical miscellany of the royal family that everyone’s been waiting for. Did the Queen Mum really give all her clothes to charity? Hundreds of people send Her Majesty boxes of chocolates on her birthday, but what happens to them? Where are the best places to go to see the royal family? Does the Queen hold a driving licence and did she pass a test? What are the correct days and hours when it is permitted to fly a flag above Buckingham Palace? Including fascinating facts on abdication, birthdays, Christmas, dining, equerries, fashion, garden parties, hairdressers, insignia, the Jewel House, Kensington Palace, liveries, maids of honour, nannies, orbs, protection squads, the Queen’s piper, racing, Snowdon, tartans, the Union Jack, Queen Victoria, weddings, the X-ray machine at Buckingham Palace, yachts and Meghan Markle, this is an unstoppable, unbeatable little guide to our great monarchy.

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Politics looked straightforward when Patrick Kidd took over the reins of the daily political sketch in The Times in 2015. David Cameron had just won a general election and would clearly be Prime Minister for as long as he wanted; George Osborne was his obvious successor (rather than the editor of a free London evening newspaper); Theresa May was a slightly underwhelming Home Secretary and Jeremy Corbyn an anonymous Labour backbencher best known as a serial rebel against his own party. Then suddenly everything went a bit strange. In this anthology of his best columns from the past four years, Kidd plays the role of parliamentary theatre critic, chronicling the collapse of Cameron, the nebulous clarity of May, the rise and refusal to fall of Corbyn and Boris Johnson's repeated failure to keep his foot out of his mouth. Featuring a menagerie of supporting oddballs, such as Jacob and the Mogglodytes, Failing Grayling, Gavin `Private Pike' Williamson and the simpering lobby fodder that are Toady, Lickspittle and Creep, this is a much-needed antidote to the gloom of the Brexit years.

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In 2009, news broke that MPs had been claiming taxpayers' money to pay for such excesses as a floating duck-house, moat-cleaning services and 550 sacks of manure. The revelations shook Westminster and compromised the voters' trust. Urgent action had to be taken. Cue the establishment of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), a regulator designed to scrutinise every claim and hold MPs to account. Created from scratch and operating in a world of rattled politicians accustomed to old habits, IPSA came up against a series of obstacles, ranging from MPs who had never used a computer to vicious online abuse. Ian Kennedy was the chairman of IPSA for its first seven years, and was responsible for developing it into an effective and transparent organisation. Ten years on, he discusses his struggle to ensure the public's money was put to good use, all the while being hounded by the press for not doing what they wanted, and by MPs themselves for doing what they'd voted for but didn't really intend. Cleaning Up the Mess describes the bullying, bitterness and occasional kindness Kennedy encountered, and how a thick skin and conviction in IPSA's purpose helped to restore trust in politics and politicians.

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Is our civil service fit for purpose? Michael Coolican takes John Reid's damning statement about the Home Office as his point of departure for a comprehensive overview and evaluation of the machinery behind the government and the people who make public services work on a daily basis. Beginning with Henry VIII's chief minister Thomas Cromwell, Michael Coolican takes us on an odyssey through the history of the British civil service, starting with a time when public positions were sold and traded through Royal Warrant. Coolican examines the radical reforms of the Victorian era which entrenched a culture of elitism, misogyny and distrust of high-quality data as a basis for decision making, that, in some areas, persists to this day. A former high-level civil servant with forty years of experience, Coolican has produced a pithy and, where necessary, ruthless analysis of the civil service and its relationship with government, especially at Cabinet level, bringing to bear detailed and extensive research informed by a true insider.

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The emergence of Leo Varadkar in Irish politics and his election to the post of Taoiseach is a remarkable tale from any perspective. Journalists Philip Ryan and Niall O'Connor tell the inside story of how the son of an Indian immigrant battled against adversity and with his own sexuality to become the youngest and first openly gay Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland. This will be the definitive account of how an outspoken young politician has shaped Ireland's future by coming out as gay in full view of the public before going on to orchestrate a secret two-year campaign which saw him become leader of the country. Along the way, he put his political career on the line to defend police whistleblowers and survived an internal party purge after he backed the loser in a failed leadership heave against former Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. In the book, family, friends and colleagues have for the first time provided an exclusive behind-the-scenes account of Mr Varadkar's meteoric rise to power. Ryan and O'Connor, both prominent political correspondents working for Ireland's biggest newspaper group, Independent News and Media, have spent months analysing in detail Mr Varadkar's personal and political background to comprehensively tell the story of the most talked-about Irish politician in decades.

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Following Theresa May's shock general election announcement, the UK political landscape looks set to change dramatically. Will predictions of a Tory landslide come to pass, or will the pollsters be surprised again? Whatever the result, the latest edition of the bestselling Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons will have all the info.Public affairs consultant Tim Carr and political experts Iain Dale and Robert Waller are rolling up their sleeves to put together a complete guide to the new personalities occupying the House of Commons benches in 2017.Who are they, what's their background and where will they lead the country?

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The life of a congregational rabbi is often seen as an ivory-tower existence - full of prayers and piety - but Jonathan Romain's has radically departed from that image. Virtually no one has ever asked him about their spiritual life and instead he has dealt with a rollercoaster of crises, emotional traumas, moral dilemmas, attempts at seduction, multiple murders, Machiavellian families, funerals that go wrong, weddings that are hijacked, and fighting his way through a maze of other people's sexual fantasies. Nothing in rabbinic training ever hinted that this catalogue of human misery would become part of his calling, nor gave any clues as to how to handle it. Luckily, his previous careers - as a radio agony aunt, prison chaplain, postman and nightclub bouncer - gave him insights that proved very useful in navigating through the human jungle, and hopefully helping some of those he has met on the way. Candid, poignant and often hilarious, this highly original and very readable book offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into an extraordinary job dealing with timeless human scenarios.

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John Major's prime ministership was an eventful one. Between 1990 and 1997 he presided over Britain's participations in the Gulf War, the start of the Northern Ireland peace process, the Maastricht Treaty negotiations and, of course, Black Wednesday and Britain's exit from the ERM, as well as a surprise fourth consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party. An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? is the first wide-ranging appraisal of John Major's government in nearly two decades. Widely criticised by politicians on the right of the Conservative Party and from the other political parties as well as by journalists, Major's government was living on borrowed time towards the end, beset by splits over Europe and by allegations of sleaze before being crushed by New Labour in the 1997 general election. This book reconsiders the role of John Major as Prime Minister and the policy achievements of his government, and argues that although it was not one of the greatest of governments it did have more success than critics would allow.

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Whether told in the rugby clubs of Wales or the gentlemen's clubs of London, their sharpness and simplicity unites us all. Short, sweet and wickedly clever, they hold a special place in the annals of comedy, and as the rise of Twitter heralds a resurrection of the art form, there seems no better time to celebrate the immortal one-liner. In this book, Times diary columnist Grant Tucker does just that, bringing together 5,000 of the funniest one-liners ever told in one definitive volume. Laugh-out-loud funny, 5,000 Great One-Liners has all the quips, zingers, puns and wisecracks you'll ever need - and a whole lot more. My mate told me that I just don't understand irony. Which was ironic because we were at a bus stop at the time. --- A dyslexic man walks into a bra. --- An onion just told me a joke. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. --- A priest, a rabbi and a blind man walk into a bar and the bartender says, 'What is this, some kind of joke?' --- I got chatting to a lumberjack in a pub. He seemed like a decent feller. --- A neutron walks into a bar and says to the barman, 'How much for a pint?' To which the barman replies, 'For you, no charge.' --- I'll never forget what my granddad said to me just before he kicked the bucket. He said, 'Grandson, how far do you think I can kick this bucket?'

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This is the extraordinary life story of Robert Shirley, the thirteenth Earl Ferrers, tracing his aristocratic upbringing in the 1930s through his wartime childhood, national service in the jungle of Malaya, Cambridge in the 1950s and finally his life a government minister in every Conservative Government from Macmillan to Major. More importantly, he has some hilariously off-the-wall tales to tell. Often including hiding fish in the Chief Whip's briefcase. Earl Ferrers writes amusingly and movingly about his twelve predecessors, one of whom was hanged after he shot his manservant. His at times hilarious accounts of his careers in farming, business and politics have the reader crying tears of both joy and sadness as he relates the bizarre events in his political life, and some of his family tragedies. When his fellow members of the House of Lords voted which 92 hereditary peers to keep, Earl Ferrers topped the vote. Reading this book, it is easy to see why. Always enjoying a sense of the ridiculous, and with the ability to write with humour and charm, he is without question the most popular member of the current House of Lords. This book shows why. It contains dozens of reminiscences from a life well led. It's seeringly honest, painfully blunt, but at all times retains the author's supreme sense of charm and elegance.

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Biteback Publishing is delighted to announce a major new project, a two volume series of biographies of every female MP ever to be elected to the House of Commons. When Constance Markievicz stood as the Sinn Fein candidate for Dublin St Patrick's in 1918, few people believed she would win the election to become the first woman MP - but she did. Now, just over 100 years later, women following the path she paved are increasingly winning, and filling, the hallowed seats of Parliament. The past two decades have seen more and more women stepping up to fight for the interests of their constituents and redressing the unequal gender balance in the Commons. Since the huge influx of female Labour MPs with the election of Tony Blair (unfortunately referred to as 'Blair's Babes'), there are now women standing for a wide range of parties across the political spectrum. Alongside the ever-growing representation of BAME members in Parliament, these women are revolutionising Britain's political landscape like never before. Highlighting the profiles of each woman MP elected from 1997 to 2019, and written by an impressive array of solely female contributors, such as Emily Thornberry, Edwina Currie, Ayesha Hazarika, Natalie Bennett and Dia Chakravarty, The Honourable Ladies: Volume II is the second instalment in a compelling and comprehensive project to honour the lives and achievements of these unforgettable women.

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Both as chief reporter and news editor for nearly twenty years at the now defunct News of the World, Neville Thurlbeck is uniquely placed to give an insider's view of life on the paper. Thurlbeck served up some of the most famous, memorable and notorious headlines in the paper's existence; headlines that lit up the world of tabloid journalism and included names such as David Beckham, Jeffrey Archer, Fred and Rose West, Gordon Brown and Robin Cook, among many others. In Tabloid Secrets, he reveals for the very first time how he broke the award-winning stories which thrilled, excited and shocked the nation, and secured the paper up to fifteen million readers every week. His journalism led him into encounters with Cabinet ministers, rent boys, sports stars, serial killers, drug lords and on one occasion a devil-worshipping police officer. Stories that will fascinate the reader and ensure that this book is a real page turner. Thurlbeck's undercover, investigative work is revealed in great detail, with the methods and subterfuge explained. It also describes how the reporter was recruited to MI5, the characters he met and the type of work he carried out there.Ultimately, Tabloid Secrets is a journey through a world which has vanished for good, by the best-known reporter of recent times. It is a vivid, surprising and wildly entertaining insider account of a Fleet Street which is suddenly no more.

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David Laws was one of the key Lib Dem MPs who negotiated the coalition deal, and the book includes his in-depth, behind the scenes, account of the talks with the Conservative and Labour teams after the General Election, as well as the debates within his own party about how the Lib Dems should respond to the challenges and threats of a hung parliament. The Liberal Democrats' and Conservatives' decision to form a Coalition government has changed the face of British politics. This book sets out the inside story of how this momentous event unfolded, and how - together - the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have started to address the challenge of a massive government budget deficit.

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With a background as a special forces soldier, Holger Berg is framed as a deniable pawn in a murky plan to rescue the hostage.

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Just One More Goal is the acutely observed story of the development of modern football, as seen through the eyes of one man, David Pleat.

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A history of how spies and culture have alwaysbeen interlinked, from Shakespeare to Bond.

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This essential work looks at the background to the HamasIsrael war and asks whether the international system can contain two simultaneous wars in Europe and the Levant.

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The 2017 general election was supposed to be a walkover for the Conservative Party – but the voters had other ideas. In The Lost Majority, Lord Ashcroft draws on his unique research to explain why the thumping victory the Tories expected never happened. His findings reveal what real voters made of the campaign, why Britain refused Theresa May’s appeal for a clear mandate to negotiate Brexit and where the party now stands after more than a decade of `modernisation’ . And, critically, Ashcroft examines the challenges the Tories face in building a winning coalition when 13 million votes is no longer enough for outright victory. This is an indispensible guide that will provide food for thought to anyone wishing to examine in detail what really happened on 8 June, 2017, and how this will impact on future elections.

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Fox hunting with Godfrey Bloom; lunching on expenses with Janice Atkinson;talking 'shock and awful' campaign tactics with Douglas Carswell - nothingis off the table when you're on the trail of UKlP's People's Army.Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 meets Louis Theroux, FollowingFarage recounts one hack's journey as he follows, drinks with, laughs atand even occasionally defends the phenomenon that is the United Kingdomlndependence Party as it prepares to march upon Westminster.With exclusive interviews and unfettered access to all the disgracedgenerals, trusty foot soldiers, deserters and dissenters who make up itsranks, Bennett delivers the inside scoop on what makes the People's Armytick - all the while making the transition from elbowed-out hanger-on tothe journalist Farage calls for an honest, post-election run-down of events.From the initial skirmishes and battle plans (the successful and thescuppered) to the explosive events of the battle for No. 10 itself -and the all-out civil war that broke out in its aftermath - FollowingFarage leaves no stone unturned, avenue untrod or pint undrunkin its quest for the truth about Britain's newest and mostcontroversial political force.

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Success, failure, heroism, stupidity, talent, skulduggery - Upton Park has seen it all. If supporting his club for fifty years has taught Brian Williams one thing it's that football fans defi nitely need a sense of humour - how else would they cope with the trials and tribulations that are part and parcel of cheering on their team? In this frank and funny take on the travails of a die-hard football supporter, Williams takes a nostalgic look back at some of the great players, great triumphs and great calamities that have marked West Ham's time at Upton Park, exploring the club's influence on its fans, the East End and football as a whole over the course of a lifetime. A Fever Pitch for the Premier League generation, Nearly Reach the Sky is an anecdotal journey through the seminal goals, games, fouls and finals, told with all the comedy, tragedy and irrationality fans of any team will recognise. This is a witty, fond, passionate and poignant tribute to the end of an era at Upton Park, as well as a universal meditation on the perks and perils of football fandom.

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Both Sides of the Couch is a searingly honest account of how counselling shapes both clients and therapists. A unique window into therapy, it shows, for the first time, the journey through the eyes of both participants.

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Konrad Morgen pursued Nazi Germany's worst murderers from inside the SS. This is his incredible true story.

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In this fascinating biography, updated with new insight regarding Wilson's Downing Street affair with Janet Hewlett-Davies, Linda McDougall seeks to rescue Marcia from previously dismissive verdicts, suggesting a more nuanced perspective and restoring this trailblazing pioneer to her rightful place in British political history.

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Listed by the Sunday Times as one of the five best political books of 2015. Welfare states have spread across the globe, transforming modern civilisation. But the take-over is often going badly. In Marseilles, armed drug gangs dominate the social housing estates. In America, an outstandingly rich country, 45 million people are dependent on food stamps. In Britain, the NHS has one of the worst records for cancer care in the advanced world. Many countries are raising more in taxes but nevertheless getting deeper into debt because of their burgeoning welfare states. All around the world, behaviour is being damaged by welfare state dependency while governments become more and more like Big Brother, telling us what we must do. James Bartholomew travelled around the world seeing how cultures and lives are being changed - seeing what is going wrong but also looking for countries where they are making a better job of it. His book is an unparalleled investigation in which he tells the story of the people and places he visited. He takes the reader on a journey, which includes burnt-out cars in France, a tough-minded benefits office in Singapore and innovative hospitals in Spain.The narrative is supplemented with many photos and graphs that demonstrate and explain. The book is like a window on the modern world.

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On 12 October 1984, an IRA bomb exploded inside Brighton’s Grand Hotel, killing five people and injuring thirty. It was an assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were staying there for the Conservative party conference. While the bombing was deplorable, the story of how people reacted to it is an inspiring one. People refused to be beaten by what had happened; they got on with their jobs and their lives – a theme with, sadly, a strong resonance in present-day Britain. In Something Has Gone Wrong, Brighton journalist Steve Ramsey speaks to those who were there on the day and involved in its aftermath, many of whom have never spoken publicly about it before. His interviewees include: firemen who worked on the long rescue operation; medics from the local hospital; police officers who rushed to the scene; detectives who played key roles in the criminal investigation; and cabinet ministers and high-ranking civil servants, who describe how the conference continued and how the government pursued business as usual. Incorporating fascinating new insights and information, the author has produced a portrait of this shocking event which combines narrative clarity with the vividness of oral history, and reads like a thriller.

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On 15 April 1989, ninety-six spectators lost their lives at Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium as they gathered for an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The events of that spring afternoon sparked a controversy that continues to reverberate through British football and policing to this day.Norman Bettison, a Chief Inspector in the South Yorkshire Police at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, witnessed the tragedy as a spectator at the match. Since then, he has found himself one of the focal points of outrage over the actions of the police. Comments he made in the wake of the Hillsborough Independent Panel in 2012 stoked further criticism in the press and in Parliament and, in October 2012, he resigned from his job as Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.This personal account describes how the Hillsborough disaster unfolded, provides an insight into what was happening at South Yorkshire Police headquarters in the aftermath, and gives an objective and compassionate account of the bereaved families' long struggle for justice, all the while charting the author's journey from innocent bystander to a symbol of a perceived criminal conspiracy.

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In May 2017, Alan Pickering won the award for the `Greatest Single Contribution to Occupational Pensions (1998-2017)' at the Professional Pensions UK Pension Awards. It was a well-received tribute to the role he had played for more than twenty years. The Pickering Report, commissioned by the Blair government, had been a blunt, brutally honest and pragmatic assessment of what needed to be done if Britain's leadership position in occupational pensions was to be maintained. In this biography, Paddy Briggs, who worked closely with the subject, focuses on the world of pensions and Pickering's leading role in it. But the story is broader and more human than the highly technical world of retirement benefits. Pickering is a baby boomer who grew up in modest circumstances in the City of York. As a child, he was diagnosed with a degenerative eyesight disease, and by his twenties he was totally blind. His disability became more of a spur to ambition and accomplishment than a restraint. This included athletic achievements such as running marathons and being a serious participant in competitive race walking. He has reached the highest levels in the world of financial services and also became a well-known racehorse owner and a vice-president of the Racehorse Owners Association.

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Whether it’s an unforeseen financial crash, a shock election result or a washout summer that threatens to ruin a holiday in the sun, forecasts are part and parcel of our everyday lives. We rely wholeheartedly on them, and become outraged when things don’t go exactly to plan. But should we really put so much trust in predictions? Perhaps gut instincts can trump years of methodically compiled expert knowledge? And when exactly is a forecast not a forecast? Forewarned will answer all of these intriguing questions, and many more. Packed with fun anecdotes and startling facts, Forewarned is a myth-busting guide to prediction, based on the very latest scientific research. It lays out the many ways forecasting can help us make better decisions in an unpredictable modern world, and reveals when forecasts can be a reliable guide to the uncertainties of the future – and when they are best ignored.

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Donald Trump's election as President of the United States confounded the pundits and crowned a year of political surprises. In Hopes And Fears, Lord Ashcroft sets out in compelling detail why America sent Trump to the White House. With the rigorous research and analysis that is his hallmark, he argues that - contrary many people's assumptions - the American people made the choice with their eyes wide open. We hear from swing-state voters in their own words as they wrestle with their decision and explain why they, and their country, want change - with all the risks it may entail. Drawing the parallels with the UK's Brexit referendum, the book explores the lessons of 2016 for both parties, the divisions within the American electorate and what they mean for the future. For anyone wondering how America came to choose its new leader, Hopes And Fears has the answers.

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As the party that has won wars, reversed recessions and held prime ministerial power more times than any other, the Conservatives have played an undoubtedly crucial role in the shaping of contemporary British society. And yet, the leaders who have stood at its helm - from Sir Robert Peel to David Cameron, via Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher - have steered the party vessel with enormously varying degrees of success.;With the widening of the franchise, revolutionary changes to social values and the growing ubiquity of the media, the requirements, techniques and goals of Conservative leadership since the party's nineteenth-century factional breakaway have been forced to evolve almost beyond recognition - and not all its leaders have managed to keep up.;This comprehensive and enlightening book considers the attributes and achievements of each leader in the context of their respective time and diplomatic landscape, offering a compelling analytical framework by which they may be judged, detailed personal biographies from some of the country's foremost political critics, and exclusive interviews with former leaders themselves.; An indispensable contribution to the study of party leadership, British Conservative Leaders is the essential guide to understanding British political history and governance through the prism of those who created it.;Contributing authors include Matthew d'Ancona, Tim Bale, Stuart Ball, Jim Buller, John Campbell, John Charmley, Charles Clarke, Mark Davies, Patrick Diamond, David Dutton, Dr Mark Garnett, Richard A. Gaunt, William Hague, Angus Hawkins, Timothy Heppell, Andrew Holt, Michael Howard, Toby S. James, Nigel Keohane, Jo-Anne Nadler, T. G. Otte, Anne Perkins, Robert Saunders, Anthony Seldon, Andrew Taylor, D. R. Thorpe and Alan Wager.

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The idea of authenticity - deliciously vague and as ubiquitous as Starbucks - has hit the spot in almost every sector of 21st-century life. But can we trust the authentic image of Nigel 'man-of-the-people' Farage, Sarah 'hockey mom' Palin or Gwyneth 'inner life' Paltrow? Are punk bands, distressed denim and rustic furniture really as spontaneous as people seem to think? Is bare-brick Shoreditch just one big authenticity scam? From motivational speakers to PR consultants, music entrepreneurs to devoted foodies, bearded hipsters to earnest YouTubers - and, yes, politicians too - 'authentic' has become the buzzword of our age. But, as Peter York has discovered, its meaning has changed and become corrupted: every advertising agency, micro-connoisseur and charlatan going has re-tooled the language of authenticity for our changing market and it is now practically impossible for us to differentiate between authentic and 'authentic'. Drawing on witty anecdotes and analysing various spheres of everyday life, Peter has set out to uncover the truth behind authenticity - the ultimate con of our generation. Provocations is a groundbreaking new series of short polemics composed by some of the most intriguing voices in contemporary culture and edited by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. Sharp, intelligent and controversial, Provocations provides insightful contributions to the most vital discussions in society today.

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'Through thick and thin, never separate. Stick together, guard each other, and live for one another.' As Hitler's war intensified, the Ovitz family would have good reason to stand by their mother's mantra. Descending from the cattle train into the death camp of Auschwitz, all twelve emerged in 1945 as survivors - the largest family to survive intact. What saved them? Ironically, the fact that they were sought out by the 'Angel of Death' himself - Dr Joseph Mengele. For seven of the Ovitzes were dwarfs - and not just any dwarfs, but a beloved and highly successful vaudeville act known as the Lilliput Troupe. Together, they were the only all-dwarf ensemble with a full show of their own in the history of entertainment. The Ovitzes intrigued Mengele, and amongst the thousands on whom he performed his loathsome experiments, they became his prize 'patients': 'You're something special, not like the rest of them.' It was this disturbing affection that saved their lives. After being plunged into the darkest moments in modern history, this remarkable troupe emerged with spirits undimmed, and went on to light up Europe and Israel, which offered them a new home, with their unique performances. Giants reveals their moving and inspirational story.

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Not for everyone the title of Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary or other such hallowed callings; the vast majority of the House of Commons is made up of backbenchers - the power behind the constitutionally elected throne. Here is a guide for anyone and everyone fascinated by the quirks and foibles of Westminster Palace, covering all species of backbencher and providing every hardworking MP and political enthusiast with the know-how to survive life in Parliament. From how to address the crowd, weather marital troubles and socialise at party conference to the all-important Backbenchers' Commandments, How to be an MP is indispensable reading for anyone wishing to make a mark from the back bench and influence proceedings in the House. And in the process it provides the outsider with a riveting insight into life as a Member.

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The British codebreakers at Bletchley Park are now believed to have shortened the duration of the Second World War by up to two years. During the dark days of 1941, as Britain stood almost alone against the the Nazis, this remarkable achievement seemed impossible. This extraordinary book, originally published as Action This Day, includes descriptions by some of Britain's foremost historians of the work of Bletchley Park, from the breaking ofEnigma and other wartime codes to the invention of modern computing, and its influence on Cold War codebreaking. Crucially, it features personal reminiscences and very human stories of wartime codebreaking from former Bletchley Park codebreakers themselves. This edition includes new material from one of those who was there, making The Bletchley Park Codebreakers compulsive reading. The best collection of military, espionage, and adventure stories ever told. The Dialogue Espionage Classics series began in 2010 with the purpose of bringing back classic out-of-print spying and espionage tales. From WWI and WWII to the Cold War, D-Day to the SOE, Bletchley Park to the Comet Line this fascinating spy history series brings you the best stories that should never be forgotten.

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Michael Ashcroft's new book follows the journey of a politician who has quickly become an outspoken and charismatic presence in British public life and who promises to be a lively addition to the government should Labour win the next general election.

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With the strong possibility of Labour forming our next government, it is fascinating to consider the last time the party stood on the verge of power, back in 1997. At that time, future Europe Minister Denis MacShane had a ringside seat that he would occupy for the next decade or so, living through Cool Britannia, the Good Friday Agreement, Peter Mandelson’s multiple resignations, Princess Diana’s death and Tony Blair’s seeming invincibility. New Labour may be remembered as an unstoppable force, but MacShane’s diaries reveal that while, outwardly, all seemed to be going well, the personal rivalries, slights and petty jealousies between the party’s big beasts meant that it was never far from disaster. MacShane was a regular in Downing Street from the moment of Labour’s election victory, and his candid, intimate diaries show figures such as Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, Peter Mandelson, Clare Short and Alastair Campbell in a light in which they’ve never been seen before, detailing the personalities as much as the politics of Labour’s most successful stint in government.

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An extremely timely reevaluation of the lost Labour Prime Minister. The man who set the course for the last Labour government, and in whom many see the future of the next.

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"Sheer joy" - Patrick Barclay "Exhilarating" - When Saturday Comes "Perfect" - Josh Widdicombe Four years after the crowning glory of 1966, and a decade after the abolition of the maximum wage, a brash new era dawned in English football. As the 1970s took hold, a new generation of larger-than-life players and managers emerged, appearing on television sets in vivid technicolour for the first time. Set against a backdrop of strikes, political unrest, freezing winters and glam rock, Get It On tells the inside story of how commercialism, innovation, racism and hooliganism rocked the national game in the 1970s. Packed with interviews with the legends of the day, this footballing fiesta charts the emergence of Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Kevin Keegan and the fall of George Best, Alf Ramsey and Don Revie, presenting a vibrant portrait of the most groundbreaking decade in English football history.

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The turbulent years of 1895 to 1914 changed Britain's political landscape for ever. They saw a transition from aristocratic rule to mass politics and heralded a new agenda which still dominates today. The issues of the period - economic modernisation, social welfare and equality, secondary and technical education, a new role for Britain in the world - were complex and difficult. Indeed, they proved so thorny that despite the efforts of the Edwardians they remain among the most pressing problems we face in the twenty-first century. The period has often been seen as one of decadence, of the strange death of liberal Britain. In contrast, Vernon Bogdanor believes that the robustness of Britain's parliamentary and political institutions and her liberal political culture, with the commitment to rational debate and argument, were powerful enough to carry her through one of the most trying periods of her history and so make possible the remarkable survival of liberal Britain. In this wide-ranging and sometimes controversial survey, one of our pre-eminent political historians dispels the popular myths that have grown up about this critical period in Britain's story and argues that it set the scene for much that is laudable about our nation today.

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