Search results for ""biteback publishing""

In this extraordinary book, historian Tony Insall reveals how some of the most striking achievements of the Norwegian resistance were the detailed reports produced by intelligence agents living in the dangerous conditions of the country's desolate wilderness. A definitive appraisal of Anglo-Norwegian WWII cooperation, Secret Alliances provides remarkable insights into the uniquely close political relationship that afforded powerful assistance for a successful resistance movement. Using previously unpublished archival material from London, Oslo and Moscow, Insall explores how SIS and SOE developed productive links with their Norwegian counterparts - and examines the crucial intelligence from the Security Service and Bletchley Park codebreakers who supported their sabotage operations. Offering dramatic details on operations such as GUNNERSIDE - which targeted the heavy water plant in Vemork in order to foil the Nazis' plans to build an atomic bomb - and the sinking of the Tirpitz in November 1944, Secret Alliances is an authoritative new perspective on some of the most remarkable exploits of the Second World War.

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Housing is increasingly unaffordable in many parts of the UK, with prices and rents rising much faster than earnings because, over many decades, far too few homes have been built. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the homes shortage has become more acute - sending housing affordability to the top of the political agenda. Combining analysis with reportage, Home Truths draws on extensive interviews with cabinet ministers, civil servants, planning officials, leading property executives and priced-out homebuyers from across the country. Informed by deep economic research and political access at the highest level, the book is a no-holds-barred critique of the UK's chronic housing shortage, concluding with eye-catching policy proposals of direct relevance to both Parliament and regional and national government.

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Whenever a miscarriage of justice case hits the headlines, it is tempting to dismiss it as a shocking aberration. A mistake in a system that otherwise functions in a perfectly satisfactory fashion. This important book shows how the lack of an effective watchdog, failures in policing, poor legal defence in the wake of the legal aid pay freeze, an over-reliance on expert evidence and reluctance in the media to cover miscarriage cases has led to a growing crisis in the criminal justice system. If you think there's a safety net, think again. In 2017, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the watchdog established to oversee and prevent miscarriages of justice, celebrated its twentieth anniversary. The release of the Birmingham Six in 1991 set in train a series of events: a Royal Commission was launched which ultimately led to major structural reform of the justice system and the creation of an independent body to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice. It didn't fix the problem. Journalist and campaigner Jon Robins explodes the complacency that exists around our criminal justice system by examining a series of shocking cases where there are serious concerns about the safety of each conviction.

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In the days before mobile phones, the internet and 24-hour news channels, the easiest way for a British foreign correspondent to find out what was going on in the world was to phone the local office of Reuters news agency and ask: 'Is anything happening?'That's how the award-winning BBC reporter and presenter Robin Lustig started out in journalism, working for Reuters as an agency man. During a distinguished career spanning more than forty years, he watched the world of news change beyond recognition, as he reported on terror attacks, wars and political coups.In this witty and illuminating memoir, Lustig looks back on his life as a newsman, from coming under fire in Pakistan to reporting on the fall of the Berlin Wall; from meeting Nelson Mandela to covering Princess Diana's sudden death.Back in the studio, Lustig lets us in through the BBC's back door for a candid, behind-the-scenes look at some of his triumphs and disasters working for the nation's favourite broadcaster.He writes of his childhood as the son of refugees from Nazi Germany and, drawing on thirty years of reporting about the Middle East, he comes to a startling conclusion about the establishment of the state of Israel. Astute, incisive and frequently hilarious, Is Anything Happening? is both an irresistible personal memoir and an insightful reflection on world events over the past forty-five years.

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In a period when Western military engagement has unleashed violent sectarianism global terrorism, and become a catalyst for the biggest exodus of migrants since the Second World War, the 1999 Nato intervention in Kosovo remains a unique and shining example of a process that led to a peaceful transition from vicious ethnic war to modern democracy. Less than twenty years ago, a young ethnic Albanian student leader called Hashim Thaci, led a revolution against Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian tyrant with the biggest military force in Europe, and convinced the West to bomb Belgrade out of Kosovo. The aerial bombardment beckoned a period of unrivalled peace in the Balkans which Western leaders who sought to subsequently overturn other tyrannies in foreign lands would view with envy as a rare successful model. Nato intervention in Kosovo, led by Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, resulted in democracy and the rule of law. By contrast, however, attempts by George W.Bush to effect regime change in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by America, Britain and France to do the same in Libya, have left lethal power vacuums filled by Islamist insurgents, and brought about the downfall of Western leaders themselves. This book is the story of the rare success of Western military intervention and the first biography of the new President of Kosovo, the youngest country in Europe.

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A cult football figure, Vince Hilaire's career spanned over 600 games and took in spells at Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Leeds United and Stoke City, playing in every professional division as well as for England at Youth and Under 21 levels. Hilaire shared a dressing room with some of the stars of the era including Kenny Sansom, Mick Channon, Gordon Strachan and Vinnie Jones, and was managed by some of the biggest figures in British football - Malcolm Allison, Terry Venables, Alan Ball and Howard Wilkinson. This book offers a fascinating insight into the methods of these managers - Allison and Venables' desperation to produce a side that rivalled the free-flowing football of the famous `Busby Babes', contrasting with the dourness and rigidity of Wilkinson's Leeds. One of the first black players to break into the professional game, Vince made his professional debut at seventeen and was a member of the famous `Team of the `80s at Palace that topped the First Division table. He details exactly why that team fell apart so quickly and the chaos that subsequently engulfed the club. Vince also outlines the regular abuse that he faced as a young black player making his way in football and the dread he felt playing at certain grounds. This massively entertaining autobiography gives a fascinating insight into the beautiful game as it used to be played.

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Millicent was a leader who inspired her followers by her capacity to carry on in spite of prejudiced rebuttals and political deception. She was a trooper and her unusual story needs to be read by anyone interested in the lives of women and in the history of our democracy and equal rights.

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Britain is run by people who are bluffing. At the top of our government, our media, the civil service and business sit men - it's usually men - whose core skill is talking fast, writing well, and endeavouring to imbue the purest wind with substance. They know a little bit about everything, and an awful lot about nothing. We know because we've seen them - and we've been those men. We live in a country where George Osborne can become a newspaper editor despite never working in news, squeezing it in alongside five other jobs; where a columnist can go from calling a foreign head of state a wanker to being Foreign Secretary in six months; where the minister who holds on to his job for eighteen months has more experience on the job than the supposedly permanent senior civil servants. The UK establishment has signed up to the cult of winging it, of pretending to hold all the aces when you actually hold a pair of twos. It prizes `transferable skills', rewarding the general over the specific - and yet across the country we struggle to hire doctors, engineers, coders and more. This book chronicles how the UK became hooked on bluffing, how it became what we teach, what we promote, and the rules of a game that we all feel the consequences of - and why we have to stop it.

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Margaret Thatcher’s premiership changed the face of modern Britain. Yet few people know of the critical role played by Jews in sparking and sustaining her revolution. Was this chance, choice, or simply a reflection of the fact that, as the Iron Lady herself said: `I just wanted a Cabinet of clever, energetic people and frequently that turned out to be the same thing’? In this book, the first to explore Mrs Thatcher’s relationship with Britain’s Jewish community, Robert Philpot shows that her regard did not come simply from representing a constituency with more Jewish voters than any other, but stretched back to her childhood. She saw her own philosophical beliefs expressed in the values of Judaism – and in it, too, she saw elements of her beloved father’s Methodist teachings. Margaret Thatcher: The Honorary Jew explores Mrs Thatcher’s complex and fascinating relationship with the Jewish community and draws on archives and a wide range of memoirs and exclusive interviews, ranging from former Cabinet ministers to political opponents. It reveals how Immanuel Jakobovits, the Chief Rabbi, assisted her fight with the Church of England and how her attachment to Israel led her to internal battles as a member of Edward Heath’s government and as Prime Minister, as well as examining her relationships with various Israeli leaders.

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As a boy, Ken Hom lived hand-to-mouth in the slums of Chicago's Chinatown. Today, he is one of the most celebrated TV chefs of all time, the man who showed the British how to cook Asian food and introduced the nation to the wok.This is the story of that remarkable journey.Aged just eight months when his father died, Ken was raised by his mother in an atmosphere of punishing poverty. But no matter how little they had, they ate well. Life would change when, at the age of eleven, Ken landed a job in his uncle's Chinese restaurant. From these humble beginnings, he travelled the globe and went on to become one of the world's greatest authorities on Asian food. His wildly popular books have inspired millions of home cooks, and he paved the way for a generation of celebrity chefs.High-spirited and frequently funny, My Stir-Fried Life is the epicurean's epic - a gastronomic narrative that lifts the spirits, tantalises the taste buds and feeds the soul of anyone and everyone who loves cooking, from the keen novice to the accomplished connoisseur.

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Part memoir, part manifesto, part history, We Are What We Read is not just about how education can place you back on the right side of the tracks. It is also a rallying cry for the importance of literature in a world where the arts are being squeezed out at every level and where book bans in schools and libraries have surged to record highs.

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When her beloved small dog died, Bel Mooney was astonished at the depth of her ongoing sorrow. Sharing her loss online and in a newspaper article brought a deluge of responses, spurring Bel to explore these feelings further. Why do humans mourn pets? Can animals themselves grieve - and do they have souls? In Goodbye, Pet & See You in Heaven, Bel sets off on an emotional journey to learn more about pet bereavement. She is astounded by inexplicable 'signs' of her dog's spirit, watches Bonnie's ashes being turned into glass, talks to experts and discusses the mysterious enduring energy of love. She discovers why Ancient Egyptians mummified animals and what different faiths, myths, writers and scientists have to say. She also looks back over her own life and reflects on lessons learned from companion animals - and from wildlife too. As informative as it is deeply moving, Goodbye, Pet is an intensely personal, uplifting look at the love we share with pets, both in life and afterwards. Enriched by heartfelt stories and inspirational words, it is a book to be treasured by anyone who has ever loved an animal.

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One of the most misunderstood and oft-caricatured jobs in British politics, whips are the unseen, unsung heroes of the parliamentary system, without whom governments would doubtless crumble and legislative business would almost certainly grind to a halt. Whips are shrouded in mystery, however, often portrayed in the media and by colleagues as a brutish, bullying bunch of thugs with a reputation for using blackmail and torture to achieve party discipline and get legislation through the House.How to Be a Government Whip is a frank and light-hearted guide to the forgotten engine room of Parliament, perfect for those who aspire to be amongst their ranks as well as those just hoping to avoid them. From the mind-numbing tedium of debates to the dark arts of dealing with rebellious or disaffected members of their 'flock', former whip Helen Jones reveals how they really get business done - and what they say about their colleagues behind the closed door of the Whips' Office.

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'Set Europe ablaze.' The order came from Churchill himself. The result was the Special Operations Executive - the SOE. Established in 1941 with the aim of supplying occupied France with a steady stream of highly trained resistance agents, this clandestine second world war network grew to become a crucial part of the allied arsenal. Ingeniously engineering acts of sabotage, resistance and terror in the face of the occupying Nazis, the SOE dealt devastating and fatal blows to the German war effort - and directly contributed to the rapid and successful advance of Allied forces across France in the days and months after D-Day. At the head of the French operations stood Colonel Maurice James Buckmaster, the leader of the SOE's French Section. These are his extraordinary memoirs. A lost classic, now available for the first time after many decades, They Fought Alone offers a unique insight into the courageous triumphs and terrible fates of the SOE's agents between 1941 and 1944. This new edition includes an introduction by intelligence historian Michael Smith that deals with the recent controversy surrounding Buckmaster, restoring his reputation as one of the most important figures in the resistance to the Nazis. 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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For ten years Gary McKinnon became the unwilling focus of Anglo-US diplomatic relations. A computer systems analyst living in London, he firmly believed that the US government was withholding vital information about the presence of UFOs. The unremarkable lives of he and his mother Janis changed dramatically one morning in March 2002 when Gary phoned to tell her that he had been arrested and spent four hours at his local police station being interviewed about hacking into US government computers. Paul J McNulty, the then U.S Attorney for Virginia, announced that Gary was indicted in Alexandria, Virginia on November 12th that year, and simultaneously announced that the United States intended to extradite him. Two years later, on 7 October 2004, the US government filed a request for Gary's extradition and on 7 June 2005 he was arrested. Extradition to the US seemed certain and so, fearing that Gary would take his own life rather than face being taken away to face seven counts of up to ten years each, Janis's extraordinary battle began. Janis Sharp spent the following ten years and seven months fighting her son's extradition. In October 2012 she finally won her battle and in December 2012 the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Gary would not face charges in the UK either. These two announcements were a spectacular victory for Janis and spoke volumes about her relentless fight to save Gary's life. Saving Gary McKinnon is the true story of a mother's fight to save her son from living out the rest of his life behind bars. The US judiciary had all the might of the world's greatest power. But it had not reckoned on Gary's mother.

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Paul Dukes was sent into Russia in 1918, shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution. His role was to keep the British spy networks in place during the "Red Terror", when the Cheka secret police were killing large numbers of opponents of the communist regime. Dukes operated under a variety of covers, the most daring of which was as a member of the Cheka itself. On his return the British government publicised his role to prove their case against the Bolsheviks, knighting him publicly and awarding him the Victoria Cross.

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The courageous pilots of the Royal Air Force who faced the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, affectionately known as 'the Few', are rightly hailed as heroes. Recently, efforts have been made to recognise the thousands who supported RAF operations behind the scenes. And yet one group remains missing from the narrative: the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. WAAFs worked within the Dowding System, the world's most sophisticated air defence network. Throughout the Blitz, they used radar to aid Fighter and Bomber Commands in protecting Britain's civilians. WAAFs were also behind the discovery of the terrifying German V-weapons. Their work was critical ahead of the Normandy landings and they were present in their hundreds at Bletchley Park. In this thrilling book, Sarah-Louise Miller celebrates their wartime contribution to British military intelligence. Hidden behind the Few but vital to their success, WAAFs supplied the RAF with life-saving information. Here, for the first time, is their story.

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Barely a week goes by without the Metropolitan Police being plunged into a new crisis. Demoralised, 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. The result is a devastating picture of a police force riven with corruption, misogyny and incompetence. Throughout this fully updated edition, which includes an assessment of Mark Rowley's first year as commissioner and the Met's failure to adequately vet the likes of Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, Tom Harper makes use of intelligence files, witness statements and first-hand accounts to explain 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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The welcome given to refugees from fascist Europe is part of our fond nostalgia for Britain's role in the Second World War, nestling in our imagination next to images of evacuees clutching teddy bears, and milkmen picking their way through bomb rubble during the Blitz. But there is a darker side to this story. Then, as now, there was great suspicion, resentment and fear towards new arrivals, much of it kindled by the tabloid press. Then, as now, politicians dealt with a reluctance to accommodate refugees by hiding behind bureaucratic hurdles and obfuscation. Many of the 10,000 Kindertransport children who arrived here in the late 1930s have warm memories of the kindness they were shown, but half a million refugees were refused entry and most of them died as a result. And those who were accepted found their troubles far from over. While Britain fearfully awaited invasion in 1940, 30,000 Jews were interned as 'enemy aliens' and some were sent off to the colonies on dangerous and sometimes fatal voyages. Nor were Jews the only refugees clamouring for the thin gruel of public sympathy. Those fleeing fascism and civil war elsewhere in Europe found that whether they were met with kindness or hostility depended on the locals' political affiliations and newspapers of choice. Interweaving personal testimonies with historical sources, Paul Dowswell casts a fresh eye on the wartime era, painting a vivid picture of what life was really like for Britain's refugees.

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'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' The courageous pilots of the Royal Air Force who faced the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, affectionately known as 'the Few', are rightly hailed as heroes. Recently, efforts have been made to recognise the thousands who supported RAF operations behind the scenes. And yet one group remains missing from the narrative: the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. The Women Behind the Few explores the Second World War from the perspective of the WAAFs working behind the scenes to collect and disseminate vital intelligence - intelligence that resulted in Allied victory. WAAFs worked within the Dowding System, the world's most sophisticated air defence network, as well as in the Y Service, intercepting German communications. Throughout the Blitz, they used radar to aid Fighter and Bomber Commands in protecting Britain's civilians. WAAFs also assisted with the Allied offensive bombing campaign and were behind the discovery of the terrifying German V-weapons. Their work was critical ahead of the Normandy landings and they were present in their hundreds at Bletchley Park. In this thrilling book, Sarah-Louise Miller brings the women of the force back to life, celebrating their wartime contribution to British military intelligence. Hidden behind the Few but vital to their success, WAAFs supplied the RAF with life-saving information. Here, for the first time, is their story.

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A Times Political Book of the Year A Daily Mail Political Book of the Year A Guardian Political Book of the Year An Independent Political Book of the Year Veering from the hilarious to the tragic, Andrew Mitchell's tales from the parliamentary jungle make for one of the most entertaining political memoirs in years. From his prep school years, straight out of Evelyn Waugh, through the Army to Cambridge, the City of London and the Palace of Westminster, Mitchell has passed through a series of British institutions at a time of furious social change - in the process becoming rather more cynical about the Establishment. Here, he brilliantly lifts the lid on its inner workings, from the punctilio of high finance to the dark arts of the government Whips' Office, and reveals how he accidentally started Boris Johnson's political career - an act which rebounded on him spectacularly. Engagingly honest about his ups and downs in politics, Beyond a Fringe is crammed with riotous political anecdotes and irresistible insider gossip from the heart of Westminster.

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When Covid-19 swept the world, governments scrambled to protect their citizens and chart a course back to normality. As Health Secretary, Matt Hancock was at the forefront of Britain's battle against the virus, trying to steer the country through the crisis in a world where information was scarce, judgements huge and the roadmap non-existent. Drawing on a wealth of never-before-seen material, including official records, his notes at the time and communications with all the key players in Britain's Covid-19 story, this candid account reveals the inner workings of government during a time of national crisis, reflecting on both the successes and the failures. Recounting the most important decisions in the race to develop a vaccine in record time and to build a nationwide testing capacity from the ground up, Pandemic Diaries provides the definitive account of Britain's battle to turn the tide against Covid-19. Crucially, it also offers an honest assessment of the lessons we need to learn to be prepared for next time - because there will be a next time.

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Should Wales leave the UK? It’s a conversation that has – unfairly – been all but disregarded by many, including some of the Welsh themselves, with all the focus on their Celtic cousins in Scotland. But independence movements are gaining momentum across Europe, and Wales will be a key voice in these debates. Support for Welsh autonomy is at an all-time high, with the latest polls suggesting as many as one in three are in favour. This is not just unprecedented; it is all but revolutionary. Scotland’s 2014 referendum taught us that once the independence genie is out of the bottle, it does not go back in. Meanwhile, the Brexit campaign demonstrated that these arguments come with inflated claims, misinformation and scaremongering that can easily poison a complex debate. In Independent Nation, Will Hayward brings nuance back to the arena for this crucial national conversation. Brimming with interviews from experts and painting a detailed, colourful picture of the realities of life in Wales – from extreme poverty and disconnected infrastructure to expensive urban regeneration and cafés of Gavin and Stacey fame – this is an open-eyed look at the truths and falsehoods around the country’s future. Impartial, informed and thoroughly entertaining, Independent Nation raises the standard of debate around an issue that will affect us all.

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"In 2015, when I ran to be mayor in Tower Hamlets, a smartly dressed middle-class man saw me wearing a headscarf and asked me what colour my hair was underneath it. I gave him a big smile. 'Pink,' I replied. Did I win his vote? I rather doubt it." Vivid, astute and full of humour, My Hair Is Pink Under This Veil offers a frank appraisal of life in modern Britain as seen through the eyes of a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. Rabina Khan writes with grace about her family's experiences building a new life in 1970s London before turning her attention to exploring the politics of the veil, white privilege and intersectional feminism. And in depicting her battle to build a successful political career against a backdrop of blame, bias and misogyny - including from her own community - Khan is clear-sighted about the struggles facing Muslim women today. Now fully updated with new material on the sexism facing women in politics, My Hair Is Pink Under This Veil is at its heart an inspiring story about the power of self-belief and determination to create a fairer world.

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"There are a few secrets," he tells me. "A few discoveries that I've never published. Some of the most powerful ones. I wouldn't betray them under torture." In a time of deep fakes, alternative truths and leaked secrets, it would be easy to think that we are surrounded by lies. While most people are shaking their heads and muttering dark things about the new levels of deceit, former Times journalist Kathleen Wyatt is busy marvelling at how society manages it. How do we do this extraordinary thing, often under the most ordinary of circumstances? When do we first do it, why do we do it and do we really tell more lies today? Wyatt goes deep into disinformation to find out - but given her own lies, can she even be trusted on this subject? In this brilliant, wide-ranging study of lies and lying, Wyatt introduces us to a cast of professionals and professional liars - from scientists to investigators, from double agents to toddler specialists, from a fallen titan of industry to a Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist. Together, they all help her prove a remarkable thesis: lies hold us together as much as they push us apart and they play a vital role in a healthy society.

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In politics, there are no prizes for second place. Luckily, seasoned campaign professionals Mark Pack and Edward Maxfield have distilled successful electoral tactics from around the globe into 101 bite-sized lessons to help steer you on the course to power. Learn how to pass the three-seconds test, why you should actually embrace online trolls, and why you must never, ever, forget the law of the left nostril. Packed with advice and practical tips, this new, fully updated third edition of the classic political guide reveals the insider secrets and skills you need to make sure you're in pole position on election day.

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Niklas Frank was just seven years old when his father, Hans Frank, Hitler's legal adviser and Governor General of occupied Poland, was executed at Nuremberg as a Nazi war criminal. Throughout his life, Niklas has attempted to come to terms with the enormity of the crimes his father committed, and this remarkable book traces how after years of research he uncovered the extent of the horror unleashed by the man who was known as the butcher of Poland. The Father is an extraordinary account of a scarred son struggling to comprehend the depravity of the acts that were committed by his father. Whereas other descendants of Hitler's henchmen and co-collaborators have tried to explain or to forget the crimes of their forebears, Niklas's disgust for his father's actions is unremitting. This book is his attempt to seek revenge. Featuring forewords by Philippe Sands and Sir Ian Kershaw, The Father is by turns shocking, twisted and heart-rending; a devastating settling of accounts written by a son addressing his father as he pictures him burning in the eternal fires of hell.

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"She woke with a start. Could it really have happened, or was it just a cruel dream? One way to find out. She reached for the remote control ... 'You're watching GB News, the fair and balanced way to start your day,' intoned the voice of Andrew Neil, overlaid on a remix of 'Land of Hope and Glory'. And then it hit her, as she took in the newsreader's first headline. 'The new Prime Minister, Priti Patel, is about to announce her first Cabinet appointments...' The new Prime Minister... So it was real." What does it take to change history? Clement Attlee dying on the battlefield, perhaps? John Lennon surviving that bullet, or Theresa May finally (finally!) passing her Brexit deal? Or maybe the pivotal recent years of UK history turned on one man's decision to have just one more drink... This is the world of political counterfactuals. Here, twenty-three fictional accounts, written by experts in their fields, tell the tales of what might have been - and what might still come to pass. Captivating and illuminating, these stories are guaranteed to make you smile - or gasp in horror...

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For over two centuries, the 'Irish question' has dogged UK politics. Though the Good Friday Agreement carved a fragile peace from the bloodshed of the Troubles, the Brexit process has shown a largely uncomprehending British audience just how uneasy that peace always was - and thrown new light on Northern Ireland's uncertain constitutional status. Remote from the British mainland in its politics, economy and cultural attitudes, Northern Ireland is, in effect, in an antechamber, its place within the UK conditional on the border poll guaranteed by the peace process. As shifting demographic trends erode the once-dominant Protestant-Unionist majority, making a future referendum a racing certainty, the reunification of Ireland becomes a question not of if but when - and how. In this new, fully updated edition of A United Ireland, Kevin Meagher argues that a reasoned, pragmatic discussion about Britain's relationship with its nearest neighbour is now long overdue, and questions that have remained unasked (and perhaps unthought) must now be answered.

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Remember when Zinedine Zidane lifted the World Cup in 1998? Kylian Mbappe doesn't. The forward wasn't born when the French team first became world champions. But it was Mbappe's unique talent that helped France reach the summit of world football once again in 2018, erasing years of failure, rancour and shame. For Les Bleus, the road between these two highs was blighted by bitterly painful lows. Zidane's headbutt; a players' strike; infighting and recriminations; even sex scandals and blackmail. Mbappe witnessed it all as he honed his prodigious talent in the banlieues of Paris, and his story embodies France's journey from disaster to triumph. In Sacre Bleu, Matthew Spiro traces the rise, fall and rise again of Les Bleus through the lens of Kylian Mbappe. Featuring a foreword by Arsene Wenger and interviews with leading figures in French football, Spiro asks what went wrong for France and what, ultimately, went right.

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Brexit - a revolutionary moment in British politics. Voters in long-forgotten English towns made their disenchantment clear, overwhelmingly voting to `take back control' from a remote and defective economic system. Despite this decisive message in 2016, the concerns of these forgotten towns have continued to be all but ignored. David Skelton grew up in Consett, a north-eastern town where the steel industry has deep roots. When the steelworks closed almost forty years ago it lost everything, a story echoed in towns across England. Skelton uses Consett's experience to discuss what has gone wrong and how we can put it right. He considers a broken social contract and the economic and identity liberalism which has neglected the needs of a great bulk of the population. Little Platoons calls for a revival of One Nation to recognise the needs of people in such towns. It argues that a brave Tory Party can shatter decades-old boundaries and redraw the political map by marrying social reform with private enterprise, enhancing community values and allowing long-ignored voters to genuinely take back control.

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Screwed is the inside story of the collapse of HM Prison Service told from the front line.

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Before Pep Guardiola and before Jose Mourinho, there was Bela Guttmann: the first superstar football coach, and the man who paved the way for the celebrated coaches of the modern age. He was also a Holocaust survivor. In 1944, much of Europe had wanted Guttmann dead. He hid for months in an attic near Budapest as thousands of fellow Jews in the neighbourhood were dragged off to be murdered. Later, he escaped from a slave labour camp before a planned deportation and almost certain death. His father, sister and wider family were murdered. But by 1961, as coach of Benfica, he had lifted Europe's greatest sporting prize, the European Cup, a feat he repeated the following year. This biography spans two contrasting visions of Europe: one of barbarism and genocide, and one of beauty, wonder and romance, of balmy evenings in magnificent cities, where great players would stretch every sinew in a bid to win football's holy grail. With dark forces rising once again in that continent, the story of Bela Guttmann's life asks the question: which vision will triumph in our times?

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The vertiginous decline in political leadership from Nelson Mandela to Jacob Zuma has engulfed South Africa in a serious crisis over the past `lost decade'. Based on his personal experience of the key protagonists, former British ambassador to South Africa Lord Renwick introduces the reader to an astonishing array of rogues and villains, ministers taken captive, crimebusters who are criminals, investigators who don't investigate, prosecutors who don't prosecute, red berets, black hearts and compulsive liars, alongside some heroes and an authentic heroine. The book reads like a crime novel as Renwick explores the ingenuity, audacity and impunity with which the South African state has been looted on an unimaginable scale, and how Bell Pottinger, KPMG, McKinsey and others became complicit in this process. But, in the end, this is an uplifting story, as a remarkable press, judiciary and civil society combined to `save South Africa' and its constitution under serious threat. Now, as Cyril Ramaphosa takes the reins, How to Steal a Country looks ahead to a brighter future, though Ramaphosa will find that his greatest challenges are within his own party.

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In this long-awaited book Donald Trelford recalls his adventures and misadventures during nearly sixty years in journalism. Described as the 'Rocky Marciano of newspaper politics', he fought off politicians, owners and predators over a quarter-century at The Observer, including Rupert Murdoch, who said afterwards: 'I made the mistake of underestimating Donald Trelford.' One owner sold The Observer because the editor refused to bow to pressure to support Margaret Thatcher. Another tried to sack him for writing the first report of atrocities committed by Robert Mugabe's forces in Zimbabwe. He tells for the first time the inside story of his complex relationship with Tiny Rowland - often tense, sometimes hilarious - and about his role in the notorious Pamella Bordes affair. He recalls how he was held at gunpoint by the FBI and strip-searched by the KGB. How a black dictator poked him in the chest and yelled: 'Keep out of my politics, white man.' While he was editor, The Observer won more press awards than any other newspaper. Trelford himself was described by Peter Preston, the former Guardian editor, as "a crusader...multi-talented, hands-on, a master of sport as well as news, shrewd and decisive. " Written with style and humour, this is a compelling account of an important period in the history of the British press.

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Brighton Up tells the story of how Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club bounced back from the heartbreak of missing out on promotion to the Premier League by the narrowest of margins, to achieve that ultimate goal earlier this month. Acclaimed sports journalist Nick Szczepanik, a lifelong Brighton fan with strong contacts at the club, documents its travails over two turbulent seasons.The book explains how the Seagulls, written off as certainties for relegation to League One before the 2015–16 season, overcame the loss of one of their own in the Shoreham Air Show tragedy to go on a record unbeaten run. But although top scorers in the Championship, they fell agonisingly short of their target of automatic promotion by a single goal, then lost out again in the lottery of the play-offs.The football world expected them to be crushed by disappointment and outspent by the big guns of Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa, but instead they regrouped and came back stronger in 2016–17.Led by experienced and inscrutable manager Chris Hughton and backed by owner Tony Bloom – the worldclass poker player nicknamed 'The Lizard' for his ice-cold blood – they played with a determination not to let the heartbreak happen again.

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In this definitive account of the momentous In/Out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, Sky News Senior Political Correspondent Jason Farrell teams up with blogger and Economics and Politics teacher Paul Goldsmith to provide the definitive explanation of what led to one of the biggest shocks in political history - Brexit. The product of extensive and refreshingly frank interviews with the key players in both campaigns, coupled with a thorough exploration of the historical decisions that led to Britain's departure, How to Lose a Referendum takes us from the creation of the European Union after the Second World War to David Cameron's renegotiation in 2016 and its astonishing aftermath. It looks at what went wrong with the EU brand, the treaties and the changes and consequences that came with them, and asks why a project designed to promote peace and prosperity was ultimately so hard to defend. Along the way, Farrell and Goldsmith identify eighteen key reasons why the UK chose to leave.In each case whether it be an individual like Nigel Farage, social change such as the rise of a disaffected electorate, or the failure of the remainers' message to hit home - the authors dig deep to get to the root of the issue.

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With a foreword by Isabel Hardman HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED...how people feel about sleeping with the political enemy? ...whether gambling markets are best at predicting political outcomes? ...who Santa Claus would vote for? Then look no further. More Sex, Lies and the Ballot Box brings us another collection of concise chapters penned by leading political experts and delving into the fascinating field of electoral politics. Following on from the success of its bestselling predecessor, this illuminating book shines a light on how we vote in Britain and around the world. You'll learn about the shifting landscape of party politics and the perceptions and misconceptions that shape our opinions of our politicians and of each other. You'll learn about the factors informing voter habits - from class, race and gender to the internet and the weather. You'll also learn which political party has the most sexually satisfied supporters. Forget mind-numbing numbers and difficult demographics. This sharp and frequently hilarious volume is fizzing with accessible facts and figures that are more than just conversation starters - they're unexpected insights into the human condition.

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Early in the morning of 4 March 2015, a fierce knock at the door heralded the start of a new chapter in Harvey Proctor's almost continuous relationship with the police and media, when officers from the Metropolitan Police raided his home in connection with Operation Midland, Scotland Yard's investigation into allegations of a historic Westminster paedophile ring.In Credible and True - words famously used by the police to describe the allegations of Proctor's traducer - the former Conservative MP talks frankly about his life in and out of Parliament, from the struggles and controversy surrounding his resignation in 1987 to the numerous homophobic attacks endured since - one of which, revealed here in horrific detail for the first time, was a very nearly successful attempt on his life.Finally, he speaks candidly about his most recent embroilment in Operation Midland, of being the victim of a 'homosexual witch-hunt' that has all but destroyed his reputation, adding to the topical debate about police lack of due process in the post-Savile world of 'guilty until proven innocent'.

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Revised and updated edition of the essential guide to what will happen if Britain leaves the EU, and how it will affect you.

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When Captain Ridley's shooting partyA" arrived at Bletchley Park in 1939 no-one would have guessed that by 1945 the guests would number nearly 10,000 and that collectively they would have contributed decisively to the Allied war effort. Their role? To decode the Enigma cypher used by the Germans for high-level communications. It is an astonishing story. A melting pot of Oxbridge dons maverick oddballs and more regular citizens worked night and day at Station X, as Bletchley Park was known, to derive intelligence information from German coded messages. Bear in mind that an Enigma machine had a possible 159 million million million different settings and the magnitude of the challenge becomes apparent. That they succeeded, despite military scepticism, supplying information that led to the sinking of the Bismarck, Montgomery's victory in North Africa and the D-Day landings, is testament to an indomitable spirit that wrenched British intelligence into the modern age, as the Second World War segued into the Cold War. Michael Smith constructs his absorbing narrative around the reminiscences of those who worked and played at Bletchley Park, and their stories add a very human colour to their cerebral activity. The code breakers of Station X did not win the war but they undoubtedly shortened it, and the lives saved on both sides stand as their greatest achievement.

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Charting West Ham’s tumultuous 2022–23 season and epic triumph in the Europa Conference League final, this is the story of how the Hammers defied the odds to win their first trophy in forty-three years and first European trophy in fifty-eight years. After weathering misfiring signings, dissent among the fans and the near-sacking of David Moyes, the Irons eventually secured Premier League survival and found spectacular redemption in the Europa Conference League. They played fifteen games in Europe and were unbeaten. Captain Declan Rice ended his West Ham career by lifting a trophy, just like Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds before him. The outpouring of joy at the final whistle in Prague will never be forgotten by the club’s fans, many of whom were too young to have seen their team win its last trophy. Packed with hilarious anecdotes and whimsical musings, this is West Ham’s extraordinary 2022–23 season as told by superfan Pete May, who lived (and occasionally suffered) through every nail-biting moment and crucial game. Experience the goals, games and glory all over again in this witty and impassioned book – essential reading for any Hammers fan.

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The aftermath of the 2003 Iraq invasion is a story that has yet to be told by those who fought their own war against a brutal insurgency: the private security contractors. Risking life and limb, often side by side with the US military but far more exposed, they were never to receive a hero's homecoming. They remained in the shadows, often with good cause, but that would change for ever on 31 March 2004, when a security convoy was ambushed in Fallujah and the charred bodies of two American operators were strung from a road bridge. Those events would ensure notoriety for the company involved: Blackwater. This is the untold story of the security industry and its private war, recounted by a man who witnessed it first hand: SAS veteran and New Zealand national Barrie Rice. His visceral, no-holds-barred account of his time with Blackwater is brought to life in scenes that lead to a reckoning with both the war and himself. This gripping account delivers a compelling slice of reality - the inside story of the private contractor's war.

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New edition of one of the most celebrated books on the Troubles. Famously described as 'Bandit Country' by Merlyn Rees when he was Northern Ireland Secretary, for nearly three decades South Armagh was the most dangerous posting in the world for a British soldier. In this acclaimed work of reportage, originally published in 2000, Toby Harnden stripped away the myth and propaganda associated with the region to produce one of the most compelling and important books on the Troubles. Drawing on secret documents and interviews on South Armagh's recent history, Harnden told the inside story of how the IRA came close to bringing the British state to its knees.

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The speed of Rishi Sunak's advance to 10 Downing Street is without precedent in modern British politics. In mid-2019, he was an unknown junior minister; seven months later, he became Chancellor of the Exchequer; and by October 2022, he had secured the highest office in the land. Aged forty-two, he was Britain's youngest Prime Minister in more than 200 years. Michael Ashcroft's biography - first published in 2020 and now fully revised and updated - charts Sunak's ascent to the University of Oxford, the City of London, Silicon Valley and Westminster before assuming the most powerful job in the country in chaotic circumstances. It is the story of a clever and hard-working son of immigrant parents who marries an heiress and makes a fortune of his own; a polished southerner who wins over the voters of North Yorkshire; a fiscal conservative who becomes the biggest-spending Chancellor in history; and a fastidious political operator tasked with reuniting the Conservative Party and repairing an economy in flux. Casting new light on Sunak's tense working relationship with his predecessor, Boris Johnson, All to Play For shows what makes him tick ahead of a general election whose outcome will have profound consequences for Britain.

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An unputdownable true account of how a tenacious head teacher led one of the most challenging schools in the country to excellence. No Excuses charts an extraordinary principal's journey from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area, where less than a quarter of children attained five or more A*-C GCSEs, and how she set about the gruelling task of transforming its reputation using her zero-tolerance, tough-love approach. Armed only with a wicked sense of humour, fearless energy and a powerful vision, Alison Colwell put in place a stringent set of rules, including a strict uniform policy and a complete ban on mobile phones, provoking resistance and hostility from some parents, the wider community and on social media. This is the darkly funny, moving story of how, together, teachers and their - often troubled - pupils rebuilt a school and community, with an inspirational head at the helm. Charming, touching and full of brilliant leadership advice, this is the diary of the woman the Daily Mail labelled Britain's strictest head teacher.

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'The Queen was at the next table. I caught her staring at me during the national anthem and half-wondered whether someone had pointed me out as the author of that incident which the Mail on Sunday had splashed all over the front page of its review section, about which she would not have been too pleased.' No longer in the tent, but not quite out of it, celebrated diarist Chris Mullin gives his take on the twelve turbulent years since he left Parliament. With his trademark wit and keen eye for the absurd, he recounts events from the fall of New Labour to the death of the Queen. Rich in anecdote, this candid new volume includes encounters with movers and shakers from all political parties and with citizens from all walks of life, from dustmen to dukes. "One of Mullin's charms is his readiness to like people who don't echo his politics." Jenni Russell, Sunday Times

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Over a decade before Margaret Thatcher swept to power, another woman was running Britain from 10 Downing Street: Marcia Williams was the first ever female political adviser to a Prime Minister and was said to have a powerful grip on her boss. Historians have described the relationship between Marcia and Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson as one of the most famous but mysterious partnerships in modern political history. A brilliant tactician, Marcia masterminded Wilson's multiple election victories. Indeed, he said that but for her ingenuity, he would never have become Prime Minister. But misogyny, jealousy, a shocking private life and accusations of money-grubbing and bribery all contributed to her reputation as a public nuisance. Marcia's young and ambitious male colleagues said she humiliated and screamed at Wilson, single-handedly ruining his chances of being remembered as a 'great' Prime Minister. There is no doubt Marcia was outspoken, forthright and, by contemporary standards, deeply unconventional. But her critics failed to understand her unbreakable partnership with Wilson - they were politically wedded to each other and equal contributors to his success. In this passionate and fascinating biography, Linda McDougall seeks to rescue Marcia from previously dismissive verdicts, suggesting a more nuanced context in which to assess her actions and reactions and restoring this trailblazing pioneer to her rightful place in British political history.

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