A Very British Miracle

A Very British Miracle
Author: Edgar Wilson
Publisher: Pluto Press (UK)
Total Pages: 264
Release: 1992
Genre: History
ISBN:

A retrospective on the Thatcher years which examines the policy and philosophy of the New Right. Part one deals with the rise of the New Right, its ideas and leaders and the context in which they flourished. Part two evaluates the economic, social, political and cultural record of government.

A Very British Revolution

A Very British Revolution
Author: Martin Bell
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2009-10-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1848311001

The revelations over MPs' expenses that began in May 2009 ranged from petty thieving to outright fraud and sparked a crisis in confidence unprecedented in modern times. This was a 21st-century Peasants' Revolt - an uprising of the people against the political class. Ordinary men and women with political views across the spectrum were by turns amused, incredulous, shocked and then bitterly angry as the disclosures on MPs' expenses flooded out. From Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's bath plug to Conservative MP Sir John Butterfill's 'flipping' of his constituency home - a now-notorious manoeuvre that required him to refund GBP60,000 to the taxpayer - the exposure of MPs' expenses revealed Westminster's culture of quiet corruption like never before. Drawing on his experience as an MP and as a member of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, Martin Bell explains how the expenses crisis arose and, most compellingly, lays out his prescription for healing the deep wounds inflicted by the scandal. As Martin puts it: 'The revolution will not be complete until all the rogues in the House are gone and public confidence in the MPs remaining is restored.' This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revive British politics, and the rebuilding starts here.

A Very British Cult

A Very British Cult
Author: Stuart Flinders
Publisher: Icon Books
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2024-11-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1837731489

A secluded country house. A rogue Anglican Priest. Ceremonial sex and mislaid fortunes. This is the almost-forgotten story of Victorian Britain's strangest religious sect and its wealthy, mostly female, followers who believed they could ascend directly to heaven. Henry James Prince was a rogue Anglican Priest with a flare for the dramatic, and the founder of the Agapemone, or 'Abode of Love'. He also claimed to be the immortal conduit of The Holy Spirit and purportedly engaged in free love and ceremonial sex with his mostly female followers. But Prince's eventual death didn't mark the end of this strange set... he was promptly replaced by another. John Hugh Smyth-Pigott - otherwise known as the Clapton Messiah. The Abode transformed a sleepy, rural corner of Somerset into one of England's most notorious locations. While the followers shut themselves away and waited patiently for the end of the world, outrage grew - the word 'Agapemone' because a byword for licentiousness or idleness, used by Charles Dickens and Ford Maddox Ford. The reclusive Clapton Messiah became a fixture in the nation's papers, with frenzied efforts to discredit the organisation and undermine its leader. And still the cult grew. Expertly drawing on primary sources to tell the story of the Agapemonites in details for the first time, Stuart Flinders shines a light on the people drawn to the cult - the forced marriages; the swindled fortunes; the women condemned to asylums; and those who managed to escape from the Abode. It is also the story of two extraordinary men, whose claims of divinity were at the heart of this very British cult.

Labourism and the English Genius

Labourism and the English Genius
Author: Gregory Elliott
Publisher: Verso
Total Pages: 260
Release: 1993-11-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780860916710

Labour's fourth successive electoral defeat in 1992 rekindled the muffled controversy over its future.

A Very British Journey

A Very British Journey
Author: Peter Hadden
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Total Pages: 631
Release: 2024-08-28
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1805149458

Britain is blessed with remarkable scenery and a wealth of history, and there is no better way to explore it than on foot. Although long distance walking is easy for the young and fit, for others it may not be so. This is a story of how a group of walkers, the majority of whom were in their seventh decade, walked from Hampshire to Iona, and what they discovered about this spectacular island along the way. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, most of which were taken during the walk. The walk was accomplished over one week in May every year for 5 years. Timings and routes are detailed and both the human and natural history of the places visited is explored. Starting in Hampshire, the walkers headed northwest, along the Thames, through the Cotswolds and into the Midlands. Then they followed the Pennines through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and the Northumbrian hinterland. From Lindisfarne the walkers headed to Scotland, traversing in turn the Borders, Southern Uplands, Glasgow, Western Highlands and over to Iona via Mull. All were amazed at how much ground could be covered and all returned with a much deeper understanding of Britain than when they had

A Very British Experience

A Very British Experience
Author: Andrew Stewart
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2020-01-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1836240449

In terms of the Second World War and Britain's wartime strategy three elements deserve close scrutiny: the paramount importance of defending the British mainland and its population; the challenges of building and maintaining coalitions and alliances; and the central role the African continent assumed in all British strategic planning. A concluding essay reflects upon the degree to which in the face of an often uncertain and unconvincing approach these critical themes underpinned the British experience of the conflict. Topics addressed include 1940 and the Defence of Britain; relations with the United States; the British Empire Air Training Plan; General (Boy) Browning and Operation Market Garden; the recall of General Alan Cunningham from Libya in 1941; plans for defending the Royal Family; Exercise Genesis, which turned west London into a battleground for a day in May 1942; and the role of the Eastern Fleet off Africa. Andrew Stewart provides a compelling chapter on the loss of the Tobruk garrison in June 1942 -- one of the worst military disasters suffered by the British Empire during the Second World War. The essay on Tobruk demonstrates how all three defining elements of wartime experience converged: the loss of public confidence about how the war was being conducted; its impact on the relationship with the Union of South Africa, a key partner in the Dominion wartime coalition; and the absolute necessity that existed for deep strategic planning on the African continent -- subsequently to be realised at the final battle at El Alamein.

Keith Joseph

Keith Joseph
Author: Andrew Denham
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 519
Release: 2014-12-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 131749024X

Hailed by Margaret Thatcher as the founder of modern conservatism, Keith Joseph is commonly ranked among the most influential politicians of the late-20th century. A complex and enigmatic figure Joseph was almost unique among Mrs Thatcher's senior ministers in refusing to write his own memoirs. Challenging both the "mad monk" view held by his critics and his status of mythical hero to his admirers, the authors present a picture of Joseph as a thinker and decision-maker. the authors tell of Joseph's formative years before he entered Parliamnet in 1956: the powerful Jewish dynasty into which Josph was born; his time at Harrow; at Oxford; his war years in the Royal Artillery; and his Fellowship at All Souls. This volume charts the political career of Keith Joseph. The authors challenge Joseph's self-declared conversion to Conservatism in 1974 and the importance of his "education" of Margaret Thatcher. His own ambition, intellectual integrity and consistency are all examined and a different picture emerges of his role as the intellectual driving force behind Conservative Government policy in the 1980s.

Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans

Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans
Author: Brian Kilmeade
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2019-11-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 0593085868

Another history pageturner from the authors of the #1 bestsellers George Washington's Secret Six and Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates. The War of 1812 saw America threatened on every side. Encouraged by the British, Indian tribes attacked settlers in the West, while the Royal Navy terrorized the coasts. By mid-1814, President James Madison’s generals had lost control of the war in the North, losing battles in Canada. Then British troops set the White House ablaze, and a feeling of hopelessness spread across the country. Into this dire situation stepped Major General Andrew Jackson. A native of Tennessee who had witnessed the horrors of the Revolutionary War and Indian attacks, he was glad America had finally decided to confront repeated British aggression. But he feared that President Madison’s men were overlooking the most important target of all: New Orleans. If the British conquered New Orleans, they would control the mouth of the Mississippi River, cutting Americans off from that essential trade route and threatening the previous decade’s Louisiana Purchase. The new nation’s dreams of western expansion would be crushed before they really got off the ground. So Jackson had to convince President Madison and his War Department to take him seriously, even though he wasn’t one of the Virginians and New Englanders who dominated the government. He had to assemble a coalition of frontier militiamen, French-speaking Louisianans,Cherokee and Choctaw Indians, freed slaves, and even some pirates. And he had to defeat the most powerful military force in the world—in the confusing terrain of the Louisiana bayous. In short, Jackson needed a miracle. The local Ursuline nuns set to work praying for his outnumbered troops. And so the Americans, driven by patriotism and protected by prayer, began the battle that would shape our young nation’s destiny. As they did in their two previous bestsellers, Kilmeade and Yaeger make history come alive with a riveting true story that will keep you turning the pages. You’ll finish with a new understanding of one of our greatest generals and a renewed appreciation for the brave men who fought so that America could one day stretch “from sea to shining sea.”

Tackling Institutional Racism

Tackling Institutional Racism
Author: Laura Penketh
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2000-10-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1861341814

This challenging book analyses the development of anti-racist social work education and training. It critically assesses the concept of 'race', offers an historical exploration of the role of social work and provides an assessment of the backlash against the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work's anti-racist developments.