It was in the Summer of 2017 - at the hedonistic setting of Glastonbury - that Jeremy Corbyn predicted he would be Prime Minister by Christmas. He later claimed he would do it within twelve months. Experts now agree that October will be an 'Autumn of Discontent' for the Tories. The door could indeed be opened for… Continue reading Will Corbyn be Prime Minister by Christmas? History Would Suggest Not…
Category: Book Reviews
Punch and Judy: In Defence of Prime Minister’s Questions
"And we need to change, and we will change, the way we behave. I'm fed up with the Punch and Judy politics of Westminster, the name calling, backbiting, point scoring, finger pointing." David Cameron's Conservative victory speech, December 2005. It's over a decade since Tony Blair left Downing Street and forewent the weekly ordeal of… Continue reading Punch and Judy: In Defence of Prime Minister’s Questions
Prisoners of the Past: Nostalgia and the Post-War Labour Party
Whether it's the collective imagery of Dunkirk, 1945, Thatcherism or the Iraq War, our political discourse remains wedded to the imagery of the past. The stories we tell ourselves are the glue that hold us together. But as Richard Jobson's new book argues, it is also holding us back. CONTENTS 1. Introduction - Labour, nostalgia and 'nostalgia-identity'… Continue reading Prisoners of the Past: Nostalgia and the Post-War Labour Party
Broken Dreams: The Rise and Fall of British Council Housing
In 1979 42% of the British population lived in a council house. Today the figure is less than 8%. The drop has led to an inflated housing market, insecure tenancies and a sustained cultural attack on the working class. As Britain endures its worst housing crisis since the war, with 1.8m households on the waiting list, can Labour revitalise the municipal dream? Municipal… Continue reading Broken Dreams: The Rise and Fall of British Council Housing
Clive Sullivan: The Man Who Broke Rugby’s Racial Barrier
1972 was a tumultuous year in Britain's history. The Heath Government faced down unprecedented industrial and social conflict. The National Front was on the rise. Labour swung to the left and unemployment hit the fatal one million mark. Amidst the chaos, Great Britain RL appointed the first black captain of any British national side. It was done without mass… Continue reading Clive Sullivan: The Man Who Broke Rugby’s Racial Barrier
Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain
Six months working in the bargain basement of the British economy almost finished James Bloodworth off. His inside account is a shocking insight into the dystopian practices that govern the new working class, who are working harder than ever for their poverty. “We are living in a world in which nobody is free, in which hardly anybody… Continue reading Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain
Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant
From her humble beginnings in Cornwall, to working with two British Prime Ministers, Barbara Hosking has had a remarkable career. After being a press officer at the centre of power in the 1970s, Hosking has finally created headlines for herself - by 'outing herself' at the age of 91 and becoming a 'gay icon'. Exceeding My Brief,… Continue reading Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant
Book Review: The Secret Twenties – British Intelligence, the Russians and the Jazz Age
Recent polls have shown that 50% of Americans believe that the ‘Deep State’ exists, while in the UK, 55% of Labour members now agree with the claim that MI5 are working to undermine Jeremy Corbyn. Yet fear of being undermined by the 'Hidden Hand' has its roots in the 1920s, as Timothy Phillips discovers in… Continue reading Book Review: The Secret Twenties – British Intelligence, the Russians and the Jazz Age
