Author: Duncan Brack Publisher: Biteback Publishing ISBN: 1849542457 Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 413
Book Description
History resting on a hair's breadth ... a man dies rather than lives, an election is lost rather than won, one minister is appointed, another dismissed, a coalition is joined, or not. Enter a world of political counterfactuals, twenty-two examinations of things that never happened - but could have. In this book a collection of distinguished commentators, including journalists, academics, former MPs and special advisers, consider how things might have turned out differently throughout a century of political history - from Lloyd George and Keynes drowning at sea in 1916 right through to Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister in 2016. Scholarly analyses of possibilities and causalities take their place beside fictional accounts of alternate political histories - and all are guaranteed to entertain and make you think.
Author: George William Erskine Russell Publisher: Good Press ISBN: Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 208
Book Description
"Prime Ministers and Some Others: A Book of Reminiscences" by George William Erskine Russell is a collection of biographies of the British Prime Ministers and their friends. The relationship between the church and state and political changes that occurred under each of the leaders in the book are also described. From Lored Palmersont to Henry Campbell-Bannerman, some of the most important but least-discussed men in British history are discussed in great detail.
Author: J.D.M. Stewart Publisher: Dundurn ISBN: 1459738497 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 345
Book Description
Being Prime Minister sheds light on the lives of prime ministers as ordinary people, examining them through a variety of experiences most Canadians share.
Author: Steve Richards Publisher: ISBN: 9781786495884 Category : Great Britain Languages : en Pages : 464
Book Description
A landmark history of the men and women who have defined the UK's role in the modern world - and what makes them special - by a seasoned political journalist.
Author: Margit Tavits Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199553327 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 284
Book Description
This book is about presidents in parliamentary systems. One commonly recurring political debate within parliamentary systems is over whether or not the public should directly elect the head of state. Despite the importance of this topic in practical politics, political scientists have offered little empirical evidence, yet made bold assumptions about the consequences of popular elections for heads of state. A common argument is that direct elections enhance presidents' legitimacythereby increasing their activism and encouraging authoritarian tendencies. Another popular assumption is that direct presidential elections are more heavily contested and partisan, polarizing and dividing political elites and the electorate. Proponents of direct elections argue that such electionswill help decrease voter alienation and apathy. This book challenges the conventional wisdom. Using both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence from democratic systems across the world, this book demonstrates that compared to indirect selection methods, direct elections do not yield more active and contentious presidents, do not polarize political elites or society, and do not remedy political apathy. Rather, presidential activism in both "semi-presidential" and "pure parliamentary"systems is shaped by political opportunity framework - the institutional strength and partisan composition of both parliament and government. Further, because holding the presidency provides parties with an electoral asset, direct and indirect presidential elections can be equally contentious andpolarizing. Last, but not least, rather than decreasing apathy, direct election is associated with increased voter fatigue and decreased turnout in parliamentary elections by about seven percentage points.
Author: Andrew S. Crines Publisher: Biteback Publishing ISBN: 1785900587 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 228
Book Description
This year marks the centenary of Harold Wilson's birth, the fiftieth anniversary of his most impressive general election victory and forty years since his dramatic resignation as Prime Minister. He was one of the longest-serving premiers of the twentieth century, having won a staggering four general elections, yet, despite this monumental record, his place in Labour's history remains somewhat ambiguous. By the end of his two periods in power, both the left and right of the party were highly critical of Wilson - the former regarding him as a traitor to socialism, the latter as contributing directly to British decline. With contributions from leading experts in the fields of political study, and from Wilson's own contemporaries, this remarkable new study offers a timely and wide-ranging reappraisal of one of the giants of twentieth-century politics, examining the context within which he operated, his approach to leadership and responses to changing social and economic norms, the successes and failure of his policies, and how he was viewed by peers from across the political spectrum. Finally, it examines the overall impact of Harold Wilson on the development of British politics.
Author: M. Bennister Publisher: Springer ISBN: 0230378447 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 205
Book Description
A study of prime ministerial leadership in Britain and Australia. Tony Blair and John Howard were election winning leaders in two similar countries. They succeeded in dominating politics for over 10 years, but both fell dramatically from office. This book asks how these prime ministers established such predominant positions.
Author: Adam Macqueen Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group ISBN: 140551955X Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 228
Book Description
Stored in Whitehall's archives are everything from blood-chilling warnings of imminent nuclear attack to comical details of daily life in the corridors of power. Concerned notes from ministers on the subject of the Heir to the Throne's potential brainwashing by Welsh terrorists are shelved alongside worries about housemaids 'on the wobble' at Chequers. Detailed and surprising plans for royal funerals sit beside reports on suspected spies in the showbiz world and bawdy poetry about the monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar. And Mary Whitehouse's complaints about the sex education syllabus nestle next to thank-you notes from prisoner 13260/62, also known as Nelson Mandela. Adam Macqueen, author of the highly acclaimed bestseller Private Eye: The First 50 Years, has searched high and low to present us with some of the most unlikely revelations since the Official secrets act was inaugurated one hundred years ago. Not only about Mrs Thatcher's ironing board, but Ted Heath's car, Harold Macmillan's bedroom carpet, Imelda Marcos and her son Bong Bong's trip to Buckingham Palace and President Eisenhower's particular problem with Winston Churchill's trousers.
Author: Duncan Brack
Author: George W.E. Russell
Author: George William Erskine Russell
Author: J.D.M. Stewart
Author: Steve Richards
Author: Margit Tavits
Author: George William Erskine Russell
Author: Andrew S. Crines
Author: M. Bennister
Author: Adam Macqueen