Society & Politics

There was a time when the news came once a day, in the morning newspaper. A time when the only way to see what was happening around (read more)

There was a time when the news came once a day, in the morning newspaper. A time when the only way to see what was happening around the world was to catch the latest newsreel at the movies. Times have changed.

Now we're inundated. The news is no longer confined to a radio in the living room, or to a nightly half-hour timeslot on the television. Pundits pontificate on news networks 24 hours a day.

We carrythe news with us, getting instant alerts about events around the globe. Yet despite this unprecedented abundance of information, it seems increasingly difficult to know what's true and what's not. In Bad News, Rob Brotherton delves into the psychology of news, reviewing how the latest research can help navigate this supposedly post-truth world. (hide)

It was supposed to be mission accomplished. Yet nearly ten years after the so-called victory in Iraq, the West faces a terror threat (read more)

It was supposed to be mission accomplished. Yet nearly ten years after the so-called victory in Iraq, the West faces a terror threat unprecedented since the Cold War, as ISIL, Al Qaeda and their allies set out to build an empire of intolerance - a 21st-century theocracy with seventh-century values stretching from Portugal to Pakistan.We need to step-up the fightback - yet we're at risk of plunging into our enemies' trap. At home we are becoming suspicious societies, inflamed by the likes of Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen, where British Muslims fear being seen as the enemy within.

Online, we're disorganised and lack the cohesion to fight extremist recruiters on the digital battlefront.And in the Middle East, we are without the coalition needed to isolate and undermine our enemy in the 21st-century battle of beliefs. From the frontline in Iraq to the streets of inner city Birmingham, Liam Byrne brings together fresh, grassroots research with young British Muslims, frank interviews with intelligence and police officers, and frontline reports from across the Middle East to offer not questions, but bold new answers to one of the biggest challenges of our time: how to bring down the black flag of extremism.

Pub Date:
30/11/2016 (hide)

Since leaving office in 2007, the empire of Tony Blair has grown exponentially. As a businessman he has been unprecedentedly successful (read more)

Since leaving office in 2007, the empire of Tony Blair has grown exponentially. As a businessman he has been unprecedentedly successful for a former public servant, with a large property portfolio and an estimated GBP80 million of earnings accrued in just a few short years. But how has he managed to achieve this? Being an ex-Prime Minister comes with certain advantages, and besides his excellent state pension and twenty-four-hour security team, Blair enjoys the best contacts that money can buy - as do those willing to pay him for access to those contacts.

Consequently, Tony Blair Associates' clients can be found around the world, and include the controversial presidents of Kazakhstan and Burma. There is also Blair's role as special envoy in the Middle East. While his record as a peacemaker is in doubt, the position has brought him into contact with a variety of oil-rich potentates in the region who now number among his most profitable clients. (hide)

Tony Blair has dominated British political life for more than a decade. Like Margaret Thatcher before him, he has changed the terms (read more)

Tony Blair has dominated British political life for more than a decade. Like Margaret Thatcher before him, he has changed the terms of political debate and provoked as much condemnation as admiration. At the end of his era in power, this book presents a wide-ranging overview of the achievements and failures of the Blair governments.

Bringing together Britain's most eminent academics and commentators on British politics and society, it examines the effect of the Prime Minister and his administration on the machinery of government, economic and social policy and foreign relations. Combining serious scholarship with clarity and accessibility, this book represents the authoritative verdict on the impact of the Blair years on British politics and society. (hide)

The past decade saw the rise of the British National Party, the country's most successful ever far-right political movement, and (read more)

The past decade saw the rise of the British National Party, the country's most successful ever far-right political movement, and the emergence of the anti-Islamic English Defence League. Taking aim at asylum seekers, Muslims, "enforced multiculturalism" and benefit "scroungers", these groups have been working overtime to shift the blame for the nation's ills onto the shoulders of the vulnerable. What does this extremist resurgence say about the state of modern Britain? Drawing on archival research and extensive interviews with key figures, such as BNP leader Nick Griffin, Daniel Trilling shows how previously marginal characters from a tiny neo-Nazi subculture successfully exploited tensions exacerbated by the fear of immigration, the War on Terror and steepening economic inequality.

Mainstream politicians have consistently underestimated the far right in Britain while pursuing policies that give it the space to grow. Bloody Nasty People calls time on this complacency in an account that provides us with fresh insights into the dynamics of political extremism. (hide)

Jean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed (read more)

Jean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed on for generations to come. Jean's life was cut tragically short at the age of 26, but the flame reignited in the 1950s with the most notorious blondes of all time: Ruth Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors. Each left a legacy that has ensured the fire will never be completely extinguished, affecting not only individual lives but society across a world stage.
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Hero or villain? Genius or fool? Maverick or chancer? Before you decide, read this year's most sensational biography. Guardian 'literary (read more)

Hero or villain? Genius or fool? Maverick or chancer? Before you decide, read this year's most sensational biography. Guardian 'literary highlights of 2020'Sunday Times 'books to watch out for in 2020'New Statesman 'books to read in 2020'Evening Standard 'thirteen titles to look for in 2020'As divisive as he is beguiling, as misunderstood as he is scrutinised, Boris Johnson is a singular figure.

Many of us think we know his story well. His ruthless ambition was evident from his insistence, as a three-year-old, that he would one day be 'world king'. Eton and Oxford prepared him well for a frantic career straddling the dog-eat-dog worlds of journalism and politics. (hide)

HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? On 23 June 2016, UK voters elected to leave the European Union. The result was perhaps the biggest (read more)

HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? On 23 June 2016, UK voters elected to leave the European Union. The result was perhaps the biggest bombshell in modern British political history. In this new and updated edition of Denis MacShane's bestselling history of the UK's relationship with Europe, the former Europe Minister reveals the full story behind Britain's historic EU Referendum decision.

Denis MacShane was the only senior Remainer to havecalled the EU Referendum result correctly and his book provides the essential context to the new political and economic landscape of Brexit Britain. (hide)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE TIES ARE CUT?Whatever view you take on Brexit, innovative ideas are needed to thrive. The UK needs to get (read more)

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE TIES ARE CUT?Whatever view you take on Brexit, innovative ideas are needed to thrive. The UK needs to get itself into shape. This book suggests how.

We consider radical ideas to reform the voting system, transform the economy via a whole range of initiatives, including a sovereign wealth fund, drastically improve health, welfare and education provision and secure Britain's place in a fast-changing world. Most commentaries criticise what others do. Britain Post Brexit spells out what needs to be done.

Published:26 Nov 2018 (hide)

Despite becoming a global economic force, why does India win so few Olympic medals and have so many people living in poverty? Why (read more)

Despite becoming a global economic force, why does India win so few Olympic medals and have so many people living in poverty? Why have opportunities not become available more broadly? How can growing individuals assist with the task of building a growing economy? Krishna presents a refreshingly unusual perspective of emergent realities, drawing on the stories of everyday lives, of people like you and me and those less privileged.

Published:29 Apr 2019 (hide)