Making the Weather Six Politicians Who Changed Modern Britain
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
Vernon Bogdanor is professor of government at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King’s College London. He is a fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. He has written a number of books on constitutional and political history, including Beyond Brexit and The Strange Survival of Liberal Britain.
<p>THE <em>TELEGRAPH</em> ‘BEST POLITICS BOOKS OF 2024’</p>
<p>THE <em>DAILY MAIL</em> ‘BEST POLITICS BOOKS OF 2024’</p>
<p>‘[An] intelligent and thoughtful set of essays … Bogdanor’s book is revelatory.’<br />
<br />
</p>
- Simon Heffer, Telegraph,
<p>‘Written with cool objectivity … [a] thought-provoking book.’</p>
- Max Hastings, Sunday Times,
<p>‘A series of elegant essays.’<br />
<br />
</p>
- Chris Mullin, Spectator,
<p>‘Bogdanor has written an incisive and absorbing account of these seminal British figures. He has added the color of the past to the monochrome of the present.’</p>
- Colin Shindler, The Jerusalem Post,
Making the Weather is the story of six post-war politicians, all of whom exerted an outsized influence on the political life of the UK; an influence greater than that of most prime ministers. Vernon Bogdanor’s cast includes three from the political Left – Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan, Roy Jenkins, and Tony Benn – and three from the political Right – Enoch Powell, Keith Joseph, and Nigel Farage. Each study is a fascinating analysis that examines how these men achieved such prominence and influence and how, though very different figures in many ways, they came to dominate the political landscape, often for a period of years.
Each of the six made fundamental contributions to the debate about Britain’s future and to the vibrancy of our democracy. From immigration to Europe, from the NHS to devolution, the issues and causes that brought these men to prominence are still of considerable contemporary relevance.
Introduction // 1
1. Aneurin Bevan and Democratic Socialism // 11
2. Enoch Powell and the Sovereignty of Parliament // 57
3. Roy Jenkins and Social Democracy // 123
4. Keith Joseph and the Market Economy // 169
5. Tony Benn and Participatory Democracy // 215
6. Nigel Farage and Brexit // 257
Conclusion // 297
Suggestions for Further Reading // 306
Acknowledgements // 311
Index // 312
‘Vernon Bogdanor’s elegant and sharply observed collection provides a welcome reminder about the power of the essay as a form of political analysis. His ecumenical and unsentimental analysis illuminates a broad sweep of post-war British history and should provoke many a debate, including about who he has left out. The moral of the story is that our democratic life is richer for the fierce jousting between ideas and figures on either side of the left-ride divide, rather than simply being a battle to clamber onto an unmoored life raft somewhere in the so-called centre ground.’
Reviews expected in newspapers and magazines from across the political spectrum.
Radio/Podcasts
LBC; Times Radio; Political Thinking with Nick Robinson; The New Statesman Podcast; Iain Dale All Talk;
Spectator Books;
Spectator TV
Vernon Bogdanor’s Festival appearances in 2024
21 September Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival
22 September Barnes Book Festival
25 September Rye Arts Festival
28 September Kings Lynn Festival
7 November Bridport Literary Festival
TBC Derby Book Festival
TBC October Wells Festival of Literature
Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
Vernon Bogdanor is professor of government at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King’s College London. He is a fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. He has written a number of books on constitutional and political history, including Beyond Brexit and The Strange Survival of Liberal Britain.