This volume, marking the eightieth anniversary of the journal The Political Quarterly, contains a selection of articles from eight decades of progressive writing and provides both a fascinating window on the past and a stimulus to thought and action in the present. * A free-thinking platform for the leading voices of the progressive tradition in British politics * Spans eight decades of progressive writing from voices which still have something to say to us now * Aims to bridge the divide between thought and action and to provide an intellectual foundation for practical reform and for progressive politics

"There's never been a more pressing time to question every aspect of our inadequate democracy"- Polly Toynbee "This important book shows the many challenges democracy faces in a world of populism and radical digital change" - Margaret Hodge 2018 saw celebrations of the centenary of the Representation of the People Act which marked a decisive step towards full universal suffrage - this collection of essays explores the problems of democracy and suggests ways it might now be extended and deepened. Investigates if democracy is an unfinished revolution and if democratic politics is currently in retreat Demonstrates how democratic politics is once again under attack - this time from populist nationalists, authoritarian rulers and new forms of political communication Argues that if we lose the art of active citizenship, we will lose the freedoms and the rights which democracy has bestowed

People so often focus on the negative aspects of politics, like greed and corruption, but without politics we would be lost. It frames everything we do, and it has the power to bring about real and positive change. Politics, Andrew Gamble reminds us, defeated slavery and secured equal rights for women and minorities. Without savvy and principled politicians and citizens willing to engage in political action, there would still be civil war in Ireland and apartheid in South Africa. Closer to home, local politicians stand up for communities and endeavour to advance the prosperity and wellbeing of their constituents. But it hasn't always been like this, and without good politicians we could throw it all away. Right now humanity is in a race against itself, adjusting to new technologies that are destabilizing democracy and creating massive inequalities. By thinking and acting politically, Gamble argues, we can harness the imagination and enthusiasm of people everywhere to tackle these challenges and shape a better world.

Politics was once regarded as an activity which could give human societies control over their fate. However, there is now a deep pessimism about the ability of human beings to control anything very much, least of all through politics. This new fatalism about the human condition claims that we are living in the iron cages erected by vast impersonal forces arising from globalization and technology: a society that is both anti-political and unpolitical, a society without hope or the means either to imagine or promote an alternative future. It reflects the disillusion of political hopes in liberal and socialist utopias in the twentieth century and a widespread disenchantment with the grand narratives of the Enlightenment about reason and progress, and with modernity itself.

The most characteristic expression of this disenchantment is the endless discourses on endism - the end of history, the end of ideology, the end of the nation-state, the end of authority, the end of government, the end of the public realm, the end of politics itself - all have been proclaimed in recent years.

Andrew Gamble's new book argues against the fatalism implicit in so many of these discourses, as well as against the fatalism that has always been present in many of the central discourses of modernity. It sets out a defence of politics and the political, explains why we cannot do without politics, and probes the complex relationship between politics and fate, and the continuing and necessary tension between them.

This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of politics, public affairs and political thought.

In his essay "The end of laissez-faire," Keynes distinguished between the agenda and the non-agenda of government. This book asks how we interpret that distinction today.
A ground-breaking collection concerned with rethinking the contemporary role of the state.
Comprises essays written by leading scholars and politicians.
Looks back at the expansion of the social democratic state in post-war Britain, and at the subsequent challenge to this from neo-liberal ideas and policies.
Discusses new doctrines for managing the state, new conceptions of the state, and new ideas for organising the delivery of public services.
Covers current concepts, such as the enabling state, and topical issues such as public private partnerships.
Goes beyond traditional 'state versus market' arguments.
Opens up new conceptual and practical territory.

After the most serious economic crash since the 1930s and the slowest recovery on record, austerity rules. Spending on the welfare state did not cause the crisis, but deep cuts in welfare budgets has become the default policy response. The welfare state is seen as a burden on wealth creation which can no longer be afforded in an ever more competitive global economy. There are calls for it to be dismantled altogether. In this incisive book, leading political economist Andrew Gamble explains why western societies still need generous inclusive welfare states for all their citizens, and are rich enough to provide them. Welfare states can survive, he argues, but only if there is the political will to reform them and to fund them.

Distinguished contributors from a range of disciplines explore the question of Britishness - past, present and future.
A lively and authoritative discussion of an important, timely and contemporary issueInvestigates how devolution has brought a new focus on the future of Britain and the nature of BritishnessDiscusses the challenge of a more diverse society, with the search for a basis of social cohesion and solidarityExamines Gordon Brown's Britishness project, with its aim of producing a statement of British values

People so often focus on the negative aspects of politics, like greed and corruption, but without politics we would be lost. It frames everything we do, and it has the power to bring about real and positive change. Politics, Andrew Gamble reminds us, defeated slavery and secured equal rights for women and minorities. Without savvy and principled politicians and citizens willing to engage in political action, there would still be civil war in Ireland and apartheid in South Africa. Closer to home, local politicians stand up for communities and endeavour to advance the prosperity and wellbeing of their constituents. But it hasn't always been like this, and without good politicians we could throw it all away. Right now humanity is in a race against itself, adjusting to new technologies that are destabilizing democracy and creating massive inequalities. By thinking and acting politically, Gamble argues, we can harness the imagination and enthusiasm of people everywhere to tackle these challenges and shape a better world.

Politics was once regarded as an activity which could give human societies control over their fate. However, there is now a deep pessimism about the ability of human beings to control anything very much, least of all through politics. This new fatalism about the human condition claims that we are living in the iron cages erected by vast impersonal forces arising from globalization and technology: a society that is both anti-political and unpolitical, a society without hope or the means either to imagine or promote an alternative future. It reflects the disillusion of political hopes in liberal and socialist utopias in the twentieth century and a widespread disenchantment with the grand narratives of the Enlightenment about reason and progress, and with modernity itself.

The most characteristic expression of this disenchantment is the endless discourses on endism - the end of history, the end of ideology, the end of the nation-state, the end of authority, the end of government, the end of the public realm, the end of politics itself - all have been proclaimed in recent years.

Andrew Gamble's new book argues against the fatalism implicit in so many of these discourses, as well as against the fatalism that has always been present in many of the central discourses of modernity. It sets out a defence of politics and the political, explains why we cannot do without politics, and probes the complex relationship between politics and fate, and the continuing and necessary tension between them.

This book will be essential reading for students and scholars of politics, public affairs and political thought.

Divisions in the EU are considered, as well as the conflicts that have arisen from enlargement and foreign policy concerns. Leading specialists on European politics and society reflect on the nature of consensus and competition between elites, and whether the EU may be able to provide a sense of common identity and purpose for its citizens.

ZENO THE ZEBRA For curious young minds, this book is filled with information and adventure about Zebras living in their natural habitat in Central and Southern Africa. Zeno, a young foal, tells his story about his species as a member of the horse family, but as an Equidae. Colorful illustrations help to bring Zeno alive through pictures; while the Zeno story allows young readers to feel, smell, taste, touch, and hear this beautiful, mysterious animal as they discover the joys of learning about such a marvelous creature. ZENO THE ZEBRA By Bettye Cornwell Graham Also available as an Audiobook Music & Narration by Charles Graham Illustrated by J.A. Gamble

A concise and authoritative survey of the political and economic debate around Tony Blair's 'Big Idea' of stakeholding by leading exponents and their critics on both Left and Right. The book summarises and criticises the key stakeholder arguments as these have been applied to the economy and to society. The book seeks to identify what is new in the concept of stakeholding, and whether it can provide the organising idea and strategic direction for a reformist government to regain the initiative in the battle of political ideas for the New Right.

A concise and authoritative survey of the political and economic debate around Tony Blair's 'Big Idea' of stakeholding by leading exponents and their critics on both Left and Right. The book summarises and criticises the key stakeholder arguments as these have been applied to the economy and to society. The book seeks to identify what is new in the concept of stakeholding, and whether it can provide the organising idea and strategic direction for a reformist government to regain the initiative in the battle of political ideas for the New Right.

After the most serious economic crash since the 1930s and the slowest recovery on record, austerity rules. Spending on the welfare state did not cause the crisis, but deep cuts in welfare budgets has become the default policy response. The welfare state is seen as a burden on wealth creation which can no longer be afforded in an ever more competitive global economy. There are calls for it to be dismantled altogether. In this incisive book, leading political economist Andrew Gamble explains why western societies still need generous inclusive welfare states for all their citizens, and are rich enough to provide them. Welfare states can survive, he argues, but only if there is the political will to reform them and to fund them.

Since the election of Tony Blair to the leadership of the Labour party in 1997 and the party's subsequent electoral triumph in 1997 after eighteen years in opposition there has been intense speculation about what the Labour party now stands for. Does the party still have a clear set of values and beliefs which guide it in government? Can it still be described as a social democratic party? Recently Tony Blair has called his political approach a Third Way between new Right and old Labour. The essays in this book by leading authorities on social democracy and the politics of new Labour ask whether new Labour is a complete break with the Labour past and with European social democracy, or whether it should be seen as a powerful restatement of social democratic ideas in a new context.