Offering a clear, concise, and highly original account of the effects of spending and other restrictions imposed on local authorities in the second half of the 20th century, this book discusses an important political period in the United Kingdom's history. Demonstrating that, despite what governments say, decisions to cut public expenditure are matters of choice founded in the ideological dogma of neo-liberalism rather than economic necessity, this account argues that a clear analogy can be made between past and present government policy and practice. David E. Lowes is a member of the Socialist History Society and has been interested and active in labor movement politics for more than 30 years. He is the author of The Anti-Capitalist Dictionary.

Morris B. Abram had one hell of a career. Rising from humble origins in the small Georgia town of Fitzgerald, by the end of his life his resume included participation in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals; service as the first General Counsel of the Peace Corps; the presidency of the American Jewish Committee and Brandeis University; and chairmanship of the United Negro College Fund, the Moreland Commission investigation of nursing homes in the state of New York, and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations-all while gaining prominence as a highly successful trial lawyer. Remembered most for his fight in the civil rights movement and establishing the "one man, one vote" law, Abram's career was not without fault. His reputation took a turn during his presidency at Brandeis University when his frustration with the politicization of the university alienated students, faculty, and trustees, and he eventually became a pariah in the very movement he helped to shape. A major source of contention was over the establishment of a Black Studies Department, which exposed Abram to what he regarded as the ills of racial separatism. When the leadership of what remained of the civil rights movement moved away from opposition to racial discrimination to the promotion of racial preference, Abram warned that what they were advocating was the mirror image of the racism he spent most of his life fighting. In Touched with Fire, David Lowe chronicles the professional and personal life of this larger-than-life man. With a unique personal connection to Abram's presidency at Brandeis, Lowe adds a rare contextual perspective on the events that transpired. Having dealt with many of the contentious issues we still face today, Abram's varied career sheds light on current affairs, such as legislative apportionment, affirmative action, campus unrest, and the enforcement of international human rights.

This dictionary is an alternative and a counter-balance to the many political dictionaries that ignore or marginalize the history and influence of anti-capitalist movements. It paints a rich picture of the ideas and issues that inform today's anti-capitalist activity. The Anti-Capitalist Dictionary is organised in an easily accessible alphabetical format, with self-contained, cross-referenced entries that introduce and explain concepts and issues that are integral to understanding today's global movement. The Dictionary demonstrates how the meaning and relevance of some of these have evolved and illustrates a linkage between past and present activity that might be unfamiliar to people who are involved or interested in the movement's current manifestations. This Dictionary has international coverage and will prove invaluable to students of politics as well as to activists and the general reader.