Many commentators tell us that, in today's world, everyday life has become selfish and atomised-that individuals live only to consume. But are they wrong? In Me, Me, Me, Jon Lawrence re-tells the story of England since the Second World War through the eyes of ordinary people-including his own parents- to argue that, in fact, friendship, family, and place all remain central to our daily lives, and whilst community has changed, it is far from dead. He shows how, in the years after the Second World War, people came increasingly to question custom and tradition as the pressure to conform to societal standards became intolerable. And as soon as they could, millions escaped the closed, face-to-face communities of Victorian Britain, where everyone knew your business. But this was not a rejection of community per se, but an attempt to find another, new way of living which was better suited to the modern world. Community has become personal and voluntary, based on genuine affection rather than proximity or need. We have never been better connected or able to sustain the relationships that matter to us. Me, Me, Me makes that case that it's time we valued and nurtured these new groups, rather than lamenting the loss of more 'real' forms of community-it is all too easy to hold on to a nostalgic view of the past.

Many commentators tell us that, in today's world, everyday life has become selfish and atomised-that individuals live only to consume. But are they wrong? In Me, Me, Me, Jon Lawrence re-tells the story of England since the Second World War through the eyes of ordinary people-including his own parents- to argue that, in fact, friendship, family, and place all remain central to our daily lives, and whilst community has changed, it is far from dead. He shows how, in the years after the Second World War, people came increasingly to question custom and tradition as the pressure to conform to societal standards became intolerable. And as soon as they could, millions escaped the closed, face-to-face communities of Victorian Britain, where everyone knew your business. But this was not a rejection of community per se, but an attempt to find another, new way of living which was better suited to the modern world. Community has become personal and voluntary, based on genuine affection rather than proximity or need. We have never been better connected or able to sustain the relationships that matter to us. Me, Me, Me makes that case that it's time we valued and nurtured these new groups, rather than lamenting the loss of more 'real' forms of community-it is all too easy to hold on to a nostalgic view of the past.

This major collection of essays challenges many of our preconceptions about British political and social history from the late eighteenth century to the present. Inspired by the work of Gareth Stedman Jones, twelve leading scholars explore both the long-term structures - social, political and intellectual - of modern British history, and the forces that have transformed those structures at key moments. The result is a series of insightful, original essays presenting new research within a broad historical context. Subjects covered include the consequences of rapid demographic change in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the forces shaping transnational networks, especially those between Britain and its empire; and the recurrent problem of how we connect cultural politics to social change. An introductory essay situates Stedman Jones's work within the broader historiographical trends of the past thirty years, drawing important conclusions about new directions for scholarship in the twenty-first century.

Speaking for the People examines the popular appeal of Liberal, Tory and Labour politics between 1867 and 1914. The main theme of the book is a recognition, and exploration, of the problematic relationship between political parties and the people they sought to represent. The book challenges traditional ideas about the "triumph of party" after 1867, suggesting that politics remained much more fluid and unpredictable than historians have often allowed. It is this, the book suggests, that explains why politicians from most parties, including Labour, remained highly ambivalent about the likely consequences of further democratization.

Speaking for the People examines the popular appeal of Liberal, Tory and Labour politics between 1867 and 1914. The main theme of the book is a recognition, and exploration, of the problematic relationship between political parties and the people they sought to represent. The book challenges traditional ideas about the "triumph of party" after 1867, suggesting that politics remained much more fluid and unpredictable than historians have often allowed. It is this, the book suggests, that explains why politicians from most parties, including Labour, remained highly ambivalent about the likely consequences of further democratization.

In this engagingly written history of electioneering in Britain from the eighteenth century to the present, Jon Lawrence explores the changing relationship between politicians and public. Throughout this period, he argues, British politics has been characterized by bruising public rituals intended to bestow legitimacy on politicians by obliging them to face an often irreverent public on broadly equal terms.
Face-to-face interaction was central both to the disorderly civic rituals of eighteenth-century politics, and to the Victorian and Edwardian election meeting. Perhaps surprisingly, it also survived in pretty rude health between the wars, despite the emergence of the new mass communication media of radio and cinema. But the same cannot be said of the post-war era and the rise of television. Today most politicians are content merely to offer the semblance of meaningful engagement--walkabouts, canvassing and meetings are all designed to ensure that most senior politicians come into contact only with the smiling faces of that dwindling band, the "party faithful." Lloyd George and Churchill might have relished the rough and tumble of a tumultuous public meeting, but their modern counterparts tend to be more risk-averse (and not without reason, given that the cameras are always present to capture their mishaps).
But this is not another nostalgic lament for a lost "golden age." On the contrary, Electing Our Masters argues that politicians frequently still crave the kudos to be derived from bruising encounters with an irreverent public--hence Tony Blair's so-called "masochism strategy" in the 2005 election campaign, with its succession of gruelling sessions before live studio audiences. As Lawrence points out, the vital question for today is: can we persuade our broadcasters that such encounters must form a staple of modern, mediated politics?

This major collection of essays challenges many of our preconceptions about British political and social history from the late eighteenth century to the present. Inspired by the work of Gareth Stedman Jones, twelve leading scholars explore both the long-term structures - social, political and intellectual - of modern British history, and the forces that have transformed those structures at key moments. The result is a series of insightful, original essays presenting new research within a broad historical context. Subjects covered include the consequences of rapid demographic change in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the forces shaping transnational networks, especially those between Britain and its empire; and the recurrent problem of how we connect cultural politics to social change. An introductory essay situates Stedman Jones's work within the broader historiographical trends of the past thirty years, drawing important conclusions about new directions for scholarship in the twenty-first century.

The Pastoral is the semi-fictional account of British composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and George Butterworth during the First World War. Both saw active service and witnessed the horrors of trench warfare; Vaughan Williams as a member of the medical corp, while Butterworth fought at the Battle of The Somme. Following the events and timeline that we know to be true, Jon Lawrence offers a hypothesis of what might have happened and considers how the unimaginable terrors of war in France might affect the creative mind. Although the book addresses the violent truth of conflict The Pastoral is also a powerful story of friendship, courage and the power of hope. Jon Lawrence lectures in music at City College Norwich in the UK.

This book is a light hearted look at overcoming life's many trial and tribluations. With a capacity to still laugh at the funny things and cry at the sad. Finding humour in the face of adversity is not always easy but is preferable to being unhappy, as we all know life is just too short. There are moments of laughter in every aspect of life, the trick is finding them!