Synopses & Reviews
Bringing together a collaboration of leading specialists in Labour Party history, this edited collection provides a detailed and accessible analysis of what has led to the demise of respective Labour governments from Ramsay MacDonald to Gordon Brown. In doing so this volume provides engaging comparisons between Labour governments considering both external and internal factors which includes the importance of themes such as economic performance; political leadership; party unity; policy direction and the condition of the Conservatives in opposition. The result is a powerful and thought-provoking volume that provides a context in which the reader can place the fall of the Labour government under Gordon Brown in 2010. The book is required reading for students and scholars of British Political History and Labour Party History.
Review
To come
Synopsis
What similarities exist between the reasons for Labour losing office in 2010 and those behind why previous Labour governments were defeated? This edited volume provides a detailed historical appraisal which considers the importance of themes such as economic performance; political leadership and the condition of the Conservatives in opposition.
About the Author
Dr. Timothy Heppell is Associate Professor of British Politics within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds, UK. He is the author of
Choosing the Labour Leader: From Wilson to Brown (I. B. Tauris, 2010) and editor of
Leaders of the Opposition: From Churchill to Cameron (Palgrave, 2012).
Professor Kevin Theakston is Professor of British Government within the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. He has published ten books including Winston Churchill and the British Constitution (Politicos, 2004) and After Number Ten: Former Prime Ministers in British Politics (Palgrave, 2010).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures and Tables
1. Introduction; Timothy Heppell and Kevin Theakston
2. The Fall of the First MacDonald Government 1924; Keith Laybourn
3. The Fall of the Second MacDonald Government 1931; Chris Wrigley
4. The Fall of the Attlee Government 1951; Robert Crowcroft and Kevin Theakston
5. The Fall of the Wilson Government 1970; Peter Dorey
6. The Fall of the Callaghan Government 1979; John Shepherd
7. The Fall of the Brown Government 2010; Timothy Heppell
8 Conclusion; Timothy Heppell and Kevin Theakston
Index