Numbers 1 and No 2 in this series emphasised that politics is essentially a process which takes place inside governing structures or political systems. These political systems come in many different shapes and sizes. Numbers 3 and No 4 built on these foundations and explored the core principle of democracy - the sovereignty of the people – and the liberal values which are yoked to it to yield 'liberal-democracy'. Number 5 examined the origins and significance of political ideology, the var...

POPULAR DEMOCRACY. This is the third in a series of texts on government and politics designed for students and the general reader (see author's other publications for a full list of titles). This book continues the series with an in-depth examination of majoritarian democracy and its central, core tenet - the 'sovereignty of the people' and all that that implies for political structures, processes and priorities. The text opens with a clear statement of Aims and Learning Outcomes to give c...

THE PURPOSE OF POLITICS. This is the first in a series of books on government and politics designed for students and the general reader (see 'other publications' for a full list of titles). All the books interlink and cross-reference but are designed to stand alone. This introductory text starts the series with a detailed examination of politics. It asks a number of important key questions such as what is politics and how can we define it? Who does politics and why and how? What are its us...

LIBERAL DEMOCRACY. This is the fourth in a series of texts on government and politics designed for students and the general reader (see author's other publications or a full list of titles). All the books interlink and cross-reference but are designed to stand alone. This fourth text continues the series with a detailed exploration of liberal democracy. A democracy of course is 'government of the people, by the people, for the people'. In a democracy 'the people' are sovereign. Majorities ...

POLITICAL SYSTEMS. This is the second in a series of books on government and politics designed for students and the general reader (see author's other publications for details of all series titles). All the books interlink and cross reference but are designed to stand alone. This second text continues the series with a detailed exploration of political systems: the structures which channel, direct and shape the all-inclusive decision-making activity which is the hall-mark of politics. Thin...

POLITICAL IDEOLOGY AND THE LIBERAL CENTRE. This book is the fifth in a series of texts on government and politics designed for students and the general reader (see the author's other publications for a full list of titles). The books are linked but are designed to stand alone. Politics and political conflicts are shaped by ideas. Ideas give politics form, direction and purpose. Ideas define and differentiate political parties and their programmes. Ideas provide power-holders and power-seek...

In recent years at home and abroad there have been arbitrary attacks on liberty, with the state interfering with age-old freedoms such as privacy, freedom of expression and justice. As the modern Western world was built on the principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, it is time to resurrect the most important idea of all: that of liberty itself.The Libertarian's Handbook is a comprehensive work exploring the ideas of libertarianism. It details the evolution of the idea...

To face the future, Canada needs more Canadians. But why and how many?Canada’s population has always grown slowly, when it has grown at all. That wasn’t by accident. For centuries before Confederation and a century after, colonial economic policies and an inward-facing world view isolated this country, attracting few of the people and building few of the institutions needed to sustain a sovereign nation. In fact, during most years before 1967, a greater number of p...

The Hill Times: Best Books of 2017What if it is not our political system that is broken, but our understanding of it?Everybody thinks that it’s the system that’s broken in politics; but what if it’s not the system that’s broken but rather our understanding of it? What if everyone’s proposals to make the system “more democratic” only wind up making things worse, and weaken our systems of accountability so much as to make them meaningless? What if it...

The book provides a clear assessment of the New Labour public policies and their outcomes in Britain under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown from 1997–2009. Authors Florence Faucher-King and Patrick Le Galès argue that New Labour, in contrast to its European counterparts, developed a right-wing economic policy program based upon light financial regulation and strict macroeconomic management. Blair and Brown developed a large controlling bureaucracy, making Britain's government ...

Silencing Dissent is a timely, disturbing and unnerving book'from the foreword by Robert ManneFor over a decade, the Howard government has found ways to silence its critics, one by one. Like the proverbial frog in boiling water, Australians have become accustomed to repeated attacks on respected individuals and organisations. For a government which claims to support freedom of speech and freedom of choice, only certain kinds of speech and choices appear to be accep...

This book is a plea for system change in Australia, referring to the various systems that underpin and shape governance. As the 2013 federal election approaches the many flaws in the system of government in Australia are again evident. However, they do not themselves form the focus of the election debate. During the last years the tone and quality of the parliamentary debate has become the focus of attention though. Most people dont like the combative style that is on display on a daily ba...