{"title":"Books by Tim Bale","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781509546015","title":"The Conservative Party After Brexit – Turmoil and Transformation","description":"The Conservative Party has long laid claim to being the world’s most successful political party, not least because it is also one of the most adaptable, often appearing to do and say pretty much whatever it takes to win. But has it now shot itself in the foot by trying too hard to fight off Nigel Farage?Since the UK voted to leave the EU back in 2016, the Tories have arguably done more than simply re-shape themselves: rather, they seem to have transformed themselves from a mainstream centre-right party into an ersatz radical right-wing populist outfit – one characterized by an often counter-intuitive combination of culture war concerns, on the one hand, and free market fundamentalism, on the other.   In this compelling and persuasively argued book, Tim Bale, one of the country's foremost experts on contemporary British politics, takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the Conservatives’ fortunes over the last decade. From the bombshell Brexit referendum, through the chaotic premierships of Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss, to the party’s electoral comeuppance under Rishi Sunak and its attempted renewal with Kemi Badenoch at the helm, Bale tells the fascinating tale of a party that, in just a few short years, has gone from nervous breakdown to top of the world – and back again.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204574347442,"sku":"9781509546015","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781509546015.jpg?v=1786021873"},{"product_id":"9781350414013","title":"European Politics","description":"\u003cp\u003eComparative in approach and organised around key themes, such as the media, political participation and elections, \u003ci\u003eEuropean Politics\u003c\/i\u003e guides you through the political institutions, processes and issues that matter in Europe today.  In this fifth edition, Tim Bale and new co-author Jens Meijen build on this well-established text to include extensive coverage of recent events and current political trends in Europe’s fast-changing landscape.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith debating boxes, country profiles, up-to-date scholarship, data and examples, this textbook is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to develop their understanding of Europe’s politics. It is suitable for use on Comparative European Politics and European Union Politics courses, as well as courses on Comparative Politics more broadly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new edition offers:\u003cbr\u003e- More \u003cb\u003eCentral and Eastern European\u003c\/b\u003e examples and case studies\u003cbr\u003e- Updated \u003cb\u003ecoverage of recent events\u003c\/b\u003e including the climate emergency, the cost of living crisis and rampant inflation, the ongoing fallout from Brexit, and Europe’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.\u003cbr\u003e- Full analysis of the most pressing issues in Europe today, including \u003cb\u003esustainability, digitalization, disinformation, populism\u003c\/b\u003e and\u003cb\u003e citizen participation.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccompanying resources for supporting teaching and learning can be found at www.bloomsburyonlineresources.com\/european-politics-5e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55896366711157,"sku":"9781350414013","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781350414013_5aa86f3c-faba-4b2a-9914-ea398e20154b.jpg?v=1786017965"},{"product_id":"9781785909511","title":"British Conservative Leaders","description":"As the party that has held power more times than any other, the Conservatives have played a crucial role in the shaping of British society. And yet the leaders who have stood at its helm - from Sir Robert Peel to Rishi Sunak, via Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher - have steered the party vessel with enormously varying degrees of success, particularly latterly, when the short but destructive tenures of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss did much to damage the party's reputation for competence.   The requirements, techniques and goals of Conservative leadership since the party's nineteenth-century factional breakaway have been forced to evolve almost beyond recognition - and not all its leaders have managed to keep up.   This comprehensive and enlightening book - now fully updated with chapters on all Conservative leaders up to Rishi Sunak and an assessment of the party's leadership in relation to Brexit - considers the attributes and achievements of each leader in the context of their respective time and diplomatic landscape. Offering a compelling analytical framework by which they may be judged, it also provides detailed personal biographies from some of the country's foremost political critics and exclusive interviews with former leaders themselves.   An indispensable contribution to the study of party leadership, British Conservative Leaders is the essential guide to understanding British political history and governance.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55897508708725,"sku":"9781785909511","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781785909511_d2dabc87-92fb-47be-a73d-5a0709bc5ac2.jpg?v=1786025545"},{"product_id":"9780198702962","title":"Five Year Mission","description":"In May 2010, Labour suffered one of its worst ever election defeats. A few months later it chose Ed Miliband as its new leader. His task? To win back power after just one term in opposition - a tall order given how many voters had come to blame Labour for the economic mess the country was in, and to see the party as a soft-touch when it came to immigration and welfare. \u003cp\u003eEven those who were more sympathetic had their doubts. Was Ed Miliband really leadership material? Would he be able to overcome defeating his elder brother to get to the top? Would he have to do as he was told by the trade union leaders who had helped him win? Could he resolve the tensions between Blairites and Brownites, Blue Labour and New Labour? Might his desire to keep his colleagues united mean Labour stayed stuck in its comfort zone? Would he, in seeking to break from the party's recent past, take it too far to the left? Could he offer the electorate something really radical in 2015 or would he instead choose something safer but ultimately less inspiring? And what should twenty-first social democracy look like now that the money had run out?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book, by one of the country's foremost experts on party politics, seeks to answer all those questions and, in the run up to the 2015 general election, to ask one more: will Ed Miliband's five year mission turn out to be 'mission impossible'?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56226849358197,"sku":"9780198702962","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780198702962_be786739-9377-4da8-910f-e182c2b1d6e0.jpg?v=1786011695"},{"product_id":"9780745687452","title":"The Conservative Party","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Conservatives are back, and back with a bang Â- two election wins in a row and, providing they can hold things together, in a pretty good position to win another. But many questions about their recent past, present, and future still remain. Just why did the worldÂs oldest and most successful political party dump Margaret Thatcher only to commit electoral suicide under John Major? And what stopped the Tories getting their act together until David Cameron came along? Did Cameron change his party as much as he sometimes liked to claim, or did his leadership, both in opposition and in government, involve more compromise - and more Conservatism Â- than we realize? Finally, what does the result of the EU referendum mean for the Party in years to come?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe answers, as this accessible and gripping book shows, are as intriguing and provocative as the questions. Based on in-depth research and interviews with the key players, Tim Bale explains how and why the Tories lost power in 1997 Â- and how and why they have eventually been able to rediscover their winning ways, even if internal tensions and external challenges mean they still canÂt take anything for granted. Crucial, he suggests, are the people, the power structures, the ideas, and the very different interests of those involved. This second edition of \u003ci\u003eThe Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron\u003c\/i\u003eis a must-read for anyone wanting to understand what makes the Tories tick.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56296707654005,"sku":"9780745687452","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780745687452_fe6cd578-52e2-4e20-b19b-952c6caef11c.jpg?v=1786014705"},{"product_id":"9783031959516","title":"The British General Election of 2024","description":"The British General Election of 2024 is the definitive account of a landmark election, featuring an unprecedented Conservative collapse, a Labour Commons landslide, and record fragmentation in voters' choices. Built on unparalleled access to all the key players, this account weaves together a compelling insider account of how the campaign was fought with rigorous analysis of how, when and where this sea change election was won and lost. The 22nd volume in a prestigious series dating back to 1945, this offers something for everyone, from Westminster insiders and politics students to the interested general reader, who wants to understand one of the most dramatic swings of the electoral pendulum in living memory.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685707981173,"sku":"9783031969409","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56369484693877,"sku":"9783031959516","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783031969409.jpg?v=1792598866"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-tim-bale.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}