David Coates

First published in 1984, The Context of British Politics is a comprehensive introductory text on British politics which takes a radically different approach from that of standard institutional texts. The author argues that in order to grasp the full significance of contemporary British politics, it is vital that students understand the social, economic and global context in which it operates. He guides the reader systematically through a range of social and economic factors, tracing the origins of political issues, the distribution of political resources, the character of political groups and the nature of dominant political beliefs and factions. The book provides a clear and highly readable introduction to the capitalist world economy, to the weakness of British industrial capital, the political influence of labour and capital, and to the political impact of social inequality, gender discrimination and racial tension on modern Britain. It uses this material to explain the nature of the contemporary crisis of both major parties, and of the state. This book is a must read for students of British politics.

First published in 1984, The Context of British Politics is a comprehensive introductory text on British politics which takes a radically different approach from that of standard institutional texts. The author argues that in order to grasp the full significance of contemporary British politics, it is vital that students understand the social, economic and global context in which it operates. He guides the reader systematically through a range of social and economic factors, tracing the origins of political issues, the distribution of political resources, the character of political groups and the nature of dominant political beliefs and factions.The book provides a clear and highly readable introduction to the capitalist world economy, to the weakness of British industrial capital, the political influence of labour and capital, and to the political impact of social inequality, gender discrimination and racial tension on modern Britain. It uses this material to explain the nature of the contemporary crisis of both major parties, and of the state. This book is a must read for students of British politics.

The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile east-west large-wheeled wagon route in the United States of America.Originally used by fur traders, by 1835 the first migrant wagon trail was organised. Join our young adventurer as he finds himself joining a family as they make their way to the rich farmlands West of the Rocky Mountains.

Drawing on over four decades of research and writing on the political economy of the UK and United States, David Coates offers a masterly account of the Anglo-American condition and the social and economic crisis besetting both countries. Charting the rise and fall of the social settlements that have shaped and defined the postwar years, Coates traces the history of the two economies through first their New Deal and then their Reaganite periods – ones labelled differently in the UK, but similarly marked by the development first of a Keynesian welfare state and then a Thatcherite neoliberal one. Coates exposes the failings and shortcomings of the Reagan/Thatcher years, showing how the underlying fragility of a settlement based on the weakening of organized labour and the extensive deregulation of business culminated in the financial crisis of 2008. The legacies of that crisis haunt us still – a squeezed middle class, further embedded poverty, deepened racial divisions, an adverse work–life balance for two-income families, and a growing crisis of housing and employment for the young. Flawed Capitalism deals with each in turn, and makes the case for the creation of a new transatlantic social settlement – a less flawed capitalism – one based on greater degrees of income equality and social justice. As members of the millennial generation come to their maturity on each side of the Atlantic, Flawed Capitalism offers the critical intellectual tools that they will need if they are ever to break decisively with the failed public policies of the past.

This practical and easy-to-use book enables teachers to challenge able children to develop their potential and to extend their thinking in primary science. It links theory to practice to develop understanding of what it means to be an able scientist; and empowers teachers to build on their existing good practice to build an inclusive science curriculum for able children. Special features include: photocopiable resources that are linked to the National Curriculum and the QCA schemes of work; teacher guidance on the use of these resources and how they can be incorporated into normal primary science lessons; and suggestions for assessment.

The global economy is dominated by a powerful set of established and emerging capitalisms, from the long-standing capitalist economies of the West to the rising economies of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. An understanding of capitalism is therefore fundamental to understanding the modern world. Capitalism: The Basics is an accessible introduction to a variety of capitalisms and explores key topics such as: the history of major capitalist economies;the central role played by both states and markets in the global economy;the impact of capitalism on wages, workers and welfare;approaches to the analysis of capitalism, and choices for capitalism’s future. Examining capitalism from both above and below, featuring a range of case studies from around the globe, and including a comprehensive glossary, this book is the ideal introduction for students studying capitalism.

The global economy is dominated by a powerful set of established and emerging capitalisms, from the long-standing capitalist economies of the West to the rising economies of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. An understanding of capitalism is therefore fundamental to understanding the modern world. Capitalism: The Basics is an accessible introduction to a variety of capitalisms and explores key topics such as: the history of major capitalist economies;the central role played by both states and markets in the global economy;the impact of capitalism on wages, workers and welfare;approaches to the analysis of capitalism, and choices for capitalism’s future. Examining capitalism from both above and below, featuring a range of case studies from around the globe, and including a comprehensive glossary, this book is the ideal introduction for students studying capitalism.

This title presents the conservative and liberal arguments related to the current economic issues faced by the Obama administration, including market regulation and green economy. At a time of tea parties and rallies to restore sanity, the political debate in America has become nothing more than a shouting match of various soundbites. This book offers a refreshing change by introducing both conservative arguments and liberal responses in a dispassionate and clear manner. Focusing on the issues that ail the economy under the Obama administration and their possible remedies, the book offers substantiated facts and rational arguments on each side, to promote true debate. Chapters on Obama's response to the financial crisis, regulated market, green economy, need for reform and more offer a true assessment of the problems at hand and propose a progressive alternative to each of the key issues, from foreclosures to entitlement reform. In addition, two appendices provide additional, in-depth information on the roots of the crisis and an economics primer accessible to the lay person. An engaging read, "Making the Progressive Case" will appeal to anyone interested in America's politics and economic future, and will help us move beyond the partisan quagmire to bring forth political change.

This title presents the conservative and liberal arguments related to the current economic issues faced by the Obama administration, including market regulation and green economy. At a time of tea parties and rallies to restore sanity, the political debate in America has become nothing more than a shouting match of various soundbites. This book offers a refreshing change by introducing both conservative arguments and liberal responses in a dispassionate and clear manner. Focusing on the issues that ail the economy under the Obama administration and their possible remedies, the book offers substantiated facts and rational arguments on each side, to promote true debate. Chapters on Obama's response to the financial crisis, regulated market, green economy, need for reform and more offer a true assessment of the problems at hand and propose a progressive alternative to each of the key issues, from foreclosures to entitlement reform. In addition, two appendices provide additional, in-depth information on the roots of the crisis and an economics primer accessible to the lay person. An engaging read, "Making the Progressive Case" will appeal to anyone interested in America's politics and economic future, and will help us move beyond the partisan quagmire to bring forth political change.

"Answering Back" presents the conservative and liberal arguments on eight key policy issues: trickle-down economics, welfare, social security, health care, immigration control, religion, the war in Iraq, and economic prosperity. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction, followed by conservative views and a point-by-point progressive response. Each stage of each argument is labeled for easy memorization, and the language used is deliberately jargon free, to make the material as accessible as possible. The sources of both conservative and progressive arguments (and their supporting evidence) are cited to open the door to further research. "Answering Back" aims to be a handbook of arguments, data, and sources that present today's key policy debates in an even-handed and accessible manner. This will be an essential tool for anyone interested in policy reform, party politics, and American politics.

This book brings together in one place the liberal and conservative arguments that face the Republican and Democratic parties in the run-up to the 2008 election. In each chapter, David Coates lays out the popular conservative case and then presents a point-by-point liberal response. Each chapter challenges right-wing ways of framing the issue and pulls discussion back into the civilized center of American politics. The sources and evidence sustaining both conservative and liberal arguments are listed in endnotes and developed more fully on an associated blog site. A Liberal Tool Kit helps to redress the conservative bias in the way news and arguments are generally reported. Coates argues that conservative media outlets are currently more powerful and numerous than liberal ones, contending that conservative arguments tend to be presented more clearly than their less simplistic, more nuanced liberal alternatives. In this book, he presents the complexities of the conservative arguments while at the same time clarifying liberal positions in straightforward, everyday language, so leveling the playing field.

Tony Blair and George Bush may have won the war in Iraq, but they are losing the peace at home. How did Blair come to support the US-led invasion of Iraq? Why did he risk taking Britain into a conflict which so imperilled his premiership? Was he justified in doing so? These are just some of the questions which David Coates and Joel Krieger seek to answer in Blair’s War – the most authoritative and complete record of the conflict to date. Written by two of the most experienced and perceptive observers of British politics and New Labour, the book explains how his stalwart commitment to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with America after 9/11 trapped Blair in a tragic logic that took the UK to war in Iraq. It reveals how Blair was bushwhacked into exaggerating the Iraqi threat, seduced away from New Labour’s ethical foreign policy, and drawn into Bush’s imperial campaign. Blair’s War blows a hole through each of the justifications for war and offers a detailed, original and compelling set of proposals to return the UK to an ethical foreign policy. With an exquisite sense of the unfolding drama and an eye for detail, the authors develop the arguments for and against the war and, with unerring fairness, test each argument against the record of what was known, what was suspected, and what was misrepresented. The book provides a unique perspective on this latest unsettling turn in the ‘special relationship’, and is essential reading for voters on both sides of the Atlantic, who must soon determine the political fates of both the President and Prime Minister.

Tony Blair and George Bush may have won the war in Iraq, but they are losing the peace at home. How did Blair come to support the US-led invasion of Iraq? Why did he risk taking Britain into a conflict which so imperilled his premiership? Was he justified in doing so? These are just some of the questions which David Coates and Joel Krieger seek to answer in Blair’s War – the most authoritative and complete record of the conflict to date. Written by two of the most experienced and perceptive observers of British politics and New Labour, the book explains how his stalwart commitment to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with America after 9/11 trapped Blair in a tragic logic that took the UK to war in Iraq. It reveals how Blair was bushwhacked into exaggerating the Iraqi threat, seduced away from New Labour’s ethical foreign policy, and drawn into Bush’s imperial campaign. Blair’s War blows a hole through each of the justifications for war and offers a detailed, original and compelling set of proposals to return the UK to an ethical foreign policy. With an exquisite sense of the unfolding drama and an eye for detail, the authors develop the arguments for and against the war and, with unerring fairness, test each argument against the record of what was known, what was suspected, and what was misrepresented. The book provides a unique perspective on this latest unsettling turn in the ‘special relationship’, and is essential reading for voters on both sides of the Atlantic, who must soon determine the political fates of both the President and Prime Minister.

This practical and easy-to-use book enables teachers to challenge able children to develop their potential and to extend their thinking in primary science. It links theory to practice to develop understanding of what it means to be an able scientist; and empowers teachers to build on their existing good practice to build an inclusive science curriculum for able children. Special features include: photocopiable resources that are linked to the National Curriculum and the QCA schemes of work; teacher guidance on the use of these resources and how they can be incorporated into normal primary science lessons; and suggestions for assessment.

A systematic and comprehensive study of the early performance of New Labour in power. It brings together the results of a co-ordinated research initiative underway in the Department of Government at the University of Manchester, charting the developing relationship between election promise and government policy across the whole sweep of New Labour's manifesto agenda. Each chapter examines New Labour's initial comments, charts opening policy moves, and traces policy trajectories in each major department of state; so generating a comprehensive audit of New Labour's electoral fidelity and an academically-informed assessment of New Labour's likely policy trajectory though its first period of office.

The contemporary debate on economic policy is dominated by the issue of 'which model of capitalism works best'.

This work explores the issues, dilemmas and situations which confront the stakeholders in further and higher education in the area of equal opportunities. Such dilemmas include ways that gender influences male and female students' experience and special education needs of students.

In Economic and Industrial Performance in Europe, a distinguished group of scholars compares the fortunes of different European nations in the period of economic restructuring, uncertainty, and generally slower economic growth that followed the oil crisis of the 1970s. Using meaningful quantitative data, the authors address the deterioration and divergence of economic performance across Europe since 1973. They look at attempts to improve domestic competitiveness, labour market deregulation, the impact of research and development on economic success, comparative analysis of state expenditure and debt, the military economy and the social consequences of industrialism and industrial restructuring. This volume seeks to show how the post-war boom has unravelled and how this process has impacted upon different European economies.Economic and Industrial Performance in Europe will be welcomed by students, researchers and policy makers seeking comprehensive, meaningful information on why some national economies have been better placed than others to shoulder the burden of the more intense, global competitive pressures that have become part of the post-1973 world economy.

In the seventies the British political system was in deep and growing crisis. The leading political parties appeared unable to offer effective solutions to the major problems which confronted the electorate and the electorate was consequently increasingly alienated from politicians who promised so much and delivered so little. The gap between promise and performance had been a persistent feature of Labour Party politics in particular and with the revival of radicalism within the Labour Party during the 1970s it was the opportune time to re-examine the record of the party and its potential. David Coates offers an important analysis of the Labour Party during this time and its history. He examines the roots of the Party and its development up to 1945 and analyses the performance of the 1945–51 Attlee Governments in depth. He traces developments within the Party in the 1950s and offers one of the first detailed accounts of the performance in office between 1964 and 1970.