Robert Leach

The 1980s witnessed an unprecedented series of initiatives aimed at transforming the role and manner of local government operations in Britain. First published in 1990, Local Government and Thatcherism provides a clear and up-to-date framework for understanding the impact of ‘Thatcherism’ on local government during this period and explores future prospects.The authors examine the effect of the ‘Thatcher Revolution’ on the policy and practice of local government, looking at the role of ideology in key policy areas such as finance, public services, local economic development, race, and decentralization. Beginning with an analysis of the evolution of local government, the authors situate Thatcherism in the context of ‘Municipal Toryism’, and discuss changes in local finance, including the introduction of the community charge. They focus on changes in public policy, particularly innovations like grant-maintained schools and Housing Action Trusts and look in detail at economic regeneration and equal opportunities, two areas in local policy development which are increasingly under threat from centralizing tendencies. The authors conclude that the revolution in local government is aimed at nothing less than recasting the local socio-political order and political process. Coming to terms with these challenges, they believe, will change the face of local government in 1990s; the contract authority, the enterprising authority, and the business-corporatist authority.Lucid and stimulating, this discussion will be invaluable to students of British politics, and public and social administration, and to all those who wish to know more about the future of local government.

The 1980s witnessed an unprecedented series of initiatives aimed at transforming the role and manner of local government operations in Britain. First published in 1990, Local Government and Thatcherism provides a clear and up-to-date framework for understanding the impact of ‘Thatcherism’ on local government during this period and explores future prospects. The authors examine the effect of the ‘Thatcher Revolution’ on the policy and practice of local government, looking at the role of ideology in key policy areas such as finance, public services, local economic development, race, and decentralization. Beginning with an analysis of the evolution of local government, the authors situate Thatcherism in the context of ‘Municipal Toryism’, and discuss changes in local finance, including the introduction of the community charge. They focus on changes in public policy, particularly innovations like grant-maintained schools and Housing Action Trusts and look in detail at economic regeneration and equal opportunities, two areas in local policy development which are increasingly under threat from centralizing tendencies. The authors conclude that the revolution in local government is aimed at nothing less than recasting the local socio-political order and political process. Coming to terms with these challenges, they believe, will change the face of local government in 1990s; the contract authority, the enterprising authority, and the business-corporatist authority. Lucid and stimulating, this discussion will be invaluable to students of British politics, and public and social administration, and to all those who wish to know more about the future of local government.

Looking for the meaning of a tax term? Leach's Tax Dictionary is a cornucopia of tax terms and data. It also explains all those abbreviations used in tax writing and reporting. Leach's Tax Dictionary contains 990 pages of definitions, abbreviations explained and other information which may be of use to a tax accountant/lawyer. 11,000 definitions 3,000 abbreviations explained Timelines given of significant historical events related to tax and of forthcoming implementation dates Where applicable terms are explained with reference to relevant case law, statutes or guidance This book provides a ready source of information to those who already have some understanding of tax, and for anyone working or studying in the tax field. Expanded by more than 20% since the first edition. Fully updated to reflect the law as of October 2025, with hundreds of new definitions added and updated.

This book provides an overview of the inception, development and achievements of British socialist and workers theatre – a feat which has not been attempted before. It explores the connections between politics and culture (specifically theatre) and between political theory and cultural (theatrical) expression. The book is organized chronologically and uncovers much in labour and theatre history which is in danger of being lost. It can also be seen as a way into different moments in its subject’s story (e.g. post-Ibsen naturalism; agitprop theatre; ‘fringe’ theatre of the 1970s) and the relationship of such forms to specific political events and ideas at specific points in history.

This book provides an overview of the inception, development and achievements of British socialist and workers theatre – a feat which has not been attempted before. It explores the connections between politics and culture (specifically theatre) and between political theory and cultural (theatrical) expression. The book is organized chronologically and uncovers much in labour and theatre history which is in danger of being lost. It can also be seen as a way into different moments in its subject’s story (e.g. post-Ibsen naturalism; agitprop theatre; ‘fringe’ theatre of the 1970s) and the relationship of such forms to specific political events and ideas at specific points in history.

Sergei Tretyakov is one of those artists and intellectuals from the first half of the twentieth century whose name is known, but whose achievements are barely recognized. He seems curiously elusive. Who exactly was he? What did he do? A victim of Stalin's Great Terror, declared an 'enemy of the people', his works were 'disappeared' and his name forbidden to be mentioned.But he was at the very heart of avant-garde modernism. He collaborated with Sergei Eisenstein both in the theatre and on films, and was behind Eisenstein's formative theory of 'the montage of attractions'. He was one of Vladimir Mayakovsky's most intimate associates. He was a crucial influence in the formulation of Vsevolod Meyerhold's biomechanics and of Bertolt Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt, and he was a potent force behind Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.His influence grew from the astonishing range of his intellectual and artistic work. He was a distinguished poet and playwright, and a formidable cultural theorist. He played the piano with skill, precision and feeling, he could draw cartoons good enough to be reproduced in newspapers, he became one of Russia's foremost radio broadcasters, and he was an outstanding photographer.At the same time, he was a warm and affectionate husband and father, a bold, argumentative and charismatic friend, and a shrewd observer of revolutionary Russia's hopes and struggles.This book uncovers the multifarious facets of this fascinating artist and thinker, sets his ideas in the context of his time and for the first time reveals the significance of his diverse achievements.

Partners of the Imagination is the first in-depth study of the work of John Arden and Margaretta D’Arcy, partners in writing and cultural and political campaigns. Beginning in the 1950s, Arden and D’Arcy created a series of hugely admired plays performed at Britain’s major theatres. Political activists, they worked tirelessly in the peace movement and the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’, during which D’Arcy was gaoled. She is also a veteran of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace camp. Their later work included Booker-listed novels, prize-winning stories, essays and radio plays, and D’Arcy founded and ran a Woman’s Pirate Radio station. Raymond Williams described Arden as ‘the most genuinely innovative’ of the playwrights of his generation, and Chambers and Prior claimed that ‘The Non-Stop Connolly Show’, D’Arcy and Arden’s six-play epic, ‘has fair claim to being one of the finest pieces of post-war drama in the English language’. This study explores the connections between art and life, and between the responsibilities of the writer and the citizen. Importantly, it also evaluates the range of literary works (plays, poetry, novels, essays, polemics) created by these writers, both as literature and drama, and as controversialist activity in its own right. This work is a landmark examination of two hugely respected radical writers.

An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance chronicles the history and development of theatre from the Roman era to the present day. As the most public of arts, theatre constantly interacted with changing social, political, and intellectual movements and ideas, and Robert Leach’s masterful work restores to the foreground of this evolution the contributions of women, gay people, and ethnic minorities, as well as the regional theatres of Wales and Scotland.Highly-illustrated chapters trace the development of theatre through major plays from each period; evaluations of playwrights; contemporary dramatic theory; acting and acting companies; dance and music; the theatre buildings themselves; and the audience, while also highlighting enduring features of British theatre, from comic gags to the use of props.

Looking for the meaning of a tax term?Leach's Tax Dictionary is a cornucopia of tax terms and data. It also explains all those abbreviations used in tax writing and reporting.Leach's Tax Dictionary contains over 1,000 pages of definitions, abbreviations explained and useful data - tax rates and other information which may be of use to a tax accountant/lawyer.10,000 definitions.3,000 abbreviations explained.200 pages of tax, financial and historical data related to tax.Where applicable terms are explained with reference to relevant case law, statutes or guidance.This book provides a ready source of information to those who already have some understanding of tax, and for anyone working or studying in the tax field.

Partners of the Imagination is the first in-depth study of the work of John Arden and Margaretta D’Arcy, partners in writing and cultural and political campaigns. Beginning in the 1950s, Arden and D’Arcy created a series of hugely admired plays performed at Britain’s major theatres. Political activists, they worked tirelessly in the peace movement and the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’, during which D’Arcy was gaoled. She is also a veteran of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace camp. Their later work included Booker-listed novels, prize-winning stories, essays and radio plays, and D’Arcy founded and ran a Woman’s Pirate Radio station. Raymond Williams described Arden as ‘the most genuinely innovative’ of the playwrights of his generation, and Chambers and Prior claimed that ‘The Non-Stop Connolly Show’, D’Arcy and Arden’s six-play epic, ‘has fair claim to being one of the finest pieces of post-war drama in the English language’. This study explores the connections between art and life, and between the responsibilities of the writer and the citizen. Importantly, it also evaluates the range of literary works (plays, poetry, novels, essays, polemics) created by these writers, both as literature and drama, and as controversialist activity in its own right. This work is a landmark examination of two hugely respected radical writers.

An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance chronicles the history and development of theatre from the Roman era to the present day. As the most public of arts, theatre constantly interacted with changing social, political and intellectual movements and ideas, and Robert Leach’s masterful work restores to the foreground of this evolution the contributions of women, gay people and ethnic minorities, as well as the theatres of the English regions, and of Wales and Scotland.Highly illustrated chapters trace the development of theatre through major plays from each period; evaluations of playwrights; contemporary dramatic theory; acting and acting companies; dance and music; the theatre buildings themselves; and the audience, while also highlighting enduring features of British theatre, from comic gags to the use of props. Continuing on from the Enlightenment, Volume Two of An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance leads its readers from the drama and performances of the Industrial Revolution to the latest digital theatre. Moving from Punch and Judy, castle spectres and penny showmen to Modernism and Postdramatic Theatre, Leach’s second volume triumphantly completes a collated account of all the British Theatre History knowledge anyone could ever need.

An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance chronicles the history and development of theatre from the Roman era to the present day. As the most public of arts, theatre constantly interacts with changing social, political and intellectual movements and ideas, and Robert Leach’s masterful work restores to the foreground of this evolution the contributions of women, gay people and ethnic minorities, as well as the theatres of the English regions, and of Wales and Scotland.Highly illustrated chapters trace the development of theatre through major plays from each period; evaluations of playwrights; contemporary dramatic theory; acting and acting companies; dance and music; the theatre buildings themselves; and the audience, while also highlighting enduring features of British theatre, from comic gags to the use of props.This first volume spans from the earliest forms of performance to the popular theatres of high society and the Enlightenment, tracing a movement from the outdoor and fringe to the heart of the social world. The Illustrated History acts as an accessible, flexible basis for students of the theatre, and for pure fans of British theatre history there could be no better starting point.

A study of a key modernist form, its theory, practice and legacyWhat do we know today about the theatrical ferment caused by the scandalous group of Russian writers, artists, musicians and theatre makers who called themselves 'Futurists'? What can we learn from their iconoclastic and exciting theatre works?Underpinned by theoretical writings, manifestoes and demonstrations, Russian Futurist Theatre explores one of the most brilliant but least documented theatre explosions of the last 100 years. It is the first book to comprehensively uncover the Russian futurist theatre in all its virtuosity and diversity. Revealing a wealth of extraordinary theatre work and a barely-known group of theatre practitioners the book finds new ways to explore the interface between literature, theory and performance.Key FeaturesExplores the development of post-Romantic epic theatre and theexploration of abstract and alogical performanceDiscusses major practitioners' working methods as well as obscure practitioners related to major figures like Vsevolod MeyerholdAnalyses how Futurist theatre was strangled by Stalinism and 'disappeared'Explores the influence of Russian Futurist theatre on significant contemporary theatre practice

An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance chronicles the history and development of theatre from the Roman era to the present day. As the most public of arts, theatre constantly interacted with changing social, political, and intellectual movements and ideas, and Robert Leach’s masterful work restores to the foreground of this evolution the contributions of women, gay people, and ethnic minorities, as well as the regional theatres of Wales and Scotland.Highly-illustrated chapters trace the development of theatre through major plays from each period; evaluations of playwrights; contemporary dramatic theory; acting and acting companies; dance and music; the theatre buildings themselves; and the audience, while also highlighting enduring features of British theatre, from comic gags to the use of props.

An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance chronicles the history and development of theatre from the Roman era to the present day. As the most public of arts, theatre constantly interacted with changing social, political and intellectual movements and ideas, and Robert Leach’s masterful work restores to the foreground of this evolution the contributions of women, gay people and ethnic minorities, as well as the theatres of the English regions, and of Wales and Scotland.Highly illustrated chapters trace the development of theatre through major plays from each period; evaluations of playwrights; contemporary dramatic theory; acting and acting companies; dance and music; the theatre buildings themselves; and the audience, while also highlighting enduring features of British theatre, from comic gags to the use of props. Continuing on from the Enlightenment, Volume Two of An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance leads its readers from the drama and performances of the Industrial Revolution to the latest digital theatre. Moving from Punch and Judy, castle spectres and penny showmen to Modernism and Postdramatic Theatre, Leach’s second volume triumphantly completes a collated account of all the British Theatre History knowledge anyone could ever need.

An Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance chronicles the history and development of theatre from the Roman era to the present day. As the most public of arts, theatre constantly interacts with changing social, political and intellectual movements and ideas, and Robert Leach’s masterful work restores to the foreground of this evolution the contributions of women, gay people and ethnic minorities, as well as the theatres of the English regions, and of Wales and Scotland.Highly illustrated chapters trace the development of theatre through major plays from each period; evaluations of playwrights; contemporary dramatic theory; acting and acting companies; dance and music; the theatre buildings themselves; and the audience, while also highlighting enduring features of British theatre, from comic gags to the use of props.This first volume spans from the earliest forms of performance to the popular theatres of high society and the Enlightenment, tracing a movement from the outdoor and fringe to the heart of the social world. The Illustrated History acts as an accessible, flexible basis for students of the theatre, and for pure fans of British theatre history there could be no better starting point.

In 1992 Glenn Buglass, then Director of Lichfield Arts Centre, was given 2000 to make a community arts project. His dream was to stage some of the medieval mystery plays, and he invited Robert Leach to become Artistic Director of the project while he became Executive Producer.They began with the 'Lichfield Fragments', now in the possession of Shrewsbury School. This document, dating back to 1430, seems to be the script of one actor who was Third Shepherd in the play of The Shepherds and Third Mary in The Resurrection. It also contains several sung interludes from other pageants which were probably originally performed in Lichfield.Using these as a very partial skeleton, Robert created a whole integrated cycle of dramas from other existing medieval mystery plays, editing and adapting as necessary.The final complete Lichfield Mysteries is divided into three parts: Of Heaven and Hell and Middle Earth, telling the story of the Old Testament, The Getting of Grace, centring on Jesus's nativity, and Drops Of Blood, which recounts Jesus's passion, death and resurrection. The plays (or 'pageants') are preceded by a Prologue and concluded with an epilogue, Doomsday. The first part thus has an epic quality ranging from te Creation through the escape of the Israelites from Egypt to the time of the prophets; the second part is an intimate family drama (though with obvious wider implications); and the third part is - dramatically speaking - a tragedy.

A study of a key modernist form, its theory, practice and legacyWhat do we know today about the theatrical ferment caused by the scandalous group of Russian writers, artists, musicians and theatre makers who called themselves 'Futurists'? What can we learn from their iconoclastic and exciting theatre works?Underpinned by theoretical writings, manifestoes and demonstrations, 'Russian Futurist Theatre' explores one of the most brilliant but least documented theatre explosions of the last 100 years. It is the first book to comprehensively uncover the Russian futurist theatre in all its virtuosity and diversity. Revealing a wealth of extraordinary theatre work and a barely-known group of theatre practitioners the book finds new ways to explore the interface between literature, theory and performance.Key FeaturesExplores the development of post-Romantic epic theatre and the exploration of abstract and alogical performanceDiscusses major practitioners' working methods as well as obscure practitioners related to major figures like Vsevolod MeyerholdAnalyses how Futurist theatre was strangled by Stalinism and 'disappeared'Explores the influence of Russian Futurist theatre on significant contemporary theatre practice

Fully revised and updated third edition of a popular, established textbook, providing a definitive introduction to Britain's politics, political institutions and processes. Comprehensively re-worked and re-structured to better align with courses, this new edition places great emphasis on the changing context of British politics while addressing key themes such as the ongoing importance of gender and ethnicity to political and social life in Britain. Furthermore, the book’s familiar authoritative style has been retained with a fresh look and revitalized pedagogical features to provide a complete learning package.The book is designed for courses on or related to British politics. Its accessible style and context-setting Part 1 will make it ideal for students new to the field (particularly those who haven’t studied the subject at school level or international students), but its rigour will stimulate and engage more experienced students.New to this Edition:- Fully updated to cover the 2016 EU Referendum, the 2017 General Election and other key political developments- ‘Politics in Action’ videos with key academic experts and practitioners offer differing viewpoints on the political system- Expanded companion website featuring regular updates and additional pedagogic tools for students and lecturers alike, such as self-test quizzes, flashcards, timelines, a lecturer testbank and lecture slides- Vibrant and engaging full colour page design to help your students navigate the book’s broad coverage