Overview

Since the 2007-8 financial crisis and its aftershocks, international capitalism has once again been in crisis. The crisis has been particularly marked in the UK and its outcome is currently unclear. Based upon a wealth of sources, from newspapers, journals, government, political party and polling organisation publications, as well as archival and secondary material, Neville Kirk examines the systemic crisis facing the nations of the UK. The book traces the crisis from the period following the 2016 EU referendum up to 2022, a period during which the crisis intensified and became more widespread. Kirk covers the elections of 2017 and 2019, political fragmentation, Scottish nationalism, Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic, continuing economic problems and conflicts around class, gender, race and nation. Finally, the book considers competing pathways out of the current impasse. Through his thorough examination of the UK’s main political parties and players, Kirk offers the reader a new and original understanding of how we reached the present situation.

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9781350374515

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Reviews

Neville has been an important and leading voice in analysing the state of our society and this work is an important contribution to the permacrisis he describes. For all of us there has to be a debate about how we create the circumstances to change the political landscape and produce the roadmap that offers hope for our communities that there is a better alternative. Understanding how we got here is an essential part of this, importantly Neville presents a critical analysis of our times. -- Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber

Neville has been an important and leading voice in analysing the state of our society and this work is an important contribution to the permacrisis he describes. For all of us there has to be a debate about how we create the circumstances to change the political landscape and produce the roadmap that offers hope for our communities that there is a better alternative. Understanding how we got here is an essential part of this, importantly Neville presents a critical analysis of our times. -- Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber Professor Kirk’s reputation as a leading historian of nineteenth century politics is based on meticulous examination of primary sources and sharp theoretical insight. He brings the same qualities to this important book. Unlike his previous work Professor Kirk’s subject here is contemporary British politics. Scholars and general readers alike will find his insights both compelling and convincing. They will find he has something new to say; you can’t ask for more than that. -- Paul Pickering, Director of the Australian Studies Institute and Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University, AUS Neville Kirk’s sharp, analytical narrative brings much-needed order to the political chaos of recent years, tracking the twists and turns of political elites with consummate skill. Lucidly written and persuasively argued, this book lays bare the multi-faceted crisis that confronts Britain still. -- Peter Gurney, Professor of History, University of Essex, UK This clear, careful and considered account of political turmoil in the UK since 2017 is an essential read for anyone trying to understand the background to the current frenzy that marks contemporary politics -- Sheila Rowbotham

Author Information

Neville Kirk is Emeritus Professor of Social and Labour History at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. A leading figure in the field of labour history, he has published extensively in the areas of modern British history, the comparative history of Britain, the USA and Australia and transnational history. A longstanding member of the UK Society for the Study of Labour History, he has served on the editorial and advisory boards of the journals Labour History Review (UK), Labour History (Australia), Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas (USA), International Labor and Working-class History (USA), and Labour/Le Travail (Canada).

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