Twelve Days that Made Modern Britain

This is the story of modern Britain, focusing on twelve formative days in the history of the United Kingdom over the last five decades. By describing what happened on those days and the subsequent consequences, Andrew Hindmoor paints a suggestive - and to some perhaps provocative - portrait of what we have become and how we got here. Everyone will have their own list of the truly formative moments in British history over the last fivedecades. The twelve days selected for this book are: - The 28th of September 1976. The day Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan renounced Keynesian economics. -The 4th of May 1979. The day Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister. - The 3rd of March 1985. The day the miners' strike ended. - The 20th of September 1988. The day of Margaret Thatcher's 'Bruges speech'. - The 18th of May 1992. The day the television rights for the Premier League were sold to BskyB. - The 22nd of April 1993. The day that young black teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered by racistthugs. - The 10th April 1998. The day of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. - The 11th of September 2001. The day of the Al Qaeda attacks on the UnitedStates. - The 5th of December 2004. The day Chris Cramp and Matthew Roche became the first gay couple in the UK to become civil partners under the Civil Partnership Act. - The 13th of September 2007. The day the BBC reported that the Northern Rock bank was in trouble. - The 8th of May 2009. The day The Daily Telegraph began to publish details of MPs' expense claims. - The 1st of February 2017. The day the House of Commonsvoted to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

“"This is an imaginative and creative way of not only gaining the interest and attention of students and wider readership but also of rooting the significance of major recent events to offer a wider perspective on their impact." -- Lord Blunkett "As Britain considers its future, this timely book examines in some style and at great pace our recent past. As Hindmoor makes clear, modern Britain has been forged through great economic, political, social and demographic changes, and by the changing world around us. This is an important contribution towards our understanding of who we are and where we go next." -- Nick Timothy, the Daily Telegraph "Hindmoor's twelve historic days provide him with a unique set of vantage points from which to survey, with clarity of vision and carefully calibrated judgments, the long as well as the short term factors shaping modern British politics." -- Paul Addison, University of Edinburgh "This book explores in depth fragments of British political history from the last few decades and makes a sum that is greater than the parts. We are left with a clearer understanding of how we got to our post Brexit impasse. Readers are also reminded that history is being made again, in front of their eyes, with all its messy mix of ideas, interests and contingency. In that sense the book can help us understand the present and future as much as the past." -- Professor Gerry Stoker, University of Southampton”

As Britain considers its future, this timely book examines in some style and at great pace our recent past. As Hindmoor makes clear, modern Britain has been forged through great economic, political, social and demographic changes, and by the changing world around us. This is an important contribution towards our understanding of who we are and where we go next. Nick Timothy, The Daily Telegraph
A dozen pivotal days in the last half-century are recounted with clarity and insight. Hindmoor concludes that ideas are important, Britain is more socially liberal, and political disagreements should be encouraged. Discover Britain Magazine
Breezy yet fact-filled, the book is a masterpiece of compression. Christopher Bray, The Tablet
This is an imaginative and creative way of not only gaining the interest and attention of students and wider readership but also of rooting the significance of major recent events to offer a wider perspective on their impact. Lord Blunkett
Hindmoor's twelve historic days provide him with a unique set of vantage points from which to survey, with clarity of vision and carefully calibrated judgments, the long as well as the short term factors shaping modern British politics. Paul Addison, University of Edinburgh
This book explores in depth fragments of British political history from the last few decades and makes a sum that is greater than the parts. We are left with a clearer understanding of how we got to our post Brexit impasse. Readers are also reminded that history is being made again, in front of their eyes, with all its messy mix of ideas, interests and contingency. In that sense the book can help us understand the present and future as much as the past. Professor Gerry Stoker, University of Southampton

Andrew Hindmoor is a professor and Head of the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield. He is the editor of the journal Political Studies, an associate editor of New Political Economy, and is also the author of several books, including Rational Choice (Palgrave 2015, co-written with Brad Taylor) and What's Left Now? (OUP 2018). He is winner of the 2014 Harrison Prize for the best article in PoliticalStudies, and winner of the 2015 prize for the best article published in the British Journal of Politics and International Relations.

This is the story of modern Britain, focusing on twelve formative days in the history of the United Kingdom over the last five decades. By describing what happened on those days and the subsequent consequences, Andrew Hindmoor paints a suggestive - and to some perhaps provocative - portrait of what we have become and how we got here. Everyone will have their own list of the truly formative moments in British history over the last five decades. The twelve days selected for this book are:- The 28th of September 1976. The day Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan renounced Keynesian economics.- The 4th of May 1979. The day Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister.- The 3rd of March 1985. The day the miners' strike ended.- The 20th of September 1988. The day of Margaret Thatcher's 'Bruges speech'.- The 18th of May 1992. The day the television rights for the Premier League were sold to BskyB.- The 22nd of April 1993. The day that young black teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered by racist thugs.- The 10th April 1998. The day of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.- The 11th of September 2001. The day of the Al Qaeda attacks on the United States.- The 5th of December 2004. The day Chris Cramp and Matthew Roche became the first gay couple in the UK to become civil partners under the Civil Partnership Act.- The 13th of September 2007. The day the BBC reported that the Northern Rock bank was in trouble.- The 8th of May 2009. The day The Daily Telegraph began to publish details of MPs' expense claims.- The 1st of February 2017. The day the House of Commons voted to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.

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