Lloyd George

Sample

introd. A. J. P. Taylor

"David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM PC (17 January 1863 ? 26 March 1945), was a British Liberal politician and statesman. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and led a Wartime Coalition Government between 1916 and 1922 and was the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1926 to 1931."--Wikipedia.

Sample

Francis Beckett & David Hencke

"Tony Blair has it all: power, success, flair, an adoring family and a face for every occasion. Admired in the US, grudgingly respected in the EU, this self-styled saviour of the world bounces back from any crisis, slur or scandal with an unfazed shrug even his enemies can only admire. Having single-handedly rebranded the Labour Party, he took Britain into an arguably illegal war in Iraq, provoking hostility both at home and abroad, and saw his own name become synonymous with 'liar' - yet he cruised through another general election to win a historic third term in office. Is it skill, cunning or just sheer luck that has since seen him bag the Olympics for London, stamp his mark on the latest G8 meeting and steady the country after the 2005 London bombings?"--Jacket.

Sample

Richard Gwyn

V.1: "The first volume of Richard Gwyn's definitive biography of John A. Macdonald follows his life from his birth in Scotland in 1815 to his emigration with his family to Kingston, Ontario, to his days as a young, rising lawyer, to his tragedy-ridden first marriage, to the birth of his political ambitions, to his commitment to the all-but-impossible challenge of achieving Confederation, to his presiding, with his second wife Agnes, over the first Canada Day of the new Dominion in 1867. Colourful, intensely human and with a full measure of human frailties, Macdonald was beyond question Canada's most important prime minister. This volume describes how Macdonald developed Canada's first true national political party, encompassing French and English and occupying the centre of the political spectrum. To perpetuate this party, Macdonald made systematic use of patronage to recruit talent and to bond supporters, a system of politics that continues to this day. Gwyn judges that Macdonald, if operating on a small stage, possessed political skills--of manipulation and deception as well as an extraordinary grasp of human nature--of the same calibre as the greats of his time, such as Disraeli and Lincoln. Confederation is the centerpiece here, and Gywn's commentary on Macdonald's pivotal role is original and provocative. But his most striking analysis is that the greatest accomplishment of nineteenth-century Canadians was not Confederation, but rather to decide not to become Americans. Macdonald saw Confederation as a means to an end, its purpose being to serve as a loud and clear demonstration of the existence of a national will to survive. The two threats Macdonald had to contend with were those of annexation by the United States, perhaps by force, perhaps by osmosis, and equally that Britain just might let that annexation happen to avoid a conflict with the continent's new and unbeatable power."--Publisher description. V.2: "John A. Macdonald, Canada's first and most important prime minister, is the man who made Confederation happen, who built this country over the next quarter century, and who shaped what it is today. From Confederation Day in 1867, where this volume picks up, Macdonald finessed a reluctant union of four provinces in central and eastern Canada into a strong nation, despite indifference from Britain and annexationist sentiment in the United States. But it wasn't easy. The wily Macdonald faced constant crises throughout these years, from Louis Riel's two rebellions through to the Pacific Scandal that almost undid his government and his quest to find the spine of the nation: the railroad that would link east to west. Gwyn paints a superb portrait of Canada and its leaders through these formative years and also delves deep to show us Macdonald the man, as he marries for the second time, deals with the birth of a disabled child, and the assassination of his close friend Darcy McGee, and wrestles with whether Riel should hang. Indelibly, Gwyn shows us Macdonald's love of this country and his ability to joust with forces who would have been just as happy to see the end of Canada before it had really begun, creating a must-read for all Canadians."--Publisher description.

Sample

Ken Livingstone

" ... Whether describing his difficult childhood in working-class South LKondon, his love of nature or his battles with Margaret Thatcher and Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone is never less than fascinating. His stories of deals and intrigues in committee rooms and council chambers are eye-opening and he is frank about his relationships with party bosses whose instinct was often to run a mile from him. [This book] is also revelatory about how things get done in big cities: Livingstone has been a great reforming city [of London] leader, whose achievements range from the introduction of the congestion charge and related environmental policies to major changes in the integration of London's transport networks. His campaigns against racism and homophobia and for women's rights made him a hate figure in the 1980s, but much of what he was arguing then is now the common sense of all decent politicians. And he played a central role in bringing the [2012] Olympics to London. ..."--Book jacket.