Overview

A study of six prominent postwar politicians in the United Kingdom. Making the Weather is the story of six postwar politicians, all of whom exerted an outsized influence on the political life of the United Kingdom—an influence greater than that of most prime ministers. Vernon Bogdanor's cast includes three from the political Left—Aneurin ""Nye"" Bevan, Roy Jenkins, and Tony Benn—and three from the Right—Enoch Powell, Keith Joseph, and Nigel Farage. Each study is a fascinating analysis examining how these men achieved such prominence and influence and how, though very different figures in many ways, they came to dominate the political landscape, often for years. Each of the six made fundamental contributions to the debate about Britain's future and to the vibrancy of British democracy. From immigration to Europe, from the National Health Service to devolution, the issues and causes that brought these men to prominence are still relevant.

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9781914979088

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Reviews

""[An] intelligent and thoughtful set of essays ... Bogdanor's book is revelatory.""-- ""Simon Heffer, The Telegraph"" ""A series of elegant essays.""-- ""Chris Mullin, Spectator"" ""Vernon Bogdanor makes a convincing case for the greater influence on British public life and attitudes of six politicians who never became Prime Minister - and one who has so far never been an MP - than many who have occupied 10 Downing Street.""-- ""Peter Riddell"" ""Vernon Bogdanor, the doyen of British constitutional historians, here brilliantly turns his gaze to six controversial figures who were all in their different ways the makers of modern Britain. Mixing sharp analysis with witty and even moving personal anecdotes, he cleverly shows how perhaps the most underrated attribute in politics comes as teacher to the nation. For those who can create a political vision and impart it successfully will often have an influence that far outlasts those who occupy 10 Downing Street.""-- ""Richard Aldous, author of The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs Disraeli"" ""Vernon Bogdanor's elegant and sharply observed collection provides a welcome reminder about the power of the essay as a form of political analysis. His ecumenical and unsentimental analysis illuminates a broad sweep of post-war British history and should provoke many a debate, including about who he has left out. The moral of the story is that our democratic life is richer for the fierce jousting between ideas and figures on either side of the left-right divide, rather than simply being a battle to clamber onto an unmoored life raft somewhere in the so-called centre ground.""-- ""John Bew"" ""Written with cool objectivity ... [a] thought-provoking book."" -- ""Max Hastings, Sunday Times""

Author Information

Vernon Bogdanor CBE is professor of government at the Institute of Contemporary British History, King’s College London. He was for many years professor of government at Oxford University. He is a fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. He is a frequent contributor to TV, radio and the press and was the BBC’s academic expert on the 2016 referendum programme. He has written a number of books on constitutional and political history, including Beyond Brexit and The Strange Survival of Liberal Britain.

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