The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century British Politics

Book excerpt: From Tony Blair to Tonypandy, the BBC to the Bank of England, The Oxford Companion to 20th Century British Politics is an essential source of information on the full range of British political life during the last 100 years. In this comprehensive and authoritative guide, more than 100 contributors--journalists, scholars, former cabinet secretaries, and other specialists--provide more than 3,000 entries on a wide variety of subjects. Organized alphabetically, the entries cover the important ideas, institutions, people and events that have defined modern British politics. The scope of the Companion is necessarily wide, moving from formal politics to the political culture of films, television, and the media, and from domestic economic debates to Britain's changing role on the world stage. Major conflicts and economic events, slogans and sayings, clubs, charities, and societies--the complete world of British politics is captured in this unique reference source. The Companion also includes a wealth ofadditional,resources: a list of office holders from 1900 to the present day, a table of election results up to and including the 2001 elections, the dates of ministries, and a topical table of contents.