Has the modern Conservative Party developed a distinctive approach to the post-war welfare state? In exploring this question, this accessible book takes an authoritative look at Conservative Party policy and practice in the modern era. The book takes as its main starting point the progressive One Nation Conservative (1950-64) perspective, which endeavoured to embrace those features of the welfare state deemed compatible with the party’s underlying 'philosophy'. Attention then shifts to the neo-liberal Conservatives (1974-97), who sought to reverse the forward march of the welfare state on the grounds of its 'harmful’ economic and social effects. Finally, David Cameron’s (2005-present day) 'progressive’ neo-liberal Conservative welfare state strategy is put under the spotlight. The book’s time-defined content and broad historical thread make it a valuable resource for academics and students in social policy and politics as well as social history.
A chilling what if? tale of nuclear apocalypse in the American heartland Philip Wylie’s gripping parable Tomorrow! describes a time in America when doomsday threatens to dawn at any moment. A nation’s worst nightmare is made palpably real, seen through the eyes of a diverse group of ordinary citizens in two adjacent Great Plains metropolises. Wylie brings this holocaust to life with blood-chilling detail in his extraordinary science fiction classic whose power to shock and terrify is as strong as ever more than fifty years after its original release. An unthinkable tomorrow is on the horizon. For the citizens of the neighboring Midwest cities of Green Prairie and River City, today marks the end of everything. Some are prepared to face the unthinkable; some refuse to believe it could ever happen. As the winter holidays approach, two young lovers share their dreams for the future, a corrupt bank officer fears the exposure of his crimes, and a wealthy matron, concerned only with status and prestige, wonders how she can ensure a marriage between her daughter and the scion of one of the city’s most important families. But on Christmas Day, when a terrible fire lights up the sky, all these petty human concerns become meaningless. And the destruction and horror wrought on that awful morning will only be the beginning of the end.
In the future, the entire population is under a de facto dictatorship because of cerebral implants invented by one F.G. Wilson. Nolan Ska, an engineer, manages to travel back in time, with the intention of changing history by encouraging Wilson's first career: novelist. But the man who will eventually become a seemingly immortal despot turns out to be a poor writer, and it will be up to Nolan to use his own memories to be his ghost writer.
A dazzling poetic meditation on motherhood, female identity, ennui, and love by Greta Bellamacina, London-based poet, actress, filmmaker, and model. In Tomorrow's Woman, Greta Bellamacina's bold, exploratory voice combines the vivid imagery of French surrealism and British romantic poetry with a modern, first-person examination of love, gender identity, motherhood, and social issues. Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine writes that "Bellamacina is garnering critical acclaim for her way with words and her ability to translate the classic poetic form into the contemporary creative landscape." This is her first volume of her poetry to be released in the United States.
From Graham Swift, Booker Prize-winning author of Last Orders, comes a masterful and compassionate novel of rare emotional power and narrative skill. On a midsummer’s night, Paula lies awake beside her sleeping husband. She and Mike have been married for twenty-five years, a good marriage; they have two teenage children, Nick and Kate, peacefully sleeping in their own nearby rooms. But Paula’s eyes won’t close: the next morning she and Mike have to tell the children something that will redefine all their lives. Recalling the years before and after her children were born, Paula begins a story that is both a glowing celebration of love possessed and a moving acknowledgement of the fear of loss, of the fragilities, illusions and secrets on which even our most intimate sense of who we are can rest. As day draws nearer, Paula’s intensely personal thoughts seem to touch on all our tomorrows. Brilliantly distilling half a century into one suspenseful night, as tender in its tone as it is deep in its resonance, Tomorrow is a magical exploration of coupledom, parenthood and individuality, and a unique meditation on the mysteries of happiness and belonging. It’s a week past your sixteenth birthday. By a fluke that’s become something of an embarrassment and that some people will say wasn’t a fluke at all, you were born in Gemini. I’m not an especially superstitious woman. I married a scientist. But one little thing I’ll do tomorrow–today, I mean, but for a little while still I can keep up the illusion–is cross my fingers. Everything’s quiet, the house is still. Mike and I have anticipated this moment, we’ve talked about it and rehearsed it in our heads so many times that recently it’s sometimes seemed like a relief: it’s actually come. On the other hand, it’s monstrous, it’s outrageous–and it’s in our power to postpone it. But ‘after their sixteenth birthday’, we said, and let’s be strict about it. Perhaps you may even appreciate our discipline and tact. Let’s be strict, but let’s not be cruel. Give them a week. Let them have their birthday, their last birthday of that old life. You’re sleeping the deep sleep of teenagers. I just about remember it. I wonder how you’ll sleep tomorrow. —from Tomorrow
It's 500 years after the nuclear holocaust that devastated the earth's population and left the few survivors dealing with unending winter. At their remote British boarding school, Wellington Jones and Heather McKenna have a lot in common. Both are misfits trying to avoid attention, and both are fascinated by Earl, a tall, calm, older boy with no recollection of his past, but a remarkable knack for showing up when he is needed most. When a blow to the head brings Earl's memory back, he claims that he is actually Merlin . . . a 2000-year-old wizard. Originally published in two volumes in the mid-1980s, Pamela F. Service's creative, futuristic spin on the Camelot legend will appeal to Arthurian purists and fantasy lovers alike.
"Can she trust him to be the man she needs?" Faith Chambers has come home to Carson, West Virginia. From the moment she steps off the bus, she starts wondering if this is just another mistake in a long line of mistakes. She has no training to help her find employment, estranged parents, and a three-year-old daughter depending on her for support. Despite the dismal outlook for a future, she is determined to be independent and make it on her own. Then she meets a man who could steal her heart if she lets down her guard . . . but does she dare risk her heart again? Sheriff Cole Ainsley is only in Carson to fill out his father's term as sheriff. Once that's done, he'll be moving on to take a new direction in his life as a teacher. But when he meets Faith and her beautiful little girl, his suppressed longing for a family rises to the surface, and he begins to second-guess his decision to move on. He wants nothing more than to protect Faith and her daughter, but Faith is just as determined not to allow him to insert himself in her life. Can Faith forget the other men in her life who have betrayed her trust and follow her heart? Is Cole in love with Faith or the idea of a family?
Classic stories of science fiction featuring powered armor: Tales from the Golden Age through the current era featuring military, police, and civilians utilizing powered armor. Stories by Joe Haldeman, Christopher Ruocchio, Jason Cordova, and more! MEN, MACHINES, AND TOMORROW’S BATTLEFIELDS War is planned violence . . . or, at least, it starts out that way. And even if plans go awry, the violence is indispensable. Today’s soldiers have far more firepower on a per-man basis than the doughboys of a century ago, and there is no reason to believe that this trend will not extend into the future. Imagine a revival of suits of armor, but with structural strength undreamed of by medieval knights, and powered by built-in motors, giving each soldier the invulnerability of a tank, but even more mobility, and mechanical muscle strong enough to carry light artillery, rocket launchers, laser cannon, and weapons not even on the drawing boards yet. Add on the ability to fly, or at least jump for a kilometer at a time, using rocket boosters, or even powerful leg motors, or a combination of both. The stuff that superheroes are made of, hanging in every fighting man or woman’s closet, ready to wear. If it’s possible, history teaches us, it will be done. But don’t expect a nation or planet possessing such battalions of super-powered soldiers to not worry about attack by an enemy . . . there’s no reason why the enemy won’t have its own armored infantry. Keep the midnight oil burning and the R&D rolling. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek by expert dreamers putting the battle-hardened reader at the sharp end of tomorrow. At the publisher’s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for anthologies edited by Hank Davis and David Afsharirad: “This intriguing anthology explores the human race’s violent potential [but] also bends toward exploration and the triumph of the human spirit, with brave tales [that] take the reader on a fascinating, thoughtprovoking, enjoyable journey . . . ” —Publishers Weekly on The Year’s Best Military SF and Space Opera, starred review
