When I was five my mother followed her lover, Arthur Boyd, to London, taking me with her. My book covers the two years we lived there before returning to Australia in 1962, when my mother was three months pregnant to an Englishman.As an adult, Jane Sinclair discovered the exchange of letters from 1961 to 1962 between her parents Jean Langley, artist, and John Sinclair, music critic. Jane was five years old when Jean left her husband and took her to London to be close to he...

An exploration of the concept of justice, focusing on its place in public service.The three essays in Justice in Public Life, written by Claire Foster-Gilbert, Jane Sinclair, and James Hawkey, examine the meaning of justice in the twenty-first century, asking how justice can be expressed by our public service institutions and in society more widely. They consider whether justice is tied to truth and whether our idea of justice is skewed when we conflate it...

Good governance is a fundamental value in the United Kingdom, and its citizens are entitled to expect that public officials, both elected and non-elected, behave according to the highest standards of ethical behavior. Of course, these aspirations alone are not enough to root out corruption in government. In order for integrity in public life to be maintained, the core principles underlying these expectations must be constantly examined and strengthened. This new volume, published in collab...

In 1930 the great economist Keynes predicted that, over the next century, income would rise steadily, people's basic needs would be met and no one would have to work more than fifteen hours a week. Why was he wrong?Robert and Edward Skidelsky argue that wealth is not - or should not be - an end in itself, but a means to 'the good life'. Tracing the concept from Aristotle to the present, they show how far modern life has strayed from that ideal. They reject the idea that there is an...

Drawing on studies of social class, crime and deviance, education, work in bureaucracies and changes in religious and political organizations, this Very Short Introduction explores the tension between the individual's place in society and society's role in shaping the individual, and demonstrates the value of sociology for understanding the modern world. In this new edition Steve Bruce discusses the continuing arguments for social egalitarianism, considering issues such as gay mar...

Globalisation and consumerism affect every area of our lives. But it's not just about shopping; these powerful forces shape our personal lives, how we relate to one another, how we view the world - and they are having a seriously detrimental impact both on the lives of the global poor, and on the health of the planet itself.Every Christian in every generation down through the history of the church has had to work out what it means to be a follower of Jesus in their particular cultu...

In The History Question, Inga Clendinnen looks past the skirmishes and pitched battles of the history wars and asks what's at stake - what kind of history do we want and need? Should our historians be producing the "objective record of achievement" that the Prime Minister has called for? For Clendinnen, historians cannot be the midwives of national identity and also be true to their profession: history cannot do the work of myth.For Clendinnen, historians cannot be the mid...

The late nineteenth century and Edwardian era, suggests Jose Harris in this book, represent a sharp break with the early years of Queen Victoria's reign. Indeed, despite the intense upheavals of two world wars, it was the beliefs, social structures and oppositional forces established between 1870 and 1914 which dominated British life right up until the 1960s.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby sets out a radical vision for 21st century Britain in this updated paperback edition.It is now three years since Justin Welby first published his Reimagining Britain. The fundamental message of that book remains as urgent as ever. But in this revised and expanded edition, Welby has taken fully into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and all the social and political unrest that has ensued. If anything, ...

From the Hillsong Church to the Family First Party, Australia appears to be experiencing an evangelical revival. In Voting for Jesus, Amanda Lohrey investigates that revival – its shape and scope, and what it means for the mainstream churches and the nation’s politics. She talks to young believers and analyses the machinations of the Christian Right. She discusses, with humour and insight, the appeal of the mega- church, the changing image of Jesus and the political theories of Ge...

The Death of Christian Britain examines how the nation’s dominant religious culture has been destroyed. Callum Brown challenges the generally held view that secularization was a long and gradual process dating from the industrial revolution. Instead, he argues that it has been a catastrophic and abrupt cultural revolution starting in the 1960s. Using the latest techniques of gender analysis, and by listening to people's voices rather than purely counting heads, the book offers new...

The Power of Reconciliation is Archbishop Welby's most important book to date.This revolutionary book was published for the 2022 Lambeth Conference in July, when bishops from all around the world assembled in Canterbury. But its importance goes far beyond these confines. The author deals with conflict and reconciliation within families, businesses, warfare between nations, races and all forms of political conflict.Welby writes about Reconciliation ...