The British General Election of 2024 is the definitive account of a landmark election, featuring an unprecedented Conservative collapse, a Labour Commons landslide, and record fragmentation in voters' choices. Built on unparalleled access to all the key players, this account weaves together a compelling insider account of how the campaign was fought with rigorous analysis of how, when and where this sea change election was won and lost. The 22nd volume in a prestigious series dati...

"The world is large; Russia is great; death is inevitable."Almost forty years ago Robert A.D. Ford came across this sentence in a Russian school primer. It stays with him today as an example of the Russian psyche, a psyche that Ford is better equipped to explain than most. He is the only Western diplomat to have known and dealt with all the Soviet leaders from the end of the Second World War to the present: Stalin, Krushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev. As a poet and translator of Russian...

Long-term social and demographic changes - and the conflicts they create - continue to transform British politics. In this accessible and authoritative book Sobolewska and Ford show how deep the roots of this polarisation and volatility run, drawing out decades of educational expansion and rising ethnic diversity as key drivers in the emergence of new divides within the British electorate over immigration, identity and diversity. They argue that choices made by political parties from the N...

Winner of the Political Book of the Year Award 2015The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is the most significant new party in British politics for a generation. In recent years UKIP and their charismatic leader Nigel Farage have captivated British politics, media and voters. Yet both the party and the roots of its support remain poorly understood. Where has this political revolt come from? Who is supporting them, and why? How are UKIP attempting to win over voters? And ...

"Thistledown: A Book of Scotch Humour, Character, Folk-lore, Story & Anecdote" by Robert Ford is a delightful collection that captures the essence of Scottish culture through its rich tapestry of humor and storytelling. Ford expertly weaves together anecdotes, folk tales, and character sketches that reflect the unique spirit of Scotland. The book serves as a window into the lives and traditions of the Scottish people, showcasing their wit and resilience. Readers are treated to a blend of l...

The collection includes a wide range of nursery rhymes, riddles, and songs, many of which reflect the simple joys, learning, and social interactions of children. Ford explores how these rhymes and games contribute to early childhood development, often with rhythmic patterns and repetitive structures that help with memory and language acquisition. Additionally, the book presents the various games that children play, emphasizing how play is a vital part of childhood and a means of socializat...

Between 300 and 600 C.E., Chinese writers compiled thousands of accounts of the strange and the extraordinary. Some described weird spirits, customs, and flora and fauna in distant lands. Some depicted individuals of unusual spiritual or moral achievement. But most told of ordinary people’s encounters with ghosts, demons, or gods; sojourns in the land of the dead; eerily significant dreams; and uncannily accurate premonitions. The selection of such stories presented here provides an alluri...

This innovative sourcebook builds a dynamic understanding of China's early medieval period (220–589) through an original selection and arrangement of literary, historical, religious, and critical texts. A tumultuous and formative era, these centuries saw the longest stretch of political fragmentation in China's imperial history, resulting in new ethnic configurations, the rise of powerful clans, and a pervasive divide between north and south.Deploying thematic categories, the edito...

In the starry world of Starlight, peace and harmony are maintained by the Starlight Guardians. In any case, their sweet energies are upset when the Mythical Serpent's Heritage, a super-strong relic, falls under the control of Zorc, a malicious magician who needs to transform the universe into a complete wreck.Directed by an old prediction, the Starlight Gatekeepers set off on a mission to track down three wonderful children - the divinely selected individuals - who are bound to sav...

The British General Election of 2019 is the definitive account of one of the most consequential and controversial general elections in recent times, when Boris Johnson gambled everything calling an early election to 'Get Brexit Done', and emerged triumphant. Drawing upon cutting-edge research and wide-ranging elite interviews, the new author team provides a compelling and accessible narrative of this landmark election and its implications for British politics, built on unparallele...

Elections aren't just important – they are revealing. They tell us things about who we are and how we behave. Written by leading political experts, Sex, Lies and Politics reveals what really makes us tick.At once funny, revealing and shocking, it covers everything you need to know about the voters and their quirks, foibles and sexual secrets, including when they lie (often to themselves), how they are swayed by tribal loyalties (even when judging cats and celebrities), and why you ...

This book provides a sequel to Robert Ford's comprehensive reference work A Blues Bibliography, the second edition of which was published in 2007. Bringing Ford's bibliography of resources up to date, this volume covers works published since 2005, complementing the first volume by extending coverage through twelve years of new publications. As in the previous volume, this work includes entries on the history and background of the blues, instruments, record labels, reference source...