Politipedia

Jacket text for Politipedia

The ultimate quirky reference work for voters, students and those in the Westminster village. Ideal for anyone looking to discover where their vote (and money!) actually go, or for those looking for quotes and fascinating titbits. The book aims to capture the entertaining essence of politics without taking up too much of the reader's valuable time.

Taking an 'outsiders' view of the system, the author sets out to ask all the vital questions about politics and then attempts to find answers to them - getting to the heart of each subject with brevity and humour.

Whilst the intention is not to mock politics or politicians, along the way there may be a few that do take an occasional knock, and the book refuses to be bland or too polite!

This is a fascinating work covering the intricacies of politics in the UK. Packed with curious facts to make readers laugh out loud, and enough intriguing snippets to provoke some lively debate.

Chapter headings for Politipedia

Animalism
Backbench revolts - BBC objectivity - British Empire - Budget on the back of an envelope - Business scandals
Cabinet composition - Cabinet secretaries - Catchphrases - Civil servants - Clichees - Coalitions - Constitution
Debates - Defectors - Desert Island Discs - Diaries - Dictatorial definitions - Diplomatic definitions - Discipline in the House of Commons - Downing Street - Dystopias
Election milestones - Eurolovableness
Fault lines - Fictional politics - Free speech
Governnment - how to change it - Great Britons
Hansard - Heirs apparent
Influential but unelected - Insults - Interviews: saying nowt
Left and right spectrum - Lords - Lost deposits
Marxist pin-ups - Middle England - Monarchy
Newspeak and doublethink - Nicknames
Pilgrimages - Prime ministers - Political correctness - Postmodern politics - Predictions - Progress and the lack of it - Psephological shockers - Public sector
Quangos and gocos
Reith and Dimbleby
Secretaries - Shakespeare's politics - Slogans - Speaking about speaking - Spies - Stabs in the front - Strikes - Sun headlines - Systems of government
Thatcherism - Theory - Think tanks - Today Programme - Truth - Tumbril remarks - Turning points
Unparliamentary language - Utopias
Westminster restaurants and bars - Who runs Britain - Women in Parliament
X- Factor: making your vote count
Yes, Minister
Zoo

and lots more!

About Nick Inman

Nick Inman was born in Yorkshire in 1956 and studied politics at the University of Bristol in the 1970s before becoming a travel writer specialising in Spain. He is married with two children and lives in southwest France.

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