This book offers a fresh view of postwar British politics, very much at odds to the dominant view in contemporary scholarship. The author argues that postwar British politics, up to and including the Blair Government, can be largely characterised in terms of continuity and a gradual evolution from a period of conflict over the primary aims of government strategy to one of recent relative consensus. This book provides a provocative and challenging account of the historical background to the election of the Blair Government and will be of interest to a wide audience.

Peter Kerr is Lecturer in British politics and political sociology at the University of Birmingham. He is co-author of Postwar British Politics in Perspective.

Chapter 1 1 Introduction: what's the story?; Chapter 2 2 Evolution, not revolution; Chapter 3 3 Conflict, not consensus; Chapter 4 4 Reconstructing our perspective; Chapter 5 5 Go ... stop ... go ... stop!; Chapter 6 6 Struggling for survival; Chapter 7 7 Struggling for definition; Chapter 8 8 Final settlement; Chapter 9 9 Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index;