Informative charting of British democracy

From 1918 to the present day spans only 90 years, but the British state and its democracy have had to deal with much economic turmoil, several wars and the decline of an empire, among other things during that time.

Marquand identifies the major events that have affected the state, but, while he does pay lip service to the bottom end of society, he concentrates on how the political class at any one time has dealt with events. He clearly believes that the influence of the rest of us has been marginal.

Ironically, the introductory chapter begins not in 1918 but in 1647, when the Levellers, a radical grass-roots movement which put forward An Agreement For The People. Marquand describes this as a constitution for an English Republic. It was a very progressive document and the Levellers were a force to be reckoned with in their day.

Unfortunately, Oliver Cromwell thought that these ideas were dangerous and the Levellers were violently put down. This victory of a new ruling class over the masses established a pattern that, to some degree, has existed to the current day, suggests Marquand.

Beyond 1918, Attlee's post-World War II government is given justifiable praise for the formation of the NHS, public ownership generally and the welfare state.

The arrival of Margaret Thatcher and her free-market fundamentalism is also given a significant place in our history. Marquand acknowledges the damage she caused in terms of increases in poverty and unemployment, but he is rather more ambivalent about her battle to destroy the trade union movement and her warmongering over the Malvinas.

Tony Blair's contribution to the creation of devolved government for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales was significant. But, again, Marquand returns to his belief that change is all in the gift of the political elite. He gives no role to the pressure from Scottish or Welsh societies themselves in demanding devolution.

More astonishingly, the influence of massive grass-roots resistance to the British state in Northern Ireland is relegated to a second-order influence on devolution there. It is all in the gift of British politicians.

However, Marquand does paint an accurate picture of a state and ruling elite that may have changed shape over the last 90 years, sometimes for the better sometimes for the worse, but which still sees the majority of us as a society to be managed and controlled.

STEVE MATHER