Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a collection of accessible and informative essays on contemporary developments and future issues in politics, broadly conceived, but with a UK focus where appropriate. It examines the rise of New Labour in Britain and the development of the Third Way. The book also provides a history of the development of the Third Way by way of a tour of the party's recent history from the 1980s forward. It focuses on the Thatcher regime before examining the fate of regionalism under New Labour. The book explains the economic effects of the single currency and examines some of its political implications. It offers a contentious analysis of the decline of the old left and the apparent victory of the free market.