The 'ideal type' is Max Weber's hypothetical leading democratic politician, whom the author finds realized in Tony Blair. He is a politician emerging from no obvious mould, treading no well-beaten path to high office, and having few affinities of tone, character or style with his predecessors. He is the Outsider or Intruder, not belonging to the 'given' of British politics and dedicated to its transformation. Here is a timely critique of Blair's political persona as he presents himself to the British people to be entrusted with a third term as Prime Minister.

Democracy is not a universal good, it is a political system, and like all political systems it is open to corruption. The word 'democracy' means 'rule by the people', not rule by a simple majority. To achieve rule by all the people, it used to be accepted that as much of civil life should be kept out of party politics as possible. A mixed constitution was one way of achieving this. By absorbing into itself the institutions of civil society, the modern democratic state has become an ever more pervasive 'tyranny of the majority' accountable to the electorate only once every few years. The powers it has assumed, together with the powers of corporations, represent a 'new world order' that respects neither freedom, the individual, the vulnerable nor, in a true sense, the rule of law.

This book argues that the novelist Joseph Conrad's work speaks directly to us in a way that none of his contemporaries can. Conrad's scepticism, pessimism, emphasis on the importance and fragility of community, and the difficulties of escaping our history are important tools for understanding the political world in which we live. He is prepared to face a future where progress is not inevitable, where actions have unintended consequences, and where we cannot know the contexts in which we act.Heart of Darkness uncovers the rotten core of the Eurocentric myth of imperialism as a way of bringing enlightenment to 'native peoples' - lessons which are relevant once more as the Iraq debacle has undermined the claims of liberal democracy to universal significance.The result can hardly be called a political programme, but Conrad's work is clearly suggestive of a sceptical conservatism of the sort described by the author in his 2005 book After Blair: Conservatism Beyond Thatcher. The difficult part of a Conradian philosophy is the profundity of his pessimism - far greater than Oakeshott, with whom Conrad does share some similarities (though closer to a conservative politician like Salisbury). Conrad's work poses the question of how far we as a society are prepared to face the consequences of our ignorance.

The office of Prime Minister stands at the apex of the British political system. An undertsanding of this post is essential to all who are -- or aspire to be -- within government, or who observie it from outside.This book combines the methods of history and political science to produce theories of the development, nature and power of the premiership, and to explain the implications for present politicians and analysts. It is essential reading for for academics, students, journalists and all who are working in or intersted in politics.

Claims that there are good arguments for a public health service that do not amount to arguments for a national health service, but for something that looks far more like a transnational health service.

Nothing that is secret can remain secret forever. But is it possible that some crimes are better left undiscovered? Join Holmes and Watson as they travel from London to storm-wracked Bedfordshire, where the Great Detective finds himself uncovering the grisly truth concerning a half-century old murder.

In which street is the Diogenes Club? A Study in Pink is a problem deserving how many nicotine patches? Who is found dead in a locked chamber, with a poison dart above his ear? Which company employed a full-time secretary to answer Sherlock-related mail? What kind of creature swallowed the Blue Carbuncle? And in which TV episode can we find a cross-dressing Jude Law? From Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal stories to Sherlock and Elementary, through a century of Sherlock on the silver screen and on television, The Sherlock Holmes Quiz Book is packed with 1000 questions to test the wits of every armchair detective. Whether your favourite Holmes is Rathbone or Brett, Cumberbatch or Miller, whether you search with magnifying glass or mobile phone, here are clues, codes and conundrums to challenge the sharpest of sleuths. A must for every true Sherlock fan.

The Game is Afoot! A collection of art, poetry and writing from fans of the great detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion Doctor Watson. From the deadly Moriarty to domestic life of Holmes and Watson, The Art of Deduction showcases some of the greatest talent from arguably the oldest fan base in the world.

What if two had perished at Reichenbach Falls? One simple, disastrous error throws Sherlock Holmes from his intended Hiatus into a tortuous journey of sorrow and remorse. Far from home, broken in body and spirit, the haunted detective fights to survive the single most tragic failure of his career - a fight he cannot win alone. With old and new companions beside him, and a threat as deadly as Moriarty in pursuit, Holmes must find a way to live on without his greatest friend, while saving the rest of his beloved adopted family from a similar fate.

Il 1903 vide L'avventura della casa vuota e Il ritorno di Sherlock Holmes al 221B di Baker Street in cui egli spiega l'inganno della propria morte alle Cascate del Reichenbach al suo fedele amico, il Dr. John Watson. Il 2012 vede il Crimine della Casa Vuota in cui Undershaw, un tempo casa di Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, si trova in degrado e a rischio di essere distrutta per sempre. Commissionata da Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stesso, Undershaw ha assistito alla creazione di molte delle sue opere piu famose, incluso Il mastino dei Baskerville e Il ritorno di Sherlock Holmes. E un edificio che merita di essere preservato, per la nazione Britannica, e per il mondo intero, per sempre. Purtroppo, al momento, l'edificio e minacciato dagli imprenditori edilizi, che intendono dividere la casa in tre unita separate e costruirne altre cinque. I permessi edilizi per i lavori sono gia stati approvati dal Waverley Borough Council. L'Undershaw Preservation Trust, (UPT), con Mark Gatiss (BBC Sherlock) come sostenitore, e un fondo che si occupa della conservazione e protezione di questo edificio di importanza culturale, e sta portando avanti una campagna per revocare questa decisione, affinche la casa possa essere riportata allo splendore originale, e vissuta come la dimora che Sir Arthur Conan Doyle aveva progettato. Questo libro e una raccolta di racconti brevi e poesie su Sherlock Holmes, scritti da fan di tutto il mondo a sostegno della campagna 'Save Undershaw', persino la copertina e stata ideata dai fan. I diritti d'autore del libro sono destinati all' UPT allo scopo di conservare questa meravigliosa abitazione per le future generazioni di fan di Doyle, appassionati di Sherlock Holmes, e amanti della letteratura di tutti i tipi.

En 1903 paraissait 'La Maison Vide', qui decrivait le retour de Sherlock Holmes au 221B Baker Street. C'est dans ce livre que le detective explique a son fidele ami, le docteur John Watson, qu'il a simule sa mort aux chutes de Reichenbach. En 2012, une autre maison vide, Undershaw, l'ancienne demeure de Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, est laissee en etat de delabrement et en danger d'une destruction definitive. Sa construction avait ete commandee par Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lui-meme. Undershaw a ete le lieu d'ecriture de beaucoup de ses oeuvres les plus celebres, incluant 'Le chien des Baskervilles' et 'Le retour de Sherlock Holmes'. Ce batiment, qui fait partie du patrimoine britannique et meme mondial, merite d'etre preserve pour le futur. Malheureusement, le batiment est actuellement menace par des promoteurs immobiliers qui souhaitent diviser la maison en 3 logements separes, et en construire 5 autres sur le cote. Le permis de batir pour cette construction a deja ete fourni par le Waverley Borough Council. L'Undershaw Preservation Trust (UPT - le Fonds de Protection d'Undershaw), sous le parrainage de Mark Gatiss (createur de la serie de la BBC 'Sherlock'), est dedie a la preservation et a la protection de ce batiment important de la litterature et milite pour que la decision soit annulee, afin que la maison puisse etre restauree a sa gloire d'antan et appreciee comme la demeure unique que Sir Arthur Conan Doyle avait a l'esprit. Ce livre est un recueil de nouvelles et de poemes sur Sherlock Holmes, ecrits par des fans du monde entier en soutien a la campagne 'Save Undershaw' ('Sauvez Undershaw'), la couverture elle-meme ayant ete realisee par des passionnes. Les droits d'auteur de ce livre sont reverses a l'UPT pour preserver ce merveilleux patrimoine, pour les generations futures de Doyleens, les amateurs de Sherlock Holmes et les fans de litterature en tous genres.

In this short but authoritative book, the nature and purpose of the European Constitution are explained by someone involved in its preparation. The author discusses how it was drafted, and tackles some much debated questions: whether it promises any enhancement of democracy in the EU, whether it implies that the EU is becoming a superstate, and whether it will strengthen the principle of subsidiarity and the protection of human rights.

Democracy is killing the West. That is the stunning conclusion of this book that tears apart the consensus underpinning modern political assumptions.Democracy is held to solve one of the oldest puzzles of human social life: how do we ensure that our rulers have a legitimate mandate and rule in the interests of the whole community? We are supposedly now guided by institutions whose democratic mandate ensures that they will govern in a benign manner in the interests of all.Democracy & the Fall of the West challenges that assumption by drawing on an alternative theory about the nature of modern democracy and its impact on Western society. It argues that the secret of the West's success is not Democracy, but Liberalism.Craig Smith and Tom Miers demonstrate that, since the introduction of democracy, the power of the state has re-grown at the expense of the liberty of the individual. Far from underpinning our freedoms, Democracy is in fact undermining them. It has unshackled the coercive power of the state, and will result in the inevitable decline of the West as we know it.

Here is the first of the "e;lost"e; diaries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, written in 1878 while he was a nineteen-year-old student at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. This rollicking story of high adventure begins with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the clerk for the legendary Doctor Joseph Bell-who became the real-life inspiration for the world's most famous literary detective, Sherlock Holmes. This diary details how Doyle and Dr. Bell journey to America on a secret forensic mission to solve a string of grisly and mysterious murders. Peopled with Doyle's real-life contemporaries-including JM Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson, both of whom attended the University of Edinburgh with Doyle, it is an exciting mix of murder, mystery, literary history, and humor sure to please Sherlock Holmes fans everywhere!

The author writes:In this project I set out to provide an answer to two fundamental questions of political philosophy. How can human beings (living, as we do now, in a globalised world) live together, in conditions of co-operation over time, enjoying what Immanuel Kant famously called 'perpetual peace'? And how much individual freedom can we expect to enjoy, and to what degree can we expect that individual freedom to be equal, whilst engaged in the enterprise described by the first question? These may be age-old questions, but I aim, in this project, to offer a new approach to answering them.In part one of this project, I aim to provide a groundwork upon which an answer to these questions can be built. I argue, contrary to much contemporary (and historical) political philosophy, that the answers to these questions should not be provided by our representatives, a monarch, the elite, or by a process of philosophical abstraction (or anything else) but, instead, by each of us. That is to say, by you, me and everyone else together. Part one argues not only why it should be each of us who are to be engaged in this enterprise, but it also argues on behalf of a number of changes which might support us in this ongoing, and doubtless difficult, human project. I begin by arguing that, if we are to attempt to provide a genuine (and free) answer to how much individual freedom we should each be alloted in human society over time, this means that we must begin with the concept of freedom itself which, in turn, means detaching it from the philosophical and epistemological baggage it tends to carry in everyday language.

The author writes:In this project I set out to provide an answer to two fundamental questions of political philosophy. How can human beings (living, as we do now, in a globalised world) live together, in conditions of co-operation over time, enjoying what Immanuel Kant famously called 'perpetual peace'? And how much individual freedom can we expect to enjoy, and to what degree can we expect that individual freedom to be equal, whilst engaged in the enterprise described by the first question? These may be age-old questions, but I aim, in this project, to offer a new approach to answering them.In part two of this project, I aim to actually provide my own answer to the two fundamental questions with which I began and according to the structure I outline in Liberty. Which is to say, this is the answer I provide to you (and everyone else) to judge regarding how successfully it answers those age old political questions. In short, I argue that these are the changes in actual, material, human conditions - the necessary set of 'alterable human practices' to borrow a phrase of Isaiah Berlin's - required to create an enduring, desirable and just 'perpetual peace' on earth. In other words, this is not, in Kant's phrase, a 'philosophical sketch' on how perpetual peace might be attained, but, by focusing on the everyday, material, relationships and conditions which create and foster conflict and injustice across the globe today, I hope to provide a 'material sketch' as to how human beings might live in successfully together in conditions of peaceful cooperation and freedom over time.

After his victory at the Presidential elections in May 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy quickly became both deeply controversial and intriguing. It was clear from the start that his rule was to be the most autocratic since Charles de Gaulle's; Prime Minister, government and parliament found themselves eclipsed by the ever-present, hyperactive President who sought to take many decisions on his own and to implement changes in numerous different domains, but with no obvious overall plan. His sweeping reform programme was inspired by a perceived need for rupture with the past, and bringing former Socialists into government seemed to confirm his insistence on the validity of some left-leaning points of reference as well as those on the right. To many, Sarkozy was both dangerous and unfathomable, like Napoleon. In this short book the author argues that the Sarkozy phenomenon is best explained by principal reference to the notion of Bonapartism, which of course has a long history in French politics. Bonapartism is an exceptional form of political rule which results from an unstable situation and where an authoritarian leader steps in and appeals to the electorate in populist fashion with promises of modernization and progress. But Sarkozy's authoritarian, populist rule is also influenced by the extreme right as well as by more conventional centre-right politics in which Sarkozy worked for many years. Yet Sarkozy is less out of step with trends in other liberal democratic states than it might seem; in other highly industrialized countries also a long-term decline of interest in politics has combined with the emergence of highly personalized, media-driven political leadership. The book is written in a clear, accessible way which assumes little prior acquaintance with French politics or history. Those with little knowledge of French politics will find it rewarding, as will as readers with greater familiarity with the field.

Le-am zis ?i la vecinii ??tia, la americansky: ?Pune?i, m?, ni?te cuiburi de ro?ii, un r?nd-dou? de praz, ceva, ni?te cartofi, c? ?ine?i ditamai curtea goal?, de cre?te iarba de poman? ?i mai ?i strica?i apa pe ea aiurea!“. Noooo, ziceau ei, c? florile s?nt frumoase, c? aici nu s?ntem la ferm?, c? de ce nu m? duc eu ?napoi ?n Rom?nia dac? mi-e a?a dor de munca c?mpului ?i alte prostii din astea. ?i ?n definitiv pot s? m? reclame c?t vor pentru c? am b?tut pari pe hotarul dintre mine ?i ei ?i am ?ngr?dit cu s?rm?, dar am f?cut-o doar ca s?-mi ap?r proprietatea, ?i recoltele, ?i neamul. P?i, n-ai cu cine, dom’le, ni?te urbani, d?-i dracu’!

The Bard meets the Backstreet Boys in Pop Sonnets, a collection of 100 classic pop songs reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets. All of your favorite artists are represented in these pages--from Bon Jovi and Green Day to Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and beyond. Already a smash sensation on the Internet--the Tumblr page has 50,000+ followers--Pop Sonnets has been featured by the A.V. Club, BuzzFeed, and Vanity Fair, among many others. More than half of these pop sonnets are exclusive to this collection and have never been published in any form.

Controversial and brilliant, Report on Probability A is a claustrophobic and terrifying novel that examines the politics of surveillance and ownership. The Brian Aldiss collection includes over 50 books and spans the author’s entire career, from his debut in 1955 to his more recent work. Mr and Mrs Mary live a normal life in every way, except one. All day, every day, they are being watched by three men. Once employed by the Marys, the men now spend their time observing the couple’s every move. But Mrs Mary has her gun, and she’s been watching too.

Οι ?Μν?με? Σκοτειν? Αναδυ?μενε?? ε?ναι ?να μυθιστ?ρημα επιστημονικ?? φαντασ?α? με “new age” στοιχε?α. Ο Δημ?τρη? Σολ?γγα? ε?ναι ?να? επιστ?μονα?, που πραγματοποιε? ?να μυστικ? πε?ραμα στι? εγκαταστ?σει? τη? φαρμακευτικ?? εταιρ?α?, στην οπο?α εργ?ζεται, στη Θεσσαλον?κη. Πρ?κειται για το πρ?γραμμα τη? ?Τηλεμν?μη??, τη? χειρουργικ?? μεταφορ?? αναμν?σεων απ? ?ναν ζωνταν? οργανισμ? σε ?λλον. Ταυτ?χρονα μ?α σατανιστικ? α?ρεση ετοιμ?ζεται να τελ?σει και π?λι την αν?ερη ανθρωποθυσ?α τη?. Το Πορφυρ? Τ?γμα εφαρμ?ζει εδ? και αι?νε? τι? σκοτειν?? πρακτικ?? του σε ολ?κληρη την Ευρ?πη με ?δρα τη Ρουμαν?α, και αποτ?λεσε τον πυρ?να για τη δημιουργ?α του μ?θου των βρικολ?κων. Το πρωτοπαλ?καρο τη? α?ρεση? ο Σολοβ?ιδ (η λ?ξη δι?βολο? διαβασμ?νη αν?ποδα), με ενεργ? δρ?ση επικ?νδυνων αποστολ?ν στι? βαλκανικ?? και ρωσικ?? χ?ρε?, λαμβ?νει την εντολ? απαγωγ?? τη? κ?ρη? του Δημ?τρη Σολ?γγα για την τ?λεση τη? β?βηλη? θυσ?α? προ? τιμ? του Εξ?ριστου ?ρχοντ? του? στον Π?ρα Κ?σμο. Ο Σολοβ?ιδ απαγ?γει τη μικρ? Μαρ?α και την αιχμαλωτ?ζει σε κρυψ?να του Τ?γματο?. Εξαιτ?α? των β?αιων ενστ?κτων του ?ρχεται σε σ?ρραξη με μ?α συμμορ?α Αλβαν?ν εμπ?ρων ναρκωτικ?ν, με αποτ?λεσμα να μεταφερθε? βαρι? τραυματισμ?νο? στη μον?δα εντατικ?? θεραπε?α?. Ο Σκωτσ?ζο? Ρ?μπερτ Ρ?υ Μακμ?νιστερ, χρ?νιο? αλκοολικ?? και καταθλιπτικ??, ε?ναι αν?τερο? αξιωματικ??, αναλυτ?? εγκλημ?των τη? Ευροπ?λ, που καταδι?κει διεθν?? την αν?σια α?ρεση. Ενημερ?νει τον Δημ?τρη Σολ?γγα ?τι, μ?λι? περ?σουν οι τρει? εννια?μεροι κ?κλοι, στου? οπο?ου? το αν?λικο θ?μα θα υποστε? ψυχολογικ?, σωματικ? και πνευματικ? β?α, αντ?στοιχα σε κ?θε κ?κλο, θα επ?λθουν ο βιασμ?? και η μετ?πειτα θυσ?α του κοριτσιο? στη β?ση μ?α? αν?ποδη? υπ?γεια? πυραμ?δα?. Την ?δια στιγμ? στο Λονδ?νο η Μ?ντυ Χ?ντσον, παλι? συμφοιτ?τρια και φ?λη του Δημ?τρη Σολ?γγα, αναταρ?ζεται απ? ?ναν εφι?λτη, στον οπο?ο ο φ?λο? τη? πν?γεται μ?σα σε ?να πολτοποιημ?νο υγρ? απ? ανθρ?πινου? εγκεφ?λου? στον π?το εν?? πηγαδιο?. Η Μ?ντυ Χ?ντσον δ?ο χρονι? πριν, ?ταν σκοτ?θηκε η ερωμ?νη τη?, η Γκ?ιλ, σε αυτοκινητιστικ? ατ?χημα, αποπειρ?θηκε να αυτοκτον?σει. Μετ? την επιθαν?τια εμπειρ?α τη? ταξ?δεψε στο Θιβ?τ, ασχολ?θηκε με τι? εσωτερικ?? πνευματικ?? αναζητ?σει? και επαναπροσδι?ρισε τον εαυτ? τη?. Απ?κτησε ν?ο σκοπ? στη ζω?: Να ακολουθε? τα σημ?δια, τα οπο?α τη? στ?λνει το Ρε?μα των Πραγμ?των και να βοηθ?ει ?σου? ?χουν αν?γκη. Διαισθητικ? ?χει την πλ?ρη επ?γνωση ?τι πρ?πει να σ?σει τον φ?λο τη?. Ο Δημ?τρη? Σολ?γγα? εξαναγκ?ζεται να εφαρμ?σει το πε?ραμα τη? ?Τηλεμν?μη?? και να μεταφ?ρει τι? μν?με? του απαγωγ?α τη? κ?ρη? του στον ?διο του τον εγκ?φαλο. Εν? αγων?ζεται για τη διατ?ρηση τη? ?δια? του τη? προσωπικ?τητα?, θα βρεθε? στη μ?ση τη? συμπλοκ?? του Πορφυρο? Τ?γματο? με τη συμμορ?α των Αλβαν?ν εμπ?ρων ναρκωτικ?ν. Στην περιπ?τει? του θα ?ρθει αντιμ?τωπο? με βαθι?? συμπαντικ?? αλ?θειε?, ?πω?: η συγχρονικ?τητα, η διασ?νδεση ?λων των ?μβιων πλασμ?των, η αιων?βια μ?χη του καλο? και του κακο?, η ?παρξη εν?? αν?τερου και εν?? κατ?τερου εαυτο? σε κ?θε ?νθρωπο αλλ? και στον ?διο τον συμπαντικ? οργανισμ?, η προφητικ?τητα των ονε?ρων, η επ?δραση του διαλογισμο? και τη? νοερ?? απεικ?νιση? στον ανθρ?πινο εγκ?φαλο. Τι θα γ?νει στο Δημ?τρη Σολ?γγα, ?ταν η εσωτερικ? του φων?, με την οπο?α κ?θε ?νθρωπο? ταυτ?ζει το Εγ? του αρχ?ζει να μεταλλ?σσεται απ? τι? αναμν?σει? του μνημοδ?τη του; Μ?πω? συμβα?νει κ?τι αν?λογο σε ?λου? μα?; Ποιοι στα αλ?θεια ε?μαστε;