State Of Emergency

On a freezing winter's night, a small craft skims the Thames towards London's most exclusive riverside hotel. On board is a lone assassin, his target - Britain's most powerful new politican. In a nation threatened by extremists, billionaire businessman Vernon Rolt's plans for a zero-tolerance crackdown have touched a popular nerve. MI5 operative Tom Buckingham is undercover inside Rolt's organisation, from where he must neutralise the rogue assassins out to kill his boss. All too soon, Tom gets caught up in a far more devastating plot which will change the political landscape of Europe, for ever . . .

On a freezing winter's night, a small craft skims the Thames towards London's most exclusive riverside hotel. On board is a lone assassin, his target - Britain's most powerful new politican. In a nation threatened by extremists, billionaire businessman Vernon Rolt's plans for a zero-tolerance crackdown have touched a popular nerve. MI5 operative Tom Buckingham is undercover inside Rolt's organisation, from where he must neutralise the rogue assassins out to kill his boss. All too soon, Tom gets caught up in a far more devastating plot which will change the political landscape of Europe, for ever . . .

State of Emergency : Britain 1970-74 is a brilliant history of the gaudy, schizophrenic atmosphere of the early Seventies. The early 1970s were the age of gloom and glam. Under Edward Heath, the optimism of the Sixties had become a distant memory. Now the headlines were dominated by social unrest, fuel shortages, unemployment and inflation. The seventies brought us miners' strikes, blackouts, IRA atrocities, tower blocks and the three-day week, yet they were also years of stunning change and cultural dynamism, heralding a social revolution that gave us celebrity footballers, high-street curry houses, package holidays, gay rights, green activists and progressive rock; the world of Enoch Powell and Tony Benn, David Bowie and Brian Clough, Germaine Greer and Mary Whitehouse. Dominic Sandbrook's State of Emergency is the perfect guide to a luridly colourful Seventies landscape that shaped our present, from the financial boardroom to the suburban bedroom. 'Hugely entertaining, always compelling, often hilarious' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Telegraph 'Thrillingly panoramic ... he vividly re-creates the texture of everyday life in a thousand telling details' Francis Wheen, Observer 'Masterly ... nothing escapes his gaze' Independent on Sunday 'Splendidly readable ... his almost pitch-perfect ability to recreate the mood and atmospherics of the time is remarkable' Economist

State of Emergency : Britain 1970-74 is a brilliant history of the gaudy, schizophrenic atmosphere of the early Seventies. The early 1970s were the age of gloom and glam. Under Edward Heath, the optimism of the Sixties had become a distant memory. Now the headlines were dominated by social unrest, fuel shortages, unemployment and inflation. The seventies brought us miners' strikes, blackouts, IRA atrocities, tower blocks and the three-day week, yet they were also years of stunning change and cultural dynamism, heralding a social revolution that gave us celebrity footballers, high-street curry houses, package holidays, gay rights, green activists and progressive rock; the world of Enoch Powell and Tony Benn, David Bowie and Brian Clough, Germaine Greer and Mary Whitehouse. Dominic Sandbrook's State of Emergency is the perfect guide to a luridly colourful Seventies landscape that shaped our present, from the financial boardroom to the suburban bedroom. 'Hugely entertaining, always compelling, often hilarious' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Telegraph 'Thrillingly panoramic ... he vividly re-creates the texture of everyday life in a thousand telling details' Francis Wheen, Observer 'Masterly ... nothing escapes his gaze' Independent on Sunday 'Splendidly readable ... his almost pitch-perfect ability to recreate the mood and atmospherics of the time is remarkable' Economist

Nine out of ten constitutions contain explicit emergency provisions. During the pandemic, half of the governments with such constitutions has made use of these provisions by declaring a state of emergency. State of Emergency is the first book to analyse the factors that lead to such provisions being included in newly drafted constitutions. It explores their use – as well as their misuse – and explains the effects that using emergency provisions has. Declaring a state of emergency is particularly challenging in federally constituted states as it endangers the balance of powers between the federal level and the states. This book, therefore, pays special attention to this topic. Focusing on two of the most important recent cases relating to emergency provisions: the Covid-19 pandemic and acts of terrorism, this book uses numerous examples to analyse emergency provisions with a rigorous empirical approach.

Nine out of ten constitutions contain explicit emergency provisions. During the pandemic, half of the governments with such constitutions has made use of these provisions by declaring a state of emergency. State of Emergency is the first book to analyse the factors that lead to such provisions being included in newly drafted constitutions. It explores their use – as well as their misuse – and explains the effects that using emergency provisions has. Declaring a state of emergency is particularly challenging in federally constituted states as it endangers the balance of powers between the federal level and the states. This book, therefore, pays special attention to this topic. Focusing on two of the most important recent cases relating to emergency provisions: the Covid-19 pandemic and acts of terrorism, this book uses numerous examples to analyse emergency provisions with a rigorous empirical approach.