Liberal Crusader: Life of Sir Archibald Sinclair - Hardcover

Groot, Gerard J.De

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1850651825 ISBN 13: 9781850651826

Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 1993

Synopsis

Archibald Sinclair, a wealthy landowner from the north of Scotland, was Liberal Party leader from 1935 to 1945 and Air Minister throughout Winston Churchill's ministry during World War II. A widely-admired and talented politician, he played an important part in the major controversies of mid-century: appeasement, unemployment policy, the Abdication, rearmament and the war. His integrity, civility and sense of humour set him apart in an age of opportunism and betrayal. A devout believer in Liberalism, Sinclair carried his party through its dark age. Under his leadership, the demoralized and disintegrated 19th-century relic was finally modernized. That a party - or a version of it - survives to this day is largely due to Sinclair. As Air Minister he played a crucially important role in both the Battle of Britain and the strategic bombing of Germany. He locked horns with Churchill, Beaverbrook, Hugh Dowding and "Bomber" Harris. Many wished to destroy him. His survival in office from 1940 till 1945 is testimony to his remarkable skill and resilience. Sinclair was a lifelong friend and confidant of Churchill. This biography includes much previously unpublished correspondence between the two men and provides revealing glimpses of many other important figures of the day.

About this title

Review

"Reveals how addiction is remaking rural America despite four decades of a 'war on drugs.' Garriott explores the day-to-day costs of policing drugs in a society increasingly organized around the illicit and the high. Compassionate and relentless, he demonstrates the brutal reality of narcopolitics in the United States. Essential reading."-Joseph Masco, The University of Chicago

"In this brilliant ethnography, Garriott reveals that as the war on drugs extends from the inner city to rural Appalachia, suspicion and mistrust come to dominate small-town interactions. People one knows and everyday objects are quietly transformed into sources of danger and illegality by the state's desire to root out methamphetamine. A major contribution to law and society studies as well as to rural anthropology."-Mariana Valverde, author of "Law and Order: Images, Meanings, Myths"

"This ethnography of methamphetamine is unusually gripping. The author's subtle and insightful analytic voice draws on the words, experiences, and emotions of residents of Baker County to detail the pathological embraces of 'narcopolitics, ' the erosive relationships of narcotics-based governance through policing. As a study of how lives, laws, and morality interlock, this book provides a true-to-life mirror on the workings of the criminal justice system and its roles in American society and culture."-Philip Parnell, Indiana University

About the Author

Gerard De Groot is a lecturer in the Department of Modern History at the University of St. Andrews and is the author of the widely acclaimed biography, Douglas Haig, 1861-1928.

Edition details

• Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 1850651825
• ISBN 13: 9781850651826
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 266