Haus Curiosities
2 total works
In The Kingdom to Come, Peter Hennessy records the run-up to the Scottish Independence Referendum in September 2014, its immediate aftermath and describes the enormous constitutional building site opened up for the whole of the United Kingdom by the result. This fourth volume in the Haus Curiosities series includes Lord Hennessy's personal impressions of the time when the Act of Union, over 300-years-old, was called into question and when he, as the UK's foremost expert on our unwritten constitution and a Professor of Contemporary British History, became an important voice in what may happen next. The Kingdom to Come examines the possible agenda for the remaking of the constitution in the medium and long term.
Like so many of the postwar generation in Britain, Peter Hennessy climbed the ladders of opportunity set up by the 1944 Education Act designed to encourage a more meritocratic society. In this highly personal book, Hennessy examines the rise of meritocracy as a concept and the persistence of the shadowy notion of an establishment in Britain's institutions of state. He asks whether these elusive concepts still have any power to explain British society, and why they continue to fascinate us. To what extent are the ideas of meritocracy and the establishment simply imagined? And if a meritocracy rose in the years following 1945, has it now stalled?
With its penetrating examination of the British school system and postwar trends, Establishment and Meritocracy is an important resource for those concerned about the link between education and later success, both for individuals and their societies.
With its penetrating examination of the British school system and postwar trends, Establishment and Meritocracy is an important resource for those concerned about the link between education and later success, both for individuals and their societies.