Tom Nairn

Crisis and Neo-nationalism

The Break-up of Britain

Angelo Quattrocchi

Provides an eyewitness account of the 1968 riots in Paris

France, May 1968

The Beginning of the End

In this 25th anniversary edition, Tom Nairn reviews the arguments of his classic study and expands his thesis into the new millennium. As Tony Blair sends off his ships and troops to assist America's assault on the Middle East, it is surely unlikely that the UK will survive in anything like its historical form. This edition includes a new 20-page introduction.

The acclaimed anatomy of Britain s relationship with its monarchy, by the foremost historian of nationalism.

Britain and Its Monarchy

The Enchanted Glass

As New Labour attempts to modernise the United Kingdom, Tom Nairn provides this scathing analysis of a state with a constitutional monarchy that lacks a written constitution and a parliamentary democracy with an undemocratic second chamber.

New Labour and the Return of Scotland

After Britain

In this classic text, first published in 1977, Tom Nairn memorably depicts the 'slow foundering' of the United Kingdom on the rocks of imperial decline, constitutional anachronism and the gathering force of civic nationalism. Rich in comparisons between the nationalisms of the British Isles and those of the wider world, thoughtful in its treatment of the interaction between nationality and social class, The Break-Up of Britain concludes with a bravura essay on the Janus-faced nature of national identity. Postscripts from the Thatcher and Blair years trace the political strategies whose upshot accelerated the demise of a British state they were intended to serve. As a second Scottish independence referendum beckons, a new Introduction by Anthony Barnett underlines the book's enduring relevance.

Crisis and Neo-Nationalism

The Break-Up of Britain

In "The Modern Janus", Nairn argued for the democratic necessity of nationalism in the modern world. In this work, he addresses the subsequent upheavals caused by nationalism.

Janus Revisited

Faces of Nationalism

In "The Modern Janus", Nairn argued for the democratic necessity of nationalism in the modern world. In this work, he addresses the subsequent upheavals caused by nationalism

What does the future hold for Britain and the relationships between England, Scotland and Wales? Tom Nairn discusses these issues, with contributions from others from across the political spectrum.

'bard of Britishness'

Gordon Brown

The classic text, with a new introduction by Anthony Barnett In this classic text, first published in 1977, Tom Nairn memorably depicts the “slow foundering” of the United Kingdom on the rocks of constitutional anachronism, its fall from empire and the gathering force of civic nationalism. Rich in comparisons between the nationalisms of the British Isles and those of the wider world, The Break-Up of Britain concludes by reflecting on the Janus-faced nature of national identity. Postscripts from the Thatcher and New Labour years trace the political strategies whose upshot accelerated the demise of a British order they were intended to serve. As a second Scottish independence referendum beckons, a new introduction by openDemocracy’s Anthony Barnett underlines the book’s enduring relevance.

When political victories are based on a fraction of the electoral register, perish looks like the only way towards reform.

Tom Nairn

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