<p><b><i>The Times</i> Best Politics and Current Affairs Books of the Year<br><br>An entertaining and revealing history of modern British politics from Steve Richards, broadcaster, journalist and author of <i>The Prime Ministers We Never Had</i>.<br><br>&lsquo;A wonderful book to savour&rsquo; &ndash; Isabel Hardman</b><br><b>'A masterful, clear-eyed and, above all, entertaining history of British politics. To pilot a better future, we need to learn how not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The book is a lesson in just that' &ndash; Will Hutton</b><br><br>Every few weeks, British politics is thrown into another so-called crisis. Whether it's the resignation of a Cabinet minister or the demand for yet another inquiry, we have become so accustomed to turmoil that it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.<br><br>In this magisterial history, broadcaster and journalist Steve Richards puts the chaos into context by analysing ten pivotal moments that have shaped modern Britain.<br><br>From the birth of the welfare state in 1945 to &lsquo;Trussonomics&rsquo;, Richards argues that true turning points are rare indeed. Witty and erudite, he contends that it is only with distance that we can perceive how the tectonic plates of politics are shifting. Full of big characters and big ideas, <i>Turning Points </i>explores how the British state has evolved (or so often hasn&rsquo;t) in the face of a changing world.<br><br><b>'An engaging canter through postwar Britain . . . shaped by a lifetime of reading' &ndash; <i>Prospect</i></b></p>