Martin J. Smith – författare

In an era of fiscal constraint, rising public demand, and fragmented governance, the UK's approach to public spending is under unprecedented strain. At the centre of this system sits HM Treasury, long regarded as the most powerful department in British government yet questioned for its ability to deliver effective financial control in an increasingly complex and fragmented policy landscape.This book offers a bold and timely reassessment of the Treasury's role in shaping the UK's public finances over the last thirty years. Drawing on over 150 interviews with senior officials, policymakers, and frontline practitioners, it reveals how the Treasury's traditional model of top-down control has failed to adapt to the realities of modern governance over the last three decades. Through detailed case studies of prisons, special educational needs, and homelessness, the authors expose the systemic consequences of short-termism, siloed budgeting, inadequate evaluation, centralised performance budgeting, and accountability deficits that undermine both fiscal sustainability and public service outcomes.

In an era of fiscal constraint, rising public demand, and fragmented governance, the UK's approach to public spending is under unprecedented strain. At the centre of this system sits HM Treasury, long regarded as the most powerful department in British government yet questioned for its ability to deliver effective financial control in an increasingly complex and fragmented policy landscape. This book offers a bold and timely reassessment of the Treasury's role in shaping the UK's public finances over the last thirty years. Drawing on over 150 interviews with senior officials, policymakers, and frontline practitioners, it reveals how the Treasury's traditional model of top-down control has failed to adapt to the realities of modern governance over the last three decades. Through detailed case studies of prisons, special educational needs, and homelessness, the authors expose the systemic consequences of short-termism, siloed budgeting, inadequate evaluation, centralised performance budgeting, and accountability deficits that undermine both fiscal sustainability and public service outcomes.

Forty years ago, central government was seen as the key actor in the making of public policy. Today, it is often portrayed as a parochial council, impotent in the face of uncontrollable global forces. This textbook examines the changes that have taken place in the way central government controls policy making.Taking the shift from government to governance as its theme, the book explores a series of key issues: the New Right reforms of the state; the impact of Europeanization, internationalization and globalization; and most recently, the process of devolution under the Blair Labour government. The book includes a series of policy making case studies throughout, drawing on the authors' own wide-ranging interviews with ministers, civil servants and interest groups, providing the reader with solid empirical material with which to illuminate the chapters.

Quangos are now a permanent layer of governance in Britain. This collection challenges the stale debate which portrays quangos as inherently undemocratic. Whilst accepting that problems exist this book accepts that quangos are here to stay. Through a collection of chapters by practitioners, politicians and academics it recognises both the pitfalls and potential offered by these bodies. The book therefore illuminates a new perspective on the debate which for the first time highlights the democratic possibilities of quangos. The book advances and clarifies this complex debate by examining the British reform debate in an international context, and blends theoretical analysis with illuminating case studies from Quango Chief Executives and concrete proposals for reform.

The study of central government has been dominated by the recurring questions of Prime Ministerial versus Cabinet government and civil service versus ministerial power. Using the idea of 'power dependence' this book challenges these simplicities to provide a definitive assessment of - and introduction to - power and policy at the core of British political life. It undermines traditional approaches by demonstrating that power in the core executive is complex, and flows between actors and institutions. The Prime Minister can only exercise power with the support of the Cabinet, and ministers and officials are often partners rather than competitors.

Contemporary British Conservatism brings together a set of specially-commissioned chapters by leading authorities to provide a broad-ranging assessment of Conservative politics, policy and ideology today. A central concern throughout is to assess the impact of Thatcherism on the party and the extent to which there has been a return to more traditional Conservatism under John Major.

In this important new text, Martin Smith reassesses traditional debates about power and how they understand the nature and impact of the state. He develops an analysis of the new forms of state power that have developed in response to the perceived challenges of globalization and governance.

In this important new text, Martin Smith reassesses traditional debates about power and how they understand the nature and impact of the state. He develops an analysis of the new forms of state power that have developed in response to the perceived challenges of globalization and governance.

In this important new text, Martin Smith reassesses traditional debates about power and how they understand the nature and impact of the state. He develops an analysis of the new forms of state power that have developed in response to the perceived challenges of globalization and governance.

First published in 1992. In the 1992 General Election the Labour Party presented a substantial changed programme to the electorate. This book presents an analysis of the fundamental changes to Labour policy which occurred during the 1980s. It examines in detail the ideological and political context of the Policy Review undertaken by the Party following its third consecutive electoral defeat in 1987. It also traces changes in Party organisation and analyses Party members’ views of the new policies.

First published in 1992. In the 1992 General Election the Labour Party presented a substantial changed programme to the electorate. This book presents an analysis of the fundamental changes to Labour policy which occurred during the 1980s. It examines in detail the ideological and political context of the Policy Review undertaken by the Party following its third consecutive electoral defeat in 1987. It also traces changes in Party organisation and analyses Party members’ views of the new policies.

Contemporary British Conservatism brings together a set of specially-commissioned chapters by leading authorities to provide a broad-ranging assessment of Conservative politics, policy and ideology today. A central concern throughout is to assess the impact of Thatcherism on the party and the extent to which there has been a return to more traditional Conservatism under John Major.

Quangos are now a permanent layer of governance in Britain. This collection challenges the stale debate which portrays quangos as inherently undemocratic. Whilst accepting that problems exist this book accepts that quangos are here to stay. Through a collection of chapters by practitioners, politicians and academics it recognises both the pitfalls and potential offered by these bodies. The book therefore illuminates a new perspective on the debate which for the first time highlights the democratic possibilities of quangos. The book advances and clarifies this complex debate by examining the British reform debate in an international context, and blends theoretical analysis with illuminating case studies from Quango Chief Executives and concrete proposals for reform.

The study of central government has been dominated by the recurring questions of Prime Ministerial versus Cabinet government and civil service versus ministerial power. Using the idea of ''power dependence'' this book challenges these simplicities to provide a definitive assessment of - and introduction to - power and policy at the core of British political life. It undermines traditional approaches by demonstrating that power in the core executive is complex, and flows between actors and institutions. The Prime Minister can only exercise power with the support of the Cabinet, and ministers and officials are often partners rather than competitors.

In this important new text, Martin Smith reassesses traditional debates about power and how they understand the nature and impact of the state. He develops an analysis of the new forms of state power that have developed in response to the perceived challenges of globalization and governance.

This follow-up volume to the same editors' highly-acclaimed New Labour in Government provides a systematic assessment of Blair's first term and the continuities and changes into his second. Bringing together specially-commissioned chapters by leading authorities in a tightly-edited format, it places particular emphasis on the evolution of New Labour's political performance, policy and statecraft set in its historical, ideological and organizational context.

This follow-up volume to the same editors' highly-acclaimed New Labour in Government provides a systematic assessment of Blair's first term and the continuities and changes into his second. Bringing together specially-commissioned chapters by leading authorities in a tightly-edited format, it places particular emphasis on the evolution of New Labour's political performance, policy and statecraft set in its historical, ideological and organizational context.

This follow-up volume to the same editors'' highly-acclaimed New Labour in Government provides a systematic assessment of Blair''s first term and the continuities and changes into his second. Bringing together specially-commissioned chapters by leading authorities in a tightly-edited format, it places particular emphasis on the evolution of New Labour''s political performance, policy and statecraft set in its historical, ideological and organizational context.

Discover the Weird, Weird WestFor more than thirty years, journalist and author Martin J. Smith traveled the American West, chasing offbeat stories that were often bizarre, always compelling, and at times profound. His journey through that oft-idealized and misunderstood landscape has made him a witness to some of the West’s most interesting places, people, and events, from his Valentine’s Day at Nevada’s Mustang Ranch brothel to the deathbed of a man who spent three decades building two 150-ton concrete dinosaurs in the desert. This collection of essays, often told with the wisdom and perspective of a writer looking back, chronicles in vivid detail the heroes, heels, and cultural spasms of an endlessly fascinating frontier.

For more than thirty years, journalist and author Martin J. Smith has traveled the American West, chasing offbeat stories that often are bizarre, always compelling, and at times profound. His journey through that oft-idealized and misunderstood landscape has made him a witness to some of the West’s most interesting places, people, and events, from his Valentine’s Day at Nevada’s Mustang Ranch brothel to the deathbed of a man who spent three decades building two 150-ton concrete dinosaurs in the desert; from the eviction of a fading rock star from his mansion to the guitar king’s improbable resurrection more than a decade later; from the final rampage of an unlikely Colorado martyr to his marathon stint watching the driver’s ed snuff films of the California Highway Patrol. He spent a lot of time in the only pet cemetery in idyllic Orange County, Calif.This collection of essays, often told with the wisdom and perspective of a writer looking back, chronicles in vivid detail the heroes, heels, and cultural spasms of an endlessly fascinating frontier. Smith hits the road with marginalized astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, and dives into the middle of a corporate and existential crisis at Sea World, where friendly mascot Shamu had just drowned its trainer. He tests open water swimming with a Southern California woman who eventually swam to Antarctica. He exposes the huckster behind the worldwide Whaling Wall fraud, tours L.A. with a tireless band of Japanese honeymooners, visits the factory where the world’s finest fake rocks are made, and retrieves balls for the seventysomething podiatrist who holds the world record for basketball freethrow shooting.

The author of Straw Men continues his Memory Series with "a terrific read for lovers of political suspense" (Rebecca Forster, USA Today–bestselling author). Two men stand out in a crowd overlooking the Ohio River. A plane is being removed from the water where it crashed decades before. Both men helped put it there. Jim Christensen''s adopted daughter, Melissa, has been troubled of late. She has dreams that feel like memories, unsettling images percolate to the surface. She remembers a terrifying past, possibly her own, from a time before she was adopted. Christensen''s work as an expert in memory makes him the ideal person to help unlock his daughter''s fragile grasp on her own history. But will he want to learn the truth of where Melissa came from? Who she was before? Who might still be looking for her? This dizzying novel of suspense takes the reader back into a dirty war and its human costs, into the fevered mind of one of its survivors, and through the crosshairs of a man desperate to keep his own history vanished. Praise for the Memory Series novels"The creepiest good time I''ve had in ages—a genuine page-turner!" —Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author on Straw Men "[Time Release] is a spellbindingly accomplished first novel." —James Ellroy, national bestselling author of L.A. Confidential

"An engrossing mystery with a wonderfully unique sleuth [who] tackles the most mysterious setting of all: the Bermuda Triangle of human memory" (Barbara Seranella, author of the Munch Mancini Novels). Eight years ago, Brenna Kennedy defended Carmen DellaVecchio. He was a loner, a freak, and accused of the brutal rape and near-murder of Pittsburgh cop Teresa Harnett. She lost the case and DellaVecchio was sent to prison. But now, DNA evidence has cast doubt on DellaVecchio''s guilt, and he is freed while waiting for a new trial. Kennedy continues to believe he is an innocent man. But if DellaVecchio is not guilty, then a dangerous sociopath is still out there. Kennedy''s boyfriend—the brilliant and compassionate psychologist Jim Christensen—has dedicated his career to studying the effects of memory loss, including victims of trauma. When Teresa Harnett asks him to help her remember the events of that terrible night, he reluctantly agrees—and soon all of them are caught in the web of a madman who will kill to stay free . . . In this finalist for the Edgar and Barry Awards, Martin J. Smith delivers "the creepiest good time I''ve had in ages—a genuine page-turner" (Laura Lippman, New York Times–bestselling author of And When She Was Good).

An obsessed cop gets a second chance to take down a madman he failed to arrest a decade earlier in this thriller by the author of Combustion. Pittsburgh, 1986: The city is gripped in a panic as a maniac slips poison onto pharmacy shelves. All the evidence has pointed to Ron Corbett, but shoddy policework let Corbett off the hook and left the crime unsolved.Ten years later, it''s happening again. This time, for the most personal of reasons, Detective Downing has made it his mission to see Corbett behind bars. He enlists the help of Jim Christensen, a psychologist who specializes in memory, to interview Corbett''s son, now a young man with a painful past and problems of his own. Does the boy remember his father poisoning pill containers? Has he blocked memories of a horrific crime spree enacted in his own house? As Christensen explores the boy''s memory and Downing grows more obsessive investigating the case, both men fear that the killings now may not be as random as they once thought, and that unlocking memories may draw them too close to a vicious predator."Time Release sizzles, cooks, and singes! It''s a whipcord thriller full of deftly drawn characters, intrigue, and taut action. This is a spellbindingly accomplished first novel"—James Ellroy, New York Times–bestselling author of The Big Nowhere"A fast, smart read and one fine thriller."—Robert Ferrigno, New York Times–bestselling author of Prayers for the Assassin"Unexpected plot twists and breathless tension combine for a suspenseful ride that doesn''t let up."—The Kansas City Star"Time Release is a fast, smart read and one fine thriller."—Robert Ferrigno, New York Times bestselling author of Prayers for the Assassin"Unexpected plot twists and breathless tension combine for a suspenseful ride that doesn''t let up."—The Kansas City Star

This chilling legal thriller that brings readers into the depths of human memory "hooks you . . . right through to the last page" (Michael Connelly, New York Times–bestselling author of The Black Box). For generations the Underhill family has dominated Pennsylvania politics. Now, with their youngest son locked in a tight gubernatorial race, a simple accident threatens to derail the entire campaign. Floss Underhill, the family''s elderly matriarch, has been discovered alive after falling from a gazebo into a ravine, and Brenna Kennedy gets brought in as a defense attorney for the family. The police don''t think her fall was an accident—and soon neither does Kennedy. Kennedy''s partner, psychologist and memory expert Jim Christensen, has been studying Floss Underhill for months in a group of Alzheimer''s patients. Her mind ravaged by the disease, her body broken by the fall, Floss Underhill nevertheless knows something, and is trying to tell Christensen a family secret so explosive it could bring down an empire. But to bring the truth out, Kennedy and Christensen will have to face some powerful enemies in this twisting mystery-thriller from an author who "may well become a thriller force to be reckoned with" (James Ellroy, New York Times–bestselling author of L.A. Confidential).

In this suspense thriller from the author of Time Release, a California cop investigates a developer''s murder as his world catches fire.The dry season has hit the Inland Empire of California, depleting the ponds and revealing the muddy grave of Paul Dwyer. Dwyer lorded over Los Colmas, a small town he aspired to make big by building mansions for wealthy LA commuters. Some viewed him as a savior, providing construction jobs for locals. Others believed he was ruining their beautiful, close-knit community. But who was angry enough to kill him?Local cop Ron Starke is overwhelmed by the list of suspects and plagued by a difficult captain who is demanding results. Starke investigates Paul Dwyer''s dirty money and handshake deals gone wrong. Then there''s Dwyer''s widow, Shelby, who has quite a few secrets, like who her husband really was behind closed doors. And what she knows about the murder… As the season''s wildfires intensify to historic levels and surge towards Los Colmas, Starke must discover who killed Dwyer before all the evidence burns and the whole town is erased."A page-turner with a kicker at the end…Intricately plotted and full of character, this one is a great ride that burns with the intensity of a California wildfire."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times–bestselling author"Fast as a bullet and bristling with suspense. Part Hitchcock, part Law and Order, all terrific."—T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times–bestselling author of The Room of White FireAs the season''s wildfires intensify to historic levels and surge towards Los Colmas, Starke must discover who killed Dwyer before all the evidence burnsand the whole town is erased."Combustion is exactly what I love in a mystery—fast as a bullet and bristling with suspense. Part Hitchcock, part ''Law and Order,'' all terrific."—T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of The Room of White Fire

"A page-turner with a kicker at the end—you can’t ask for anything better. Intricately plotted and full of character, this one is a great ride that burns with the intensity of a California wildfire."—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestseller The dry season has hit the Inland Empire of California, depleting the ponds and revealing the muddy grave of Paul Dwyer. From his mansion on the hill, Dwyer lorded over Los Colmas, a small town that he aspired to make big by building mansions for wealthy LA commuters. Some viewed him as a savior, providing construction jobs for locals. Others believed he was ruining their beautiful, close-knit town. But who was angry enough to murder him?Local cop Ron Starke is overwhelmed by the list of suspects and plagued by a difficult captain who is demanding results. Starke investigates Paul Dwyer's dirty money and handshake deals gone wrong, but the name at the top of the suspect list is the most intriguing, and chilling.The developer wasn't the only one with secrets; his widow Shelby has kept her own for decades, none more harrowing than the horrific abuse she and her daughter endured at the hands of Dwyer. And none more volatile than what she knows but must hide about Paul's murder.As the season’s wildfires intensify to historic levels and surge towards Los Colmas, Starke must discover who killed Dwyer before all the evidence burnsand the whole town is erased."Combustion is exactly what I love in a mystery—fast as a bullet and bristling with suspense. Part Hitchcock, part 'Law and Order,' all terrific."—T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of The Room of White Fire

This book will examine at individuals who control, intimate, and manipulate in work, home, family, and social environments, using robust Psychological theory to comprehend and successfully tackle those who exhibit these behaviours. The focus of this book will be to look at general Personality theory together with more specific focus on the Dark Triad of personality traits and, from the Five Factor Model, the domain of Agreeableness vs Antagonism. This approach will build a greater understanding of a much broader form of controlling intimidating and manipulative personality type. The book will include both useable techniques as well as self-reflection exercises the reader can use or pass on to students, clients and service users. This book is based on a programme the author has been teaching for over twelve years to a range of audiences across a variety of roles and has also been highlighted frequently in the press over the past decade.