With a foreword by Michael Portillo. Deborah Mattinson had a unique perspective on the New Labour project. As Britain's leading political pollster, she has been monitoring public opinion since the mid-1980s, and helped transform Labour into Europe's greatest election-winning machine of the modern era. Most recently as chief pollster to Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, she has been on the frontline of electoral politics, consistently representing the voter's side of the story to the politicans. Sometimes, she has encountered scepticism - a belligerent John Smith made an unappreciative witness to one of Deborah's focus groups - and she has often had to convey unwelcome results - telling a grumpy Gordon Brown he needed to spruce up his appearance cannot have been easy. With a stellar cast, including Neil Kinnock, Peter Mandelson, John Smith, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Talking to A Brick Wall reviews the New Labour years from the voter's point of view. It tracks the ups and downs of the Blair/Brown era as seen from beyond Westminster, showing how closely political reputation correlates with voter connection. It profiles the swing voter, shows the importance of women's votes, and what gives a politician popular appeal, and maps the voters' views through the 2010 campaign and its immediate aftermath, showing how the electorate has been left out of political decision making and revealing the public's recipe for rehabilitating the Labour Party and rebuilding trust in democracy. A champion of democratic renewal through citizen engagement, Deborah Mattinson believes that we must move to new grown up partnership politics if democracy is to thrive.

'I've been talking to brick walls' says Lacan, meaning: 'Neither to you, nor to the Big Other. I'm speaking by myself. And this is precisely what interests you. It's up to you to interpret me.' These brick walls are those of the chapel at Sainte-Anne hospital. Getting back in touch with his younger years as a junior doctor, Lacan amuses himself, improvises, and lets himself go. The intention is a polemical one: the best of his pupils, captivated by the idea that analysis evacuates all prior knowledge, have been raising the banner of non-knowledge, borrowed from Bataille. No, says Lacan, psychoanalysis proceeds from a supposed knowledge, that of the unconscious. One gains access to it by the path of truth (the analysand ventures to say what comes to mind, frankly and with no frills) when it comes to an end in jouissance (the analyst interprets what the analysand says in terms of libido). However, two further paths bar access to this one: ignorance (to devote oneself to it with passion is always to consolidate established knowledge), and power (the passion for might obliterates what is revealed by parapraxes). Psychoanalysis teaches the virtues of powerlessness: this, at least, respects the real. A wise lesson for an era, this era of ours, that has seen bureaucracy, arm in arm with science, dreaming of changing humankind in its deepest reaches - through propaganda, through direct manipulation of the brain, through biotechnology, and even through social engineering. Admittedly things were no better before, but tomorrow they could be far worse. Jacques-Alain Miller

Life isn't fair. We do our best; we will fail and find pain along the way, but we will never give up. A Brick Wall is a story of how a little boy's diagnosis set his parents on a journey seeking answers and changes to the world he lives in. This honest account takes us through their approach in raising their three children, two of whom were diagnosed with autism. The Gallaghers crafted their parenting skills, retained their patience, and met their challenges with love, determination, and fierceness. Believing a cluster of children with autism lived in their hometown, the Gallagher's journey led them to their congressman's office. Alongside Congressman Chris Smith, their efforts led to national legislation, and awareness of the disability. As the reader follows their story, through tragedy of illness, and battles with an unfair system, they will become attached to the Gallagher family, and cheer them on in hopes of a victory. This is not a fairy tale of how autism was defeated, or any miraculous breakthrough. Discover a very personal account of how a family coped from diagnosis to adulthood, through tragedy of illness and their battle with an unfair system. A Brick Wall is a story of how a family has learned that each and every life has value, and you never truly know the part you have played in making the world a better place. Through many of the struggles and often unfair cards dealt, the Gallagher's have persevered to ensure that their children have happy lives, regardless of the severity of their autism. Bobbie and Bill Gallagher's journey led them to their congressman's office. Believing a cluster of children with autism lived in their hometown. With Congressman Chris Smith, their efforts led to national legislation and awareness of the disability. That was just the beginning of the Gallaghers' fight for the treatment and understanding they knew their children deserved. At the core this book is a love story, a love story of a remarkable family set upon the battlefield of a system that was trying to destroy them. This book allows us an intimate insiders view of the Gallagher's epic fight to give their children a life worth living. Their struggles and triumph has impacted the entire Autism community. This simply is a must read for every parent, for every educator and everyone with a heart. What an incredible book, what an incredible journey! ~ Gary Weitzen, Executive Director, POAC Autism Services Written in an intimate, honest, and compassionate way, the Gallagher family's story is captivating, filled with the painful realities and hard-won joys of life with severe autism. As we witness Alanna and Austin's daily and lifelong challenges, I stand in awe of them and their parents' determination and resilience. Much like the untold stories of so many families, this must-read book is both heartbreaking and inspiring! ~ Suzanne Buchanan, Psy.D., BCBA-D, Autism New Jersey From the first sentence Gallagher draws you into the often difficult yet rewarding world of raising two children on the autism spectrum, and she does so with grace, humor, and candor. Her writing spans two decades, taking readers from the early days of diagnosis to how she is creating fulfilling lives for both of her adult children. Amidst the challenges and celebrations outlined in this book she offers hope to parents; it is a must-read for anyone raising an autistic child." ~ Kimberlee Rutan McCafferty, author of Raising Autism: Surviving the Early Years

"John Phillips writes with enthusiasm and clarity, . . . cutting through the confusion and heretical dangers associated with Bible interpretation." —Moodymagazine

This 2002 book is a guide to Italian usage for students who have already acquired the basics of the language and wish to extend their knowledge. Unlike conventional grammars, it gives special attention to those areas of vocabulary and grammar which cause most difficulty to English-speakers. Careful consideration is given throughout to questions of style, register, and politeness which are essential to achieving an appropriate level of formality or informality in writing and speech. It surveys the contemporary linguistic scene in Italy and gives ample space to the new varieties of Italian that are emerging in modern Italy. The influence of the dialects in shaping the development of Italian is also acknowledged. Clear, readable and easy to consult via its two indexes, this is an essential reference for learners seeking access to the finer nuances of the Italian language.

Written by a Sydney native, English, The Aussie Way: A Fun Guide to Australia’s Colourful Phrases, Words, and Expressions offers an amusing way for English or non-English speakers around the world to learn the colloquial phrases for which Australia is famous. This user-friendly reference provides words/phrases and meanings/synonyms by using an example sentence. Says the author,“For seven years I housed international students who were attending English language schools in Sydney, and I realised that although they had a good grasp of formal grammar, they struggled to understand not only colloquial English, but many of the commonly used phrasal verbs, which could not be found in a standard English/Spanish, French, etc., dictionary. It was then that I decided to start writing some of them down for future reference and it grew from there.”

A guide to learning how to communicate with people who have diametrically opposed opinions from you, how to empathize with them, and how to (possibly) change their minds America is more polarized than ever. Whether the issue is Donald Trump, healthcare, abortion, gun control, breastfeeding, or even DC vs Marvel, it feels like you can't voice an opinion without ruffling someone's feathers. In today's digital age, it's easier than ever to build walls around yourself. You fill up your Twitter feed with voices that are angry about the same issues and believe as you believe. Before long, you're isolated in your own personalized echo chamber. And if you ever encounter someone outside of your bubble, you don't understand how the arguments that resonate so well with your peers can't get through to anyone else. In a time when every conversation quickly becomes a battlefield, it's up to us to learn how to talk to each other again. In Talking Across the Divide, social justice activist Justin Lee explains how to break through the five key barriers that make people resist differing opinions. With a combination of psychological research, pop-culture references, and anecdotes from Justin's many years of experience mediating contentious conversations, this book will help you understand people on the other side of the argument and give you the tools you need to change their minds--even if they've fallen for "fake news."

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.