I am often asked why I chose to study Politics. Amidst such sensational news headlines in recent months and years, distrust of both politics and politicians is it seems at an all time low.

However, rather than try and defend my own choice of subject, I tell those who question my passion for the subject to pick up a copy of Bernard Crick's 'In Defence of Politics'.

Recommended to me by my politics tutor, the text won't take you very long to read. With UK politics it seems at a crossroads, this book's reputation remains untarnished, and arguably even more vital to anyone trying to grapple with the messiness of contemporary politics...