Next week we launch the Why Vote series. Party politics is confusing, and it is not easy to work out what each party stands for, nor how it will affect the issues one cares about. These are small, concise affordable paperbacks designed to help the general reader decide which way to vote in the upcoming General Election. Each title is put together by expert politicos who put forward the case for each of the main political parties, exploring their policies, personnel and commitments, and looking at how each is likely to address issues facing the country.

The centrepiece of the series is a book called simply Why Vote?. Written by journalists Jo Phillips and David Seymour, this witty, irreverent book takes apart the conventions of modern politics then puts them back together to demonstrate the importance of each individual playing their part in the democratic process.