British Politics: The Basics

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of figures
List of tables
List of boxes
Preface
Part I: Introduction
	Chapter 1: British politics in flux
		MPs’ Expenses Claims – A Watershed Moment?
		Turbulence Begins: The Scottish Referendum
		General Election, 2015
		EU Referendum, 23 June 2016
		Cameron Resigns
		May in Government: A ‘Land Grab’ for the Centre Ground?
		‘Brexit means Brexit’
		The June 2017 General Election – Cautious May’s Big Gamble
		A Continuity Election
		Attempted Explanations for this Period of Political Turbulence
		Further Reading
	Chapter 2: The evolution of Britain\'s political system
		The Witan
		Curia Regis
		Lords and commons meet separately
		Parliament’s authority increases
		Civil war, 1640–49
		Glorious revolution, 1688–89
		The hanoverian dynasty
		The first prime minister
		Political parties
		Patronage
		The enlightenment
		The influence of the French revolution, 1789
		Great reform act 1832
		Political parties from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century
		Lords–commons conflict resolved
		Further lords reforms
		Parliamentary terms
		Votes for women
		Devolution
		Epilogue
		Questions for Discusion
		Further Reading
		Websites
Part II: The political context
	Chapter 3: Introductory overview of the British political system
		The underlying ideas
		Voting and party government
		The major parties
		Legislature: House of commons and house of Lords
		The executive
		Pressure groups
		Local government
		European union
		The media
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 4: The social and economic context
		Economic beginnings
		Imperial beginnings
		Industrial revolution and the marxist analysis
		Changing class strata
		Why no revolution?
		Social mobility and education
		Economic inequality
		Inequalities of the 1980s have never ben erased
		Land ownership
		Regional differences
		Gender
		Ethnicity
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 5: Political culture
		Political culture
		Key historical factors in the evolution of British political culture
		Economic influences
		The constitution
		Extremism
		Deference
		Civil society
		Crime
		Welfare state
		Is British society too open?
		MPs’ expenses and the erosion of trust
		The ‘Celebrity Politician’
		Conclusion
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
	Chapter 6: The unwritten constitution
		Historical emergence of constitutions
		‘Dignified’ and ‘efficient’
		Parliamentary sovereignty
		Sources of the constitution
		Amendment of the constitution
		Separation of powers
		Moran’s ‘core’ and ‘contested’ elements of the constitution
		‘Core’
		‘Contested’
		Current constitutional issues
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 7: Political ideas I: up to New Labour
		The emergence of political ideas
		Core philosophies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
		Post-war developments in political ideas
		Further reading
		Website
	Chapter 8: Political ideas II: from New Labour to Brexit
		Cameron’s conservatism
		Liberalism
		Coalition after May 2010
		The ‘Corbyn Revolution’
		Rise of UKIP (and in 2019 the Brexit Party)
		Impact of CoronaVirus, 2020
		Gren Thinking
		The Political Fringe
		Starmer wins Leadership Contest
		Concluding comment
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
Part III The mediating agencies
	Chapter 9: Political parties
		Functions
		Party government from the mid-nineteenth century
		The conservative party
		Labour party
		Liberal democrats
		UKIP and the Brexit party
		The political fringe
		Nationalist parties
		Funding political parties
		Conclusion: Two-party system in decline?
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 10: Pressure groups
		Types of pressure groups
		Origins of pressure groups
		Civil society and pressure groups
		Pressure groups and government
		Political theory and pressure groups
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 11: The mass media
		Evolution of political communication
		Decline of the press
		The broadcast media
		Televised election debates
		News values
		‘Spin’
		Question of bias
		Regulation of the press
		New media
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
Part IV: The legislature
	Chapter 12: The monarchy
		Functions
		Popularity of the monarchy
		Excessive cost of royals?
		Present power of the monarchy
		The monarchy and politics
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 13: The House of Lords
		Introduction
		Present composition
		Functions of the house of Lords
		Reform
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 14: The House of Commons
		The power of the Commons
		Reforming the Commons
		Social background of MPs
		Expenses Scandal
		Further Reading
		Websites
	Chapter 15: Voting behaviour in the UK
		Early history
		The electoral system(s)
		The diminishing influence of class on voting
		Low election turnout
		Other factors influencing voting behaviour
		The May 2010 general election
		The May 2015 general election
		General Election of 2017
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 16: The 2019 general election
		Background
		The Campaign
		2019 Election Results
		‘The Red Wall’ Shattered
		Class and Voting
		Gender
		Turnout
		Tactical Voting
		Scotland
		Wales
		Northern Ireland
		Political Parties
		Matthew Goodwin’s Conclusions
		Further Reading
Part V: The executive
	Chapter 17: The prime minister and cabinet
		Cabinet
		The prime minister
		Deputy prime minister
		The ‘core executive’
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 18: Ministers and civil servants
		Ministers
		Civil service
		Political advisers
		Who makes policy – minister or civil servant?
		Reforming the civil service
		‘Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation’, quangos
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 19: Policy-making in British government
		Policy-making as a ‘system’
		Models of policy-making
		The policy cycle
		Policy-making example: managing the economy
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
Part VI: Sub-national government
	Chapter 20: Devolution
		Northern ireland
		Devolution in the 1970s
		Scotland
		Wales
		Northern Ireland
		Devolution: related problems
		English nationalism
		Regions of England
		Greater London government
		Scottish independence referendum and its impact
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 21: Local government: provenance and decline
		Provenance
		Post-war decline
		Thatcher and local government
		The professional in local government
		Further reforms
		Parish councils
		Abolition of the audit commission
		Elected mayors
		‘Revolutionary’ devolution of powers to local government in 2014–15
		The northern powerhouse
		Local government association
		Politics and local government
		Westminster responsibility for local government
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 22: The judiciary and politics
		Overlooked?
		Subordinate?
		Autonomous?
		Judicial posts
		The courts and their personnel
		The recruitment of judges
		‘Judicial activism’
		Enforcing european law
		Enforcing the european convention on human rights
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
Part VII: Conclusions
	Chapter 23: The extraordinary Brexit saga
		The european idea
		De Gaulle’s veto
		Heath finally victorious 1972
		Euro-scepticism gathers strength
		Immigration helps growth of UKIP
		Cameron grants an in–out referendum, 2013
		Theresa May and Brexit
		Divorce bill
		Negotiations begin on trade relationship
		Transitional Period
		Factions in conservative party
		May limps on
		Misconduct in public office?
		Key turning point in Brexit saga
		Aftermath of election – Brexit troubles over?
		Post-Brexit concerns
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
	Chapter 24: Britain and the world
		Historical perspective
		The empire and decline
		The spheres of foreign policy
		The european union as a focus of foreign policy
		The anglo-american bond – a special relationship?
		The growth of euro-scepticism
		Questions for discussion
		Further reading
		Websites
	Chapter 25: Concluding comments: an uncertain future
		Weakening of the centre ground
		The ‘cultural war’
		Impact of the coronavirus pandemic 2020
		Other problems pending at time of writing
		Questions for Discussion
		Further reading
Glossary
Index