Essential public affairs for journalists

Cover
New to this edition
Preface: earthquakes and aftershocks
Praise for Essential Public Affairs for Journalists
Acknowledgements
Brief contents
Detailed contents
Guide to the book’s features
Guide to the online resources
Introduction
1 The British constitution and monarchy
	1.1 What is a ‘constitution’?
	1.2 The monarchy
	1.3 Devolution: from union to government in the nations
2 Parliamentary democracy in the UK
	2.1 The origins of the British Parliament
	2.2 The House of Commons
	2.3 The House of Lords
	2.4 Types of legislation
	2.5 The passage of a Bill
	2.6 The Commons Speaker
	2.7 The changing role of the Lord Chancellor
	2.8 The Opposition
	2.9 Devolution in practice—parliaments in the provinces
3 Prime minister, Cabinet, and government
	3.1 The origins of the role of prime minister
	3.2 Cabinet versus government: what’s the difference?
	3.3 The Civil Service
	3.4 Devolved government: executive decision-making in the regions
4 Britain’s electoral systems
	4.1 The origins of the British franchise
	4.2 General elections and candidacy: who can stand?
	4.3 The election process
	4.4 Before the event: how constituency boundaries are decided
	4.5 Quirks of the electoral system
	4.6 Other electoral systems and arguments for ­proportional representation
	4.7 The future of voting
5 Political parties, party funding, and lobbying
	5.1 Structure and organization of the modern Conservative Party
	5.2 Structure and organization of the Labour Party
	5.3 Structure and organization of the Liberal Democrat Party
	5.4 The Scottish National Party (SNP)
	5.5 United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP)
	5.6 The Green Party
	5.7 Plaid Cymru
	5.8 The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
	5.9 Sinn Fein
	5.10 Deselection
	5.11 Party funding now and in future
	5.12 ‘Lobbygate’, ‘cash for honours’, and other recent funding scandals
6 The National Health Service
	6.1 The origins of the National Health Service
	6.2 The end of the post-war consensus and the birth of NHS markets
	6.3 The future of the NHS: big debates and issues
7 The Treasury, industry, and the utilities
	7.1 The Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer
	7.2 The Budget
	7.3 The government’s role in promoting industry and commerce
	7.4 The government’s role in industrial relations
	7.5 The utilities
	7.6 Private finance initiatives (PFIs) and public–private partnerships (PPPs)
8 Social security and home affairs
	8.1 The basis of the ‘welfare state’
	8.2 Social welfare services today
	8.3 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
	8.4 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
	8.5 Rationalizing welfare: Universal Credit and the great reform debate
	8.6 Pensions and the great retirement debate
	8.7 Reviews and appeals under the benefits system
	8.8 Devolving benefits: the future of welfare in Scotland
	8.9 The changing face of home affairs
9 Britain and Europe
	9.1 Britain’s twisty path to EU membership
	9.2 Evolution of the European Union (EU)
	9.3 The main EU institutions
	9.4 The euro
	9.5 Towards an EU ‘super-state’?
	9.6 Other issues facing the EU
	9.7 Brexit
10 The origins and structure of local government
	10.1 The first British local authorities
	10.2 The rolling reorganization of local government
	10.3 City councils and ‘city status’
	10.4 Parish, town, and community councils
	10.5 The evolution of London local government
	10.6 Local government in Scotland
	10.7 Emergency services at local level
	10.8 Local government associations
11 Financing local government
	11.1 Revenue versus capital finance
	11.2 Revenue expenditure and how it is financed
	11.3 The local authority capital budget
12 Local government decision-making
	12.1 Councillors and officers: who’s who?
	12.2 Local government hierarchies before the LGA 2000 and under ‘alternative arrangements’
	12.3 Local government hierarchies since the LGA 2000
13 Local government accountability and elections
	13.1 Local government post-Nolan: the new era of transparency
	13.2 Council constitutions
	13.3 Access to council meetings and business
	13.4 Changing levels of access
	13.5 Local elections
14 Education
	14.1 The origins and evolution of LEA schools
	14.2 The 1988 Act—and the rise of the ‘mixed market’ in state schools
	14.3 The continuing decline of LEAs
	14.4 The future of school catchment areas
	14.5 Bridging the educational divide: other recent developments
	14.6 The role of LEAs in further education
	14.7 The role of LEAs in higher education
	14.8 The growth of free preschool education
15 Planning policy and environmental protection
	15.1 Forward planning: from region to community and back again?
	15.2 Development control
	15.3 Other issues affecting major developments
	15.4 Other quirks of the planning system
16 Housing
	16.1 From prefab to new town: a potted history of social housing
	16.2 The Housing Revenue Account (HRA)
	16.3 Thatcherite housing policy and the decline of council housing
	16.4 Homelessness
	16.5 Local authorities, Housing Benefit, and Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
	16.6 Forcing down market rents: the case for ‘rent controls’
17 Children’s services and adult social care
	17.1 Child protection
	17.2 Adult social services and the rise of community-based care
18 Transport, environment, leisure, and culture
	18.1 Highways and public transport
	18.2 Waste management and environmental health
	18.3 Trading standards and licensing
	18.4 Leisure and cultural services
19 Freedom of information
	19.1 What is freedom of information?
	19.2 Freedom of information and headlines: some case studies
	19.3 The future of FoI—and moves to extend (or restrict) it
	19.4 FoI and the European Union
	19.5 Other information sources: accessing historical records
Glossary
Bibliography
Index