Representation: Theory and Practice in British Politics

Half-Title......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 7
Acknowledgements......Page 8
1 Representation, representative democracy and representative government......Page 9
Democracy......Page 10
Direct democracy......Page 11
Indirect democracy......Page 14
Defence of representative democracy......Page 17
Representative government......Page 21
The tradition of representative government: relationship between theory and practice......Page 22
‘Representative government’ and ‘representative democracy’ in the modern British state......Page 25
Representation: language of legitimation......Page 26
2 Microcosmic representation......Page 29
Why ‘microcosmic’ representation?: theory......Page 30
Jeremy Bentham......Page 31
James Mill......Page 33
John Stuart Mill......Page 35
Notions of microcosmic representation in the twentieth century......Page 38
Anne Phillips: politics of presence......Page 40
Representation of women......Page 42
The ‘problem’......Page 43
Do women make a difference?......Page 46
Representation of ethnic minorities......Page 49
The case against microcosmic representation......Page 51
Conclusion......Page 52
Territorial and functional representation combined......Page 54
Constituency-representative relationship......Page 56
Collective relationship of elected representatives within parliament......Page 59
John Stuart Mill: trusteeship in the uncertain world of democracy......Page 61
Trustee theory and modern practice......Page 64
Conscience issues......Page 67
Capital punishment......Page 68
Trustee versus party delegate......Page 71
Conservative MPs and Europe......Page 73
Conclusion......Page 75
4 Party representation......Page 77
Disposing of the myth of the mandate?......Page 78
The Labour party and electoral mandate......Page 81
In the beginning......Page 82
Conference sovereignty and parliamentary representation......Page 83
Tensions between intra-party democracy and representative government......Page 87
Mandatory reselection......Page 88
Democratisation as emasculation......Page 90
Party theory in the Blair era......Page 93
Party theory and the Conservative party......Page 94
The fresh future......Page 97
Conservatives and the mandate......Page 99
Conclusion......Page 101
5 Representation of interests in Westminster......Page 103
Starting point: a brief history of interest representation in the House of Commons......Page 104
Burke and the ‘old Whig’ theory of interest representation......Page 106
Virtual representation......Page 107
J.S.Mill and ‘sinister interests’......Page 108
The practice of interest representation......Page 110
Interests and influence......Page 111
The advantages of interest representation......Page 112
The nature of interests......Page 113
Linkages between MPs and outside interests......Page 115
Trade union sponsorship......Page 118
Advocacy versus advice: are some paid outside interests less acceptable than others?......Page 120
Nolan and after......Page 123
Conclusion......Page 124
6 Representation and ‘post-parliamentary’ governance......Page 126
The long road to ‘post-parliamentary democracy’......Page 127
Guild Socialism......Page 128
Functional representation in the inter-war period......Page 131
‘Early’ pluralism......Page 133
Corporatism: dead but not forgotten?......Page 136
Policy communities and networks......Page 141
Associative democracy in the 1990s......Page 146
Conclusion......Page 151
7 Territory and levels of representation......Page 153
Constituency representation......Page 155
Constituency service......Page 157
Local promotion: territorial advocacy......Page 159
Welfare officer: casework......Page 160
Local government and governance......Page 161
Slipping ‘n sliding between local representative democracy and local representative government......Page 162
Microcosmic representation at the local level......Page 163
Party representation and local councils......Page 165
Local governance, associationalism and problems of representative democracy......Page 167
Elections and British representatives in the European Parliament......Page 169
Party representation......Page 170
Euro-constituency representation......Page 172
Problems of legitimacy......Page 173
Democratic deficits......Page 176
Crisis of legitimacy?......Page 177
European governance......Page 179
8 Representation in the twenty-first century......Page 181
Representation and democratisation......Page 182
New levels of representation: Scotland and Wales......Page 183
Modernising local government: ‘new democratic legitimacy’......Page 196
The beginning and the end: electoral systems and the consequences for representation......Page 200
Towards the future: echoes of the past......Page 203
References......Page 205
Index......Page 224