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British politics has long been conceived of as fundamentally a majoritarian, two-party game. The coalition government, and years of politicians working across party lines on Brexit, were both thought of as deviations from the norm. Yet since the Second World War, and the new party system that came with it, this kind of co-operation between parties has been mooted more often than folk memory would suggest. From Winston Churchill to Nick Clegg, Tony Blair to Nigel Farage, elite British politicians have privately and publicly toyed with the concept of co-operating with their competitors. Cross-Party Politics in Britain, 1945-2019 takes a historical-comparative look at seven such cases from the last 80 years. By retracing tales of failure as well as success, this book examines moments overlooked by historians of contemporary Britain, and most are examined through the lens of political science for the first time. Piecing together internal papers and memos from the archives as well as interviews with many of the key players, this book explores two questions. Why are politicians so often swimming against the tide when trying to co-operate with their competitors, even when it appears rational to do so? And, despite the challenges imposed by the Westminster Model, what is it that motivates those that try? The answers to these questions put recent developments in British politics in historical perspective, and provide clues as to what might happen when the idea of co-operation rears its head once again as the next general election approaches.
This book studies the challenges to conventional politics posed by new ways of selecting candidates for legislative elections. The recent economic crisis had profound political consequences on politics, generating an upsurge in the demand for more participative ways of decision-making in politics channelled through social movements and individuals in different countries. Some parties have reacted by introducing changes in their internal organization (via intra-party democracy), particularly related to the selection of candidates for public office. This volume explores the trends and challenges of these new methods of selection, analyses how the internet is increasingly being used as a selection tool, and evaluates some of the relevant consequences related to political representation, party cohesion and party centralization, among others.
The tale of the relentless intrigue, burning ambition, and bitter rivalry in British politics during the years preceding the Second World War, exploring the interaction between Westminster and a world primed to explode.
***Winner of the Political Studies Association Conservatism Studies Group prize 2020*** This book provides a detailed analysis of the evolution of the Conservative Right in Great Britain since 1945. It first explores the movement’s core ideas and highlights points of tension between its different strands. The book then proceeds with a thematically structured discussion. The Conservative Right’s views on the decline and fall of the British Empire, immigration control, European integration, the British constitution, the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom, Britain’s economy, the welfare state, and social morality and social change are all explored. In the concluding chapter, the author evaluates the extent to which the Conservative Right has succeeded in its core objectives since 1945 and addresses how it can best respond to a contemporary Britain in which it instinctively feels uncomfortable. The book is based on extensive elite interviews and archival research and will be of interest to anyone who seeks to place the contemporary Conservative Right in a greater historical context.
Asking why some politicians succeed in moving into the highest offices of state while others fail, this text examines the relative lack of women, black and working class Members of Parliament, and whether this evident social bias matters for political representation.
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of one of the most momentous general elections this country has ever seen. John Major's defeat in 1997 ended a record eighteen years of Tory government, prompting accusations of failure and ignominy. A controversial leader, Major oversaw numerous crises in international and domestic policy. Between 1990 and 1997, he presided over Britain's participations in the Gulf War, the start of the Northern Ireland peace process, the Maastricht Treaty negotiations and, famously, Black Wednesday and Britain's exit from the ERM. Towards the end, Major's government was split over Europe and ridden with allegations of sleaze. Widely criticised by the media and politicians from all parties, Major went on to be crushed by Tony Blair and New Labour in the 1997 general election. An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? is the first wide-ranging appraisal of John Major's government in nearly two decades. This book reconsiders the role of John Major as Prime Minister and the policy achievements of his government. Major's government faced many more constraints and left behind a more enduring legacy than his critics allowed at the time or since.
Here, a team of authors specialising in party politics in general and the Conservative Party in particular present an overview of the history, philosophy, organisation, leadership, strategies and policies of the party.
Contributors, ranging from Chancellor Gordon Brown to the Guardian newspaper's Polly Toybee, discuss the Labour Party's political philosophy and address key topics like globalization, constitutional reform, equality and the 'third way'.
The Conservatives are back - but what took them so long? Why did the world's most successful political party dump Margaret Thatcher only to commit electoral suicide under John Major? Just as importantly, what stopped the Tories getting their act together until David Cameron came along? The answers are as intriguing as the questions.
Nobody doubts that politicians ought to fulfil their promises – what people cannot agree about is what this means in practice. The purpose of this book is to explore this issue through a series of case studies. It shows how the British model of politics has changed since the early twentieth century when electioneering was based on the articulation of principles which, it was expected, might well be adapted once the party or politician that promoted them took office. Thereafter manifestos became increasingly central to electoral politics and to the practice of governing, and this has been especially the case since 1945. Parties were now expected to outline in detail what they would do in office and explain how the policies would be paid for. Brexit has complicated this process, with the ‘will of the people’ as supposedly expressed in the 2016 referendum result clashing with the conventional role of the election manifesto as offering a mandate for action.