Money and electoral politics : local parties and funding at general elections / Ron Johnston and Charles Pattie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnston, R. J. (Ronald John), author.

Pattie, C. J., 1962- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Campaign funds--Great Britain.

Campaign funds.

Great Britain.

Political parties--Great Britain.

Political parties.

Elections--Great Britain.

Elections.

Physical Description:

ix, 211 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Bristol : Policy Press, 2014.

Summary:

Political parties are crucial to British democracy, providing the foundations for mobilising voters. Their constituency branches are key links between voters and Parliamentary candidates and their activities require two vital resources - people and money. Much has been written on the decline of party membership but far less on money. In this much-needed new book, Ron Johnston and Charles Pattie use the latest research and hitherto unpublished material to explore financial differences across the UK's three main parties in the four years leading up to the 2010 general election. They look at how much local parties raise for election campaigns and find that the more money candidates spend then, the better their performance. Analyses of their annual accounts, however, show that many local parties are unable to raise all of the money that they are entitled to spend on such campaigns. This reveals an unhealthy picture of grassroots party organisation in which the capacity to engage effectively with many voters is concentrated in a relatively small number of constituencies and is likely to remain so. This timely and essential book will make a major contribution to the literature on British elections and parties, especially to continuing debates regarding party funding, and will make important reading for academics, students, politicians, civil servants and others interested in this topic. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Follow the money: cash, party and electioneering in Britain 9

2 Money matters: local campaigns at British general elections 33

3 The financial health of local parties: the key to electoral success? 85

4 Raising the money: donations to local parties 123

5 Party funding futures 151.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-203) and index.

ISBN:

9781447306320

1447306325

1447306317

9781447306313

OCLC:

878860960