Representative democracy? : geography and the British electoral system / Ron Johnston, Charles Pattie and David Rossiter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

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

Pattie, C. J., 1962- author.

Rossiter, D. J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Representative government and representation--Great Britain.

Representative government and representation.

Elections--Great Britain.

Elections.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (204 pages) : illustrations (black and white); digital file(s).

Other Title:

Representative democracy?

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2021.

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

data file

Summary:

Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom are elected to represent geographic constituencies; but how are these defined and what are the consequences for democracy?Tracing the UK's system of parliamentary representation from its origins in the thirteenth century right through to the present, this comprehensive new survey reveals how a system initially designed to restrain the power of monarchs gradually evolved to serve their interests, then those of political parties before the twentieth century 'settlement' of an independent process for revising the constituency map.That settlement is now under pressure, with the traditional pattern of constituencies representing communities about to be replaced by one which elevates numbers above community. Advanced under the slogan of 'making votes equal', this new regime promises fairness yet, as the authors show, is destined to fail to address the disproportional and biased election results that have long been a feature of UK politics.Concluding with a detailed consideration of the ways in which various parts of the UK have embraced alternatives to first-past-the-post over the last two decades, this book serves as a timely reminder that the needs of political parties do not always coincide with those of us, the electors.

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Representation - but representation of whom, what and where?

3. Towards universal franchise and creating an electoral system: constituency redistributions 1832-1918

4. Consolidating the system of redistributions: 1930-2010

5. The 2011 legislation - major changes?

6. How representative is our democracy: disproportionality and bias

7. Does it have to be this way? Alternative electoral systems

Conclusions

Index.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on pre-publication data; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9781526139900

1526139901