British politics : the basics / Bill Jones.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Bill, 1946- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain--Politics and government--21st century.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (465 pages)

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York, New York : Routledge, [2021]

Summary:

Fully updated and expanded, the second edition of this still compact text on British politics expertly analyses the major changes in British political life, placing them revealingly within the context of the evolution of British society from absolute monarchy to representative democracy. The author considers each of the major components of British politics in digestible chapters, such as the Monarchy and the House of Lords, the Commons, voting behaviour, parties and pressure groups, the prime minister and cabinet, devolution, local government, and foreign policy. The book includes two new chapters on the EU referendum and Brexit, and the extraordinary December 2019 election, as well as coverage of events such as the coronavirus pandemic, and the respective travails of the increasingly split two major political parties. This readable and comprehensive introduction will be of key interest to A-level students, undergraduates and those new to the study of British politics.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

List of figures

List of tables

List of boxes

Preface

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1: British politics in flux

MPs' Expenses Claims - A Watershed Moment?

Turbulence Begins: The Scottish Referendum

General Election, 2015

EU Referendum, 23 June 2016

Cameron Resigns

May in Government: A 'Land Grab' for the Centre Ground?

'Brexit means Brexit'

The June 2017 General Election - Cautious May's Big Gamble

A Continuity Election

Attempted Explanations for this Period of Political Turbulence

Further Reading

Chapter 2: The evolution of Britain's political system

The Witan

Curia Regis

Lords and commons meet separately

Parliament's authority increases

Civil war, 1640-49

Glorious revolution, 1688-89

The hanoverian dynasty

The first prime minister

Political parties

Patronage

The enlightenment

The influence of the French revolution, 1789

Great reform act 1832

Political parties from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century

Lords-commons conflict resolved

Further lords reforms

Parliamentary terms

Votes for women

Devolution

Epilogue

Questions for Discusion

Websites

Part II: The political context

Chapter 3: Introductory overview of the British political system

The underlying ideas

Voting and party government

The major parties

Legislature: House of commons and house of Lords

The executive

Pressure groups

Local government

European union

The media

Questions for discussion

Further reading

Chapter 4: The social and economic context

Economic beginnings

Imperial beginnings

Industrial revolution and the marxist analysis

Changing class strata

Why no revolution?.

Social mobility and education

Economic inequality

Inequalities of the 1980s have never ben erased

Land ownership

Regional differences

Gender

Ethnicity

Chapter 5: Political culture

Political culture

Key historical factors in the evolution of British political culture

Economic influences

The constitution

Extremism

Deference

Civil society

Crime

Welfare state

Is British society too open?

MPs' expenses and the erosion of trust

The 'Celebrity Politician'

Conclusion

Chapter 6: The unwritten constitution

Historical emergence of constitutions

'Dignified' and 'efficient'

Parliamentary sovereignty

Sources of the constitution

Amendment of the constitution

Separation of powers

Moran's 'core' and 'contested' elements of the constitution

'Core'

'Contested'

Current constitutional issues

Chapter 7: Political ideas I: up to New Labour

The emergence of political ideas

Core philosophies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Post-war developments in political ideas

Website

Chapter 8: Political ideas II: from New Labour to Brexit

Cameron's conservatism

Liberalism

Coalition after May 2010

The 'Corbyn Revolution'

Rise of UKIP (and in 2019 the Brexit Party)

Impact of CoronaVirus, 2020

Gren Thinking

The Political Fringe

Starmer wins Leadership Contest

Concluding comment

Part III The mediating agencies

Chapter 9: Political parties

Functions

Party government from the mid-nineteenth century

The conservative party

Labour party

Liberal democrats

UKIP and the Brexit party

The political fringe.

Nationalist parties

Funding political parties

Conclusion: Two-party system in decline?

Chapter 10: Pressure groups

Types of pressure groups

Origins of pressure groups

Civil society and pressure groups

Pressure groups and government

Political theory and pressure groups

Chapter 11: The mass media

Evolution of political communication

Decline of the press

The broadcast media

Televised election debates

News values

'Spin'

Question of bias

Regulation of the press

New media

Part IV: The legislature

Chapter 12: The monarchy

Popularity of the monarchy

Excessive cost of royals?

Present power of the monarchy

The monarchy and politics

Chapter 13: The House of Lords

Introduction

Present composition

Functions of the house of Lords

Reform

Chapter 14: The House of Commons

The power of the Commons

Reforming the Commons

Social background of MPs

Expenses Scandal

Chapter 15: Voting behaviour in the UK

Early history

The electoral system(s)

The diminishing influence of class on voting

Low election turnout

Other factors influencing voting behaviour

The May 2010 general election

The May 2015 general election

General Election of 2017

Chapter 16: The 2019 general election

Background

The Campaign

2019 Election Results

'The Red Wall' Shattered

Class and Voting

Turnout

Tactical Voting

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland.

Political Parties

Matthew Goodwin's Conclusions

Part V: The executive

Chapter 17: The prime minister and cabinet

Cabinet

The prime minister

Deputy prime minister

The 'core executive'

Chapter 18: Ministers and civil servants

Ministers

Civil service

Political advisers

Who makes policy - minister or civil servant?

Reforming the civil service

'Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation', quangos

Chapter 19: Policy-making in British government

Policy-making as a 'system'

Models of policy-making

The policy cycle

Policy-making example: managing the economy

Part VI: Sub-national government

Chapter 20: Devolution

Northern ireland

Devolution in the 1970s

Northern Ireland

Devolution: related problems

English nationalism

Regions of England

Greater London government

Scottish independence referendum and its impact

Chapter 21: Local government: provenance and decline

Provenance

Post-war decline

Thatcher and local government

The professional in local government

Further reforms

Parish councils

Abolition of the audit commission

Elected mayors

'Revolutionary' devolution of powers to local government in 2014-15

The northern powerhouse

Local government association

Politics and local government

Westminster responsibility for local government

Chapter 22: The judiciary and politics

Overlooked?

Subordinate?

Autonomous?

Judicial posts

The courts and their personnel

The recruitment of judges.

'Judicial activism'

Enforcing european law

Enforcing the european convention on human rights

Part VII: Conclusions

Chapter 23: The extraordinary Brexit saga

The european idea

De Gaulle's veto

Heath finally victorious 1972

Euro-scepticism gathers strength

Immigration helps growth of UKIP

Cameron grants an in-out referendum, 2013

Theresa May and Brexit

Divorce bill

Negotiations begin on trade relationship

Transitional Period

Factions in conservative party

May limps on

Misconduct in public office?

Key turning point in Brexit saga

Aftermath of election - Brexit troubles over?

Post-Brexit concerns

Chapter 24: Britain and the world

Historical perspective

The empire and decline

The spheres of foreign policy

The european union as a focus of foreign policy

The anglo-american bond - a special relationship?

The growth of euro-scepticism

Chapter 25: Concluding comments: an uncertain future

Weakening of the centre ground

The 'cultural war'

Impact of the coronavirus pandemic 2020

Other problems pending at time of writing

Questions for Discussion

Glossary

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-429-19950-3

0-429-57659-5

9780429199509

OCLC:

1154097572