Two Decades in British Politics

Two Decades in British Politics
Author: Bill Jones
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 1992
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780719035326

Celebrates the 21st anniversary of The Politics Association and offers a reassessment of the continuities and changes in the governments led by Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and Thatcher. The book asks whether 1979 was a political watershed or an undistinguished step in Britain's economic decline.

From Broke To Brexit

From Broke To Brexit
Author: Michael Burton
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2021-09-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030818896

Perhaps the most extraordinary period in modern British history, the years between the Great Recession and Brexit have often been dubbed ‘the lost decade’ because of the economic and political turmoil caused by those two great events. Michael Burton outlines how the first led to the second, assisted by a rare confluence of other, often unrelated, social and political factors that delivered the shock Leave verdict in the EU referendum of 2016. These included the longstanding grievances of voters in former industrial areas feeling left behind by globalism, stagnant incomes after the recession, austerity, the rise of social media, the refugee and Eurozone crisis in Europe, the deep split in the Conservative and Labour parties over the EU and rising wealth inequalities. The author also charts the chaotic political landscape that ended in the final Brexit deal. This book is ideal for the general reader as well as for students of politics, history and economics needing a concise and well-explained account of this turbulent period in British history.

The UK's Changing Democracy

The UK's Changing Democracy
Author: Patrick Dunleavy
Publisher: LSE Press
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2018-11-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1909890464

The UK’s Changing Democracy presents a uniquely democratic perspective on all aspects of UK politics, at the centre in Westminster and Whitehall, and in all the devolved nations. The 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU marked a turning point in the UK’s political system. In the previous two decades, the country had undergone a series of democratic reforms, during which it seemed to evolve into a more typical European liberal democracy. The establishment of a Supreme Court, adoption of the Human Rights Act, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolution, proportional electoral systems, executive mayors and the growth in multi-party competition all marked profound changes to the British political tradition. Brexit may now bring some of these developments to a juddering halt. The UK’s previous ‘exceptionalism’ from European patterns looks certain to continue indefinitely. ‘Taking back control’ of regulations, trade, immigration and much more is the biggest change in UK governance for half a century. It has already produced enduring crises for the party system, Parliament and the core executive, with uniquely contested governance over critical issues, and a rapidly changing political landscape. Other recent trends are no less fast-moving, such as the revival of two-party dominance in England, the re-creation of some mass membership parties and the disruptive challenges of social media. In this context, an in-depth assessment of the quality of the UK’s democracy is essential. Each of the 2018 Democratic Audit’s 37 short chapters starts with clear criteria for what democracy requires in that part of the nation’s political life and outlines key recent developments before a SWOT analysis (of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) crystallises the current situation. A small number of core issues are then explored in more depth. Set against the global rise of debased semi-democracies, the book’s approach returns our focus firmly to the big issues around the quality and sustainability of the UK’s liberal democracy.

British Government and Politics

British Government and Politics
Author: Duncan Watts
Publisher:
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2006
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 074862323X

Duncan Watts examines the institutions and practices of British government and politics and makes selective comparisons with the experience of other countries, mainly liberal democracies.

The Death of Consensus

The Death of Consensus
Author: Phil Tinline
Publisher: Hurst Publishers
Total Pages: 556
Release: 2022-06-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1787388840

Over Britain’s first century of mass democracy, politics has lurched from crisis to crisis. How does this history of political agony illuminate our current age of upheaval? To find out, journalist Phil Tinline takes us back to two past eras when the ruling consensus broke down, and the future filled with ominous possibilities – until, finally, a new settlement was born. How did the Great Depression’s spectres of fascism, bombing and mass unemployment force politicians to think the unthinkable, and pave the way to post-war Britain? How was Thatcher’s road to victory made possible by a decade of nightmares: of hyperinflation, military coups and communist dictatorship? And why, since the Crash in 2008, have new political threats and divisions forced us to change course once again? Tinline brings to life those times, past and present, when the great compromise holding democracy together has come apart; when the political class has been forced to make a choice of nightmares. This lively, original account of panic and chaos reveals how apparent catastrophes can clear the path to a new era. The Death of Consensus will make you see British democracy differently.

The Politics of Children's Services Reform

The Politics of Children's Services Reform
Author: Purcell, Carl
Publisher: Policy Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2020-04-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 144734877X

Drawing on unique access to prominent policy makers including ministers, senior civil servants, local authority directors, and the leaders of children’s sector NGOs, Purcell re-examines two decades of children’s services reform under both Labour and Conservative-led governments. He closely examines the origins of Labour’s Every Child Matters programme, the Munro review and more recent Conservative reforms affecting child and family social workers to reassess the impact of high profile child abuse cases, including Victoria Climbié and Baby P, and reveal the party political drivers of successive reform.

Story of the Scottish Parliament

Story of the Scottish Parliament
Author: Hassan Gerry Hassan
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2019-07-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1474454925

Marking the first twenty years of the Scottish Parliament, this collection of essays assesses its impact on Scotland, the UK and Europe, and compares progress against pre-devolution hopes and expectations. Bringing together the voices of ministers and advisers, leading political scientists and historians, commentators, journalists and former civil servants, it builds an authoritative account of what the Scottish Parliament has made of devolution and an essential guide to the powers Holyrood may need for Scotland to flourish in an increasingly uncertain world.

Two Decades of Legislative Politics and Governance in Nigeria’s National Assembly

Two Decades of Legislative Politics and Governance in Nigeria’s National Assembly
Author: Fatai Ayinde Aremu
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2021-05-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9813344555

This book unpacks two decades of Nigeria’s National Assembly spanning 4th–8th legislative sessions. It focuses on the core areas of legislative functions – lawmaking, appropriation, oversight and representation – in examining the achievements, challenges and prospects of the legislature. This is particularly important because Nigeria being the most populous country in Africa is a crucial bastion of democratic governance in the region. Therefore, conducting deep diagnostics of the federal legislature as the custodian of popular mandate and the anchor of accountability offered immense opportunity for learning that would catalyze further institutional reforms and democratic consolidation.

British Social Attitudes

British Social Attitudes
Author: Alison Park
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2003-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780761942771

This survey provides an indispensable guide to current political and social issues in contemporary Britain. It describes and reviews a broad range of current social attitudes derived from extensive nationwide interviews. This report summarizes and interprets data from the most recent survey.

Half a Century of British Politics

Half a Century of British Politics
Author: Lynton J. Robins
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780719048401

Leading experts assess the past fifty years of British political life. Retreat from empire to Europe, with all the adjustments this entailed, is explored, as is the changing nature of politics at home.