The British Polity

by Norton, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780321216663
• ISBN10: 0321216660
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-02
• Publisher: ROUTLEDGE

Summary

The British Polityis an engaging and comprehensive survey of the structure and process of British government. Offering an insiderrs"s analysis, Philip Norton examines the debates surrounding Britainrs"s political history and culture, constitution, parties and elections, branches of government, media, and relations with the European Union. Throughout,The British Polityfollows a theme of continuity and change that draws on historical and institutional knowledge and that helps to explain contemporary British politics.

Author Biography

Philip Norton (Lord Norton of Louth) is Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull. He also serves in the House of Lords.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xviii
The Contemporary Landscape	p. 1
Land and Population	p. 2
Linguistic and Racial Differences	p. 5
Religion	p. 7
Class	p. 9
Education	p. 13
Marriage, Family, and Social Demography	p. 16
Employment	p. 17
Personal Wealth and Taxation	p. 19
Conclusion	p. 20
The Political Culture	p. 22
Political Socialization	p. 23
Family	p. 23
Education	p. 23
Occupation	p. 24
Location	p. 25
Mass Media	p. 26
A Complex Mix	p. 26
The Political Culture	p. 27
Orientation toward Problem Solving	p. 27
Orientation toward the Political System	p. 29
Orientation toward Cooperation and Individuality	p. 33
Orientation toward Other People	p. 35
Adapting or Declining?	p. 37
Past and Present: Historical Perspective and Legacies	p. 43
Historical Perspective	p. 44
The Emergence of Parliamentary Government	p. 44
The Welfare State and the Managed Economy	p. 49
The Politics of Thatcher and Blair	p. 53
Great Britain or Little England?	p. 56
Legacy of Empire	p. 56
Legacy of War	p. 57
Legacy of Class	p. 58
Legacy of Political Institutions	p. 58
The Political Environment	p. 62
The Uncodified Constitution	p. 63
Forms of Expression	p. 65
Sources	p. 65
Means of Amendment	p. 68
Interpretation	p. 69
Main Provisions	p. 69
Parliamentary Sovereignty	p. 70
The Rule of Law	p. 72
Unitary (or Union) State	p. 73
Parliamentary Government under a Constitutional Monarchy	p. 74
The Changing Constitution	p. 77
European Union Membership	p. 77
Constitutional Reform under a Labour Government	p. 79
Conclusion	p. 81
The Electoral System: Campaigns, Voting, and Voters	p. 84
The Electoral Structure	p. 86
Electors	p. 86
Constituencies	p. 88
Campaigns	p. 93
Candidates	p. 96
Candidate Selection	p. 100
Elections	p. 103
Voting Behavior	p. 105
Explanations of Voting Behavior	p. 109
Class	p. 109
Consumption	p. 110
Location	p. 110
Issues	p. 113
Performance Evaluation	p. 113
The Current Debate	p. 115
A Dysfunctional Electoral System?	p. 115
An Effective Electoral System?	p. 118
A New Electoral System?	p. 119
Alternative Electoral Systems	p. 121
List System	p. 121
Single Transferable Vote (STV)	p. 121
Additional Member System (AMS)	p. 121
Alternative Vote (AV)	p. 121
Supplementary Vote (SV)	p. 122
Alternative Vote Plus (AV PLUS)	p. 122
Political Parties: More or Less Than a Two-Party System?	p. 127
The Parties in Britain	p. 128
The Conservative Party	p. 130
Party Organization	p. 140
Party Funding	p. 142
The Labour Party	p. 143
Party Organization	p. 152
Party Funding	p. 154
Third Parties	p. 155
The Liberal Democrats	p. 156
Scottish and Welsh Nationalists	p. 160
Northern Ireland Parties	p. 161
Other Parties	p. 162
Decline in Two-Party Support	p. 164
Structural Dealignment	p. 166
Policy Orientation	p. 167
Performance	p. 168
Decline in Party Support	p. 169
Disillusionment	p. 169
Displacement	p. 170
Disinterest	p. 170
Conclusion	p. 171
Interest Groups: Insiders or Outsiders?	p. 175
Types of Interest Groups	p. 176
Sectional Interest and Promotional Groups	p. 176
Insider and Outsider Groups	p. 177
The Development of Interest Groups	p. 179
Sectional Interest Groups	p. 180
Labor	p. 180
Business	p. 182
Agriculture	p. 183
Promotional Groups	p. 184
Relations with Government	p. 185
Pluralism	p. 186
Corporatism	p. 186
Policy Networks	p. 186
The Period up to 1979	p. 187
Insider Croups: Institutionalization	p. 187
Insider Croups: Tripartism	p. 189
Outsider Groups: Greater Activity	p. 190
From Tripartism to Pluralism: The Period of Conservative Government, 1979-97	p. 192
High Policy: Exclusion	p. 192
Medium and Low-Level Policy: Inclusion	p. 193
Lobbying Government	p. 194
Lobbying Parliament	p. 194
Lobbying the European Union	p. 196
Policy Networks: Lobbying under Labour	p. 197
The Current Debate	p. 198
Conclusion	p. 201
Governmental Decision Making	p. 204
The Executive: Government at the Center	p. 205
The Structure	p. 206
The Prime Minister	p. 206
Prime-Ministerial Powers	p. 208
The Cabinet	p. 215
Ministers	p. 223
Departments	p. 226
Agencies	p. 227
Civil Service	p. 228
Nondepartmental Public Bodies	p. 231
The Current Debate	p. 233
The Presidential Model	p. 233
The Baronial Model	p. 236
The Bureaucratic Model	p. 237
The Power Dependency Model	p. 240
Conclusion	p. 242
The European Union: Government above the Center	p. 246
From Community to Union	p. 247
Constitutional Implications	p. 251
Economic Implications	p. 254
Political Implications	p. 256
Institutions of the European Union	p. 258
Elections to the European Parliament	p. 262
The Current Debate	p. 265
The New Assemblies: Government Beyond the Center	p. 271
Scotland and Wales	p. 272
Demands for Devolution	p. 272
The Scottish Parliament	p. 276
The National Assembly for Wales	p. 279
Northern Ireland	p. 281
Background	p. 282
"The Troubles"	p. 283
Attempts to Achieve a Solution	p. 284
The Anglo-Irish Agreement	p. 285
The Downing Street Declaration	p. 286
The Good Friday Agreement	p. 287
Resolving the Conflict	p. 289
Regional Government in England	p. 291
The Current Debate	p. 293
Conclusion	p. 296
Local Government: Government Below the Center	p. 298
The Changing Structure of Local Government	p. 298
Reforms under a Conservative Government	p. 300
Reforms under a Labour Government	p. 301
The Changing Face of Local Government	p. 303
Elections and Members	p. 305
Powers and Finance	p. 308
The Current Debate	p. 310
Scrutiny and Legitimation	p. 313
Parliament: Commons and Lords	p. 314
The House of Commons	p. 317
Members	p. 317
Functions	p. 322
Legislation	p. 324
Executive Actions	p. 328
Parliamentary Questions	p. 328
Debates	p. 330
Select Committees	p. 333
Early Day Motions	p. 337
Correspondence	p. 338
Private Party Meetings	p. 338
Links with the Citizen	p. 339
The House of Lords	p. 342
Membership and Function	p. 346
Members	p. 346
Functions	p. 347
Parliamentary Reform	p. 351
The House of Commons	p. 352
The House of Lords	p. 354
Retain	p. 355
Reform	p. 355
Replace	p. 355
Remove Altogether	p. 356
The Power of Parliament	p. 356
The Decision-Making, or Pluralist, View	p. 357
The Non-Decision Making (or Elitist) View	p. 357
The Institutional View	p. 358
The Monarchy: Above the Fray?	p. 362
The Current Debate	p. 366
The Exercise of Political Powers	p. 367
The Cost and Activity of Members of the Royal Family	p. 369
The Future of the Monarchy	p. 374
Conclusion	p. 378
Enforcement and Feedback	p. 380
Enforcement: The Courts and the Police	p. 381
The Judicial System	p. 383
Criminal Cases	p. 383
Civil Cases	p. 386
The Judiciary	p. 387
A Developing Constitutional Role	p. 389
Greater Judicial Activism	p. 389
Membership of the European Community	p. 390
Constitutional Reform since 1997	p. 390
The Police Force	p. 392
Crime and the Fear of Crime	p. 395
Corruption	p. 397
Poor Relationship with Certain Communities	p. 398
The Current Debate	p. 400
Background and Recruitment of Judges	p. 400
Miscarriages of Justice	p. 401
A More Powerful Judiciary	p. 403
Conclusion	p. 405
Communication and Feedback: The Mass Media	p. 408
The Press and Broadcasting in Britain	p. 409
The Internet	p. 414
Political Influence	p. 416
The Current Debate	p. 421
Privacy	p. 421
Political Bias	p. 423
Creating News	p. 425
Publishing Offensive Material	p. 426
Conclusion	p. 427
Conclusion	p. 429
Future Directions: The Polity under Challenge	p. 430
The Extent of Change	p. 431
Demands for Change	p. 432
A Settled Polity	p. 432
Demands for Change	p. 433
Different Approaches to Constitutional Change	p. 434
A Fundamental Divide	p. 437
The Liberal Approach	p. 438
The Traditional Approach	p. 440
Problems for the Parties	p. 445
External Challenges	p. 448
Conclusion	p. 449
Select Reading List	p. 452
Glossary	p. 458
Index	p. 464
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