The New British Politics

by Budge, Ian; Crewe, Ivor; Mckay, David; Newton, Kenneth

• ISBN13: 9780582418387
• ISBN10: 0582418380
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-28
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This revised and updated third edition of the highly praised New British Politics offers a lively, authoritative and comprehensive introduction to current British politics. Written by internationally known specialists from the top Politics Department in the UK, the book combines incisive and original analysis with clear and direct presentation, specially tailored to the needs of lecturers, teachers and students of British politics from A-level to University Second Year.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Acknowledgements	xvii
List of abbreviations	xix
Introduction
British politics in context: International, social, and historical settings	3	(30)
Liberal democracy	3	(1)
Making comparisons	4	(3)
The international context	7	(1)
The historical context	7	(2)
Social change in post-war Britain	9	(7)
Political demands and institutional constraints	16	(2)
The central conflict in British politics: the class/territorial division	18	(3)
The British State and the British `Establishment'	21	(1)
European integration	22	(2)
Britain: decline or adaptation?	24	(3)
Geography: between two continents	27	(1)
Summary	28	(1)
Further reading	29	(1)
Useful web sites on British politics	30	(3)
PART 1 STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BRITISH POLITICS
The first industrial country: Institutions and relationships 1850-1930	33	(25)
The `great transformation' 1830-50	34	(3)
The British world system 1850-90	37	(2)
Internal change and reform 1840-1900	39	(4)
Free market and industry 1890-1939	43	(2)
Protection against free trade 1890-1939	45	(1)
Internal defences against the free market 1890-1939	46	(7)
Summary	53	(3)
Further reading	56	(1)
Useful web sites on institutions and relationships	57	(1)
From protection back to the free market 1931-2000	58	(27)
Intervention, protection and planning 1931-79	59	(2)
Founding and administering the Welfare State 1945-62	61	(10)
Back to the free market: the 1980s and 1990s	71	(4)
The 1990s and beyond: a neo-liberal consensus?	75	(4)
Summary	79	(4)
Further reading	83	(1)
Useful web sites on the British economy	84	(1)
Britain in Europe	85	(22)
The European Union: origins and development	86	(5)
Britain as a Member State	91	(1)
The Single European Act and Maastricht: quantum leaps forward for the EC	92	(6)
The Conservatives and the currency crises of 1992	98	(1)
Europe as a crisis issue in British politics	99	(5)
Summary	104	(1)
Further reading	105	(1)
Useful web sites on Britain and Europe	106	(1)
Europe in Britain	107	(26)
Union or secession? The British dilemma	107	(3)
Europe and the British constitution	110	(3)
How the EU is governed	113	(3)
The EU and the British Civil Service	116	(2)
The EU and British pressure groups	118	(2)
Public policy	120	(5)
The `democratic deficit' of the EU	125	(4)
Subsidiarity and local government	129	(1)
Summary	130	(1)
Further reading	131	(1)
Useful web sites on Europe in Britain	132	(1)
The (dis)United Kingdom? Ireland, Scotland and Wales	133	(44)
Minority nationalism and state building in Britain and Europe	133	(5)
Regional disparities in Britain	138	(5)
Wales: cultural distinctiveness and political fragmentation	143	(7)
Scotland: some cultural, but more institutional, distinctiveness	150	(10)
Northern Ireland: rival claims of nationhood	160	(8)
Constitutional implications of regional autonomy	168	(1)
What about the English regions?	169	(1)
Conclusions	170	(1)
Summary	170	(3)
Further reading	173	(1)
Useful web sites on the (dis)United Kingdom	174	(3)
PART 2 GOVERNMENT
A British constitution?	177	(25)
Britain's `unwritten' constitution: status and sources	178	(2)
Sources of constitutional authority	180	(2)
Constitutional conventions: myth and reality	182	(3)
The principal doctrines of the British `constitution'	185	(6)
The impact of Europe	191	(3)
The movement for constitutional reform	194	(4)
Summary	198	(2)
Further reading	200	(1)
Useful web sites on the British constitution	201	(1)
The core executive: Prime Minister and Cabinet	202	(24)
The Prime Minister	202	(6)
The Cabinet	208	(6)
The Cabinet and Whitehall departments	214	(1)
The eternal political triangle	215	(1)
Prime ministeral styles	216	(3)
Who governs? Cabinet or Prime Minister	219	(3)
The core executive	222	(1)
Summary	223	(2)
Further reading	225	(1)
Useful web sites on the core executive	225	(1)
Ministries, ministers and mandarins: Central government in Britain	226	(19)
Departments and ministries	226	(6)
Ministerial roles and responsibility	232	(4)
The Civil Service role	236	(2)
Policy making and administration	238	(3)
Politicising the Civil Service?	241	(1)
Summary	242	(1)
Further reading	243	(1)
Useful web sites on ministries, ministers and mandarins	244	(1)
The changing state: Administrative reforms	245	(22)
Models of British public administration	245	(3)
Reforming the Civil Service: the Fulton Report	248	(1)
The 1980s reforms: a managerial revolution?	249	(7)
New Labour, `joined-up' government and the problem of political partiality	256	(1)
The spread of quasi-government	257	(1)
Efficiency and accountability	258	(3)
Summary	261	(2)
Further reading	263	(1)
Useful web sites on the changing state and administrative reform	263	(4)
PART 3 PARTICIPATION
Pressure groups	267	(23)
Pressure groups and `civil society'	267	(2)
Social groups and voluntary associations in Britain	269	(1)
Pressure groups, political parties and social movements	270	(5)
The world of pressure groups	275	(2)
How groups operate	277	(5)
The impact of pressure groups	282	(2)
Pressure groups and democracy	284	(1)
Summary	285	(3)
Further reading	288	(1)
Useful web sites on pressure groups	288	(2)
The nature and impact of the mass media	290	(18)
The political media: 1945 and 2000	290	(1)
Who makes what use of which medium for what purpose?	291	(3)
The impact of the media	294	(6)
Media bias?	300	(4)
Summary	304	(2)
Further reading	306	(1)
Useful web sites on the mass media	306	(2)
The mass media and pluralist democracy in Britain	308	(20)
Pluralist democracy and the role of the mass media	308	(3)
The print media	311	(1)
The electronic media: market regulation, content regulation and the public service model	312	(5)
Commercialisation of the electronic media	317	(2)
Ownership and control of the British media	319	(4)
The counter-trends	323	(3)
Summary	326	(1)
Further reading	326	(1)
Useful web sites on the mass media in Britain	327	(1)
Elections and voting	328	(30)
Elections and parties since 1945	329	(1)
Counting votes into seats: electoral systems	330	(4)
The impact of new electoral systems	334	(3)
Explaining electoral success	337	(6)
Electoral core party support	343	(8)
Electoral volatility	351	(2)
Electoral turn-out	353	(1)
Summary	354	(1)
Further reading	355	(2)
Useful web sites on elections and voting	357	(1)
Political parties and party factions	358	(27)
The functions of parties	359	(1)
Party unity and internal dissent: Conservatives, Liberals and Labour 1868-1979	359	(5)
Factions and factionalism since 1979	364	(3)
Party structure and organisation	367	(6)
What the parties stand for	373	(1)
Characteristics of MPs and party members	374	(3)
Summary	377	(3)
Further reading	380	(1)
Useful web sites on political parties and party factions	381	(4)
PART 4 REPRESENTATION
Party ideologies and political representation	385	(27)
Party families	386	(2)
Party ideologies	388	(8)
`Left' and `right' in British politics	396	(4)
Elections, manifestos and programmes	400	(6)
The end of ideology?	406	(3)
Alternatives to party democracy	409	(1)
Summary	410	(1)
Further reading	410	(1)
Useful web sites on party ideologies and political representation	411	(1)
Parties and parliament	412	(34)
Government and Parliament	412	(1)
The structure of Parliament: the Lords	413	(3)
The structure of Parliament: the Commons	416	(8)
Parliamentary scrutiny of government	424	(9)
Interests: proper and improper representation	433	(3)
Party discipline in Parliament and its breakdown	436	(4)
The role of third parties	440	(1)
Possible reforms of Parliament?	441	(2)
Summary	443	(1)
Further reading	444	(1)
Useful web sites on parties and Parliament	445	(1)
Local democracy?	446	(31)
Local politics in context	447	(1)
Territorial and functional reorganisations	448	(7)
Local councils and how they function	455	(2)
Parties, political control and local politics	457	(2)
Money and power in local government	459	(4)
Local democracy and local government	463	(1)
Democracy and the changing structure of local government	464	(5)
New Labour and local democracy	469	(2)
Summary	471	(1)
Further reading	472	(1)
Useful web sites on local democracy	473	(4)
PART 5 ORDER
Politics and law	477	(28)
Court systems	477	(9)
The political role of the courts	486	(4)
Appointment and ideology of judges	490	(4)
Judges' values and court decisions	494	(6)
Judges' attitudes and their political role	500	(2)
Summary	502	(1)
Further reading	503	(1)
Useful web sites on politics and the law	504	(1)
The police and policing	505	(31)
What are `the police' and what do they do?	506	(1)
A brief history of British policing	507	(4)
Police accountability and control	511	(3)
Police procedures and the individual citizen	514	(2)
The politicisation of policing	516	(6)
Police, public and the law	522	(2)
The police and Europe	524	(2)
Current and future issues	526	(2)
New Labour: new police policy?	528	(1)
Policing, civil liberties and human rights	529	(2)
The Stephen Lawrence murder and the Macpherson Inquiry	531	(2)
Summary	533	(1)
Further reading	533	(2)
Useful websites on the police and policing	535	(1)
Security and secrecy	536	(17)
The rise of security and secrecy as a political issue	537	(3)
Security organisations and their accountability	540	(3)
Laws and conventions about secrecy	543	(2)
State secrecy: motives and opportunities	545	(1)
Open government	546	(1)
Prospects for the security services under New Labour	547	(1)
Summary	548	(2)
Further reading	550	(1)
Useful web sites on security and secrecy	550	(3)
PART 6 POLICY
Foreign and defence policy	553	(20)
Foreign and defence policy making in Britain: actors and instituions	554	(1)
Realism and idealism	554	(3)
Post-war developments in British foreign policy	557	(1)
The changing world context	557	(4)
Motivations and assumptions of British foreign policy	561	(2)
British capabilities in the post-war era	563	(4)
British foreign and defence policy: the party political dimension	567	(1)
Summary	568	(3)
Further reading	571	(1)
Useful web sites on foreign and defence policy	572	(1)
Environmental policy	573	(21)
Environmental problems	575	(2)
Policy actors and institutions	577	(2)
Issues in environmental policy	579	(7)
The role of the European Union	586	(3)
New Labour, new environment policy?	589	(2)
Summary	591	(1)
Further reading	592	(1)
Useful web sites on environmental policy	593	(1)
Economic policy	594	(20)
Economic policy in historical and comparative context	594	(2)
Economic policy: the basics	596	(2)
The institutional context	598	(5)
The style and substance of policy making	603	(7)
The internationalisation of economic policy	610	(1)
Summary	611	(1)
Further reading	611	(1)
Useful web sites on economic policy	612	(2)
Social policy	614	(24)
Defining social policy	614	(2)
The British Welfare State	616	(4)
Income maintenance	620	(3)
Housing	623	(3)
Health	626	(4)
Education	630	(4)
Summary	634	(2)
Further reading	636	(1)
Useful web sites on social policy	636	(2)
Equal opportunities	638	(23)
Equal opportunity: a political and semantic minefield?	638	(3)
Inequality and discrimination in Britain	641	(4)
Gender	645	(2)
Disability	647	(2)
Race	649	(5)
The politics of equal opportunity: what does the future hold?	654	(1)
Summary	655	(1)
Further reading	656	(1)
Useful web sites on equal opportunities	657	(4)
PART 7 A NEW BRITISH POLITICS?
New politics for a new millennium?	661	(20)
Back to the future?	662	(13)
Have British politics fundamentally changed?	675	(2)
New politics, new directions?	677	(2)
Summary	679	(1)
Further reading	679	(1)
Useful web sites on the new politics	680	(1)
New politics, wider democracy?	681	(22)
Liberal democracy: electoral control and effective scrutiny	682	(1)
Electoral choice between left and right	683	(2)
Future trends in electoral control and electoral reform	685	(5)
Pressure group representation	690	(3)
Scrutiny and rights	693	(2)
The scope of scrutiny	695	(3)
Writing down the constitution	698	(1)
Evaluating current developments	699	(1)
Summary	700	(2)
Further reading	702	(1)
Useful web sites on British democracy	702	(1)
Glossary	703	(19)
Author index	722	(3)
Subject index	725