ABSTRACT
The relationship between social class and electoral behaviour is the central concern of the sociological model of voting in Britain. The former reflects short-term electoral issues, and the latter long-term predispositions for supporting one party rather than another. Any theoretical synthesis of the work on electoral behaviour needs to take into account the long-term predisposition of voters in supporting a given party, as well as the short-term issues which influence voting behaviour. A political party which is interested in power faces the problem of balancing the often antagonistic needs of various collectives in order to construct a winning coalition of support in electoral terms. The performance of the party in office in managing the economy influences both retrospective evaluations and consumption sector status, which could make the latter more salient in influencing electoral behaviour.
