ABSTRACT

This revised and updated ninth edition of the bestselling textbook Politics UK is an indispensable introduction to British politics. It provides a thorough and accessible overview of the institutions and processes of British government, a good grounding in British political history and an incisive introduction to the issues and challenges facing Britain today, including the European referendum and Brexit.

The ninth edition welcomes brand new material from seven new contributors to complement the rigorously updated and highly respected chapters retained from the previous edition. It delivers excellent coverage of contemporary events including a new chapter on Euro-scepticism and the European referendum, an assessment of the performance of Labour’s leadership, the trials and tribulations of the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, and the evolving devolution debate in Scotland, led by the Scottish Nationalist Party.

Features of the new edition include:

  • Britain in context boxes offering contrasting international perspectives on key themes in British politics
  • A comprehensive ‘who’s who’ of politics in the form of Profile boxes featuring key political figures
  • And another thing . . . pieces containing short articles written by distinguished commentators including Mark Garnett, Sir David Omand, Richard Wilkinson and Sir Simon Jenkins
  • An epilogue analyzing the turbulent state of UK politics following the European referendum

With chapters written by highly respected scholars in the field and contemporary articles on real-world politics from well-known political commentators, this textbook is an essential guide for all students of British politics.

part 1|74 pages

Context

part 2|78 pages

Defining the Political World

chapter 4|15 pages

Ideology and the liberal tradition

chapter 5|21 pages

Political ideas: the major parties

chapter 6|23 pages

Political ideas: themes and fringes

chapter 7|12 pages

From Euro-scepticism to Brexit

chapter |3 pages

And another thing …

‘Fake news’ and our ‘post truth’ political world

part 3|151 pages

The Representative Process

chapter 8|21 pages

Elections and voting

chapter 10|24 pages

Parliamentary representation

chapter 11|25 pages

Pressure groups

chapter 12|25 pages

Political parties

chapter 13|25 pages

Devolution

chapter |2 pages

And another thing …

Is the “United” Kingdom doomed?

part 3074|132 pages

The Legislative Process

chapter 14|25 pages

The changing constitution

chapter 15|23 pages

The crown

chapter 16|33 pages

The House of Commons at work

chapter 17|14 pages

The House of Commons under pressure

chapter 18|27 pages

The House of Lords

chapter |3 pages

And another thing …

Does Britain need a federal constitution?

part 5|98 pages

The Executive Process

chapter 21|27 pages

Local government

chapter 22|24 pages

The judiciary

chapter |3 pages

And another thing …

The generalist philosophy in British public administration

part 6|120 pages

The Policy Process

chapter 23|20 pages

The policy-making process

chapter 24|20 pages

The politics of law and order

chapter 25|21 pages

Social policy in the UK

chapter 26|16 pages

Economic policy

chapter 27|19 pages

British foreign and defence policy

chapter 28|17 pages

Britain and the European Union

chapter |3 pages

And another thing …

Lost an empire but not yet found a role