ABSTRACT

Fully updated and expanded, the second edition of this still compact text on British politics expertly analyses the major changes in British political life, placing them revealingly within the context of the evolution of British society from absolute monarchy to representative democracy.

The author considers each of the major components of British politics in digestible chapters, such as the Monarchy and the House of Lords, the Commons, voting behaviour, parties and pressure groups, the prime minister and cabinet, devolution, local government, and foreign policy. The book includes two new chapters on the EU referendum and Brexit, and the extraordinary December 2019 election, as well as coverage of events such as the coronavirus pandemic, and the respective travails of the increasingly split two major political parties.

This readable and comprehensive introduction will be of key interest to A-level students, undergraduates and those new to the study of British politics.

part I|34 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|18 pages

British politics in flux

part II|96 pages

The political context

chapter 4|23 pages

The social and economic context

chapter 5|16 pages

Political culture

chapter 6|12 pages

The unwritten constitution

chapter 7|13 pages

Political ideas I

Up to New Labour

chapter 8|20 pages

Political ideas II

From New Labour to Brexit

part III|56 pages

The mediating agencies

chapter 9|20 pages

Political parties

chapter 10|13 pages

Pressure groups

chapter 11|21 pages

The mass media

part IV|70 pages

The legislature

chapter 12|10 pages

The monarchy

chapter 13|6 pages

The House of Lords

chapter 14|14 pages

The House of Commons

chapter 15|20 pages

Voting behaviour in the UK

chapter 16|18 pages

The 2019 general election

part V|66 pages

The executive

chapter 17|24 pages

The prime minister and cabinet

chapter 18|18 pages

Ministers and civil servants

chapter 19|22 pages

Policy-making in British government

part VI|52 pages

Sub-national government

chapter 20|17 pages

Devolution

chapter 21|17 pages

Local government

Provenance and decline

chapter 22|16 pages

The judiciary and politics

part VII|51 pages

Conclusions

chapter 23|22 pages

The extraordinary Brexit saga

chapter 24|13 pages

Britain and the world

chapter 25|14 pages

Concluding comments

An uncertain future