دانلود کتاب British Politics: The Basics

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Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of figures
List of tables
List of boxes
Preface
Part I: Introduction
Chapter 1: British politics in flux
MPs’ Expenses Claims – A Watershed Moment?
Turbulence Begins: The Scottish Referendum
General Election, 2015
EU Referendum, 23 June 2016
Cameron Resigns
May in Government: A ‘Land Grab’ for the Centre Ground?
‘Brexit means Brexit’
The June 2017 General Election – Cautious May’s Big Gamble
A Continuity Election
Attempted Explanations for this Period of Political Turbulence
Further Reading
Chapter 2: The evolution of Britain\'s political system
The Witan
Curia Regis
Lords and commons meet separately
Parliament’s authority increases
Civil war, 1640–49
Glorious revolution, 1688–89
The hanoverian dynasty
The first prime minister
Political parties
Patronage
The enlightenment
The influence of the French revolution, 1789
Great reform act 1832
Political parties from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century
Lords–commons conflict resolved
Further lords reforms
Parliamentary terms
Votes for women
Devolution
Epilogue
Questions for Discusion
Further Reading
Websites
Part II: The political context
Chapter 3: Introductory overview of the British political system
The underlying ideas
Voting and party government
The major parties
Legislature: House of commons and house of Lords
The executive
Pressure groups
Local government
European union
The media
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 4: The social and economic context
Economic beginnings
Imperial beginnings
Industrial revolution and the marxist analysis
Changing class strata
Why no revolution?
Social mobility and education
Economic inequality
Inequalities of the 1980s have never ben erased
Land ownership
Regional differences
Gender
Ethnicity
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 5: Political culture
Political culture
Key historical factors in the evolution of British political culture
Economic influences
The constitution
Extremism
Deference
Civil society
Crime
Welfare state
Is British society too open?
MPs’ expenses and the erosion of trust
The ‘Celebrity Politician’
Conclusion
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Chapter 6: The unwritten constitution
Historical emergence of constitutions
‘Dignified’ and ‘efficient’
Parliamentary sovereignty
Sources of the constitution
Amendment of the constitution
Separation of powers
Moran’s ‘core’ and ‘contested’ elements of the constitution
‘Core’
‘Contested’
Current constitutional issues
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 7: Political ideas I: up to New Labour
The emergence of political ideas
Core philosophies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Post-war developments in political ideas
Further reading
Website
Chapter 8: Political ideas II: from New Labour to Brexit
Cameron’s conservatism
Liberalism
Coalition after May 2010
The ‘Corbyn Revolution’
Rise of UKIP (and in 2019 the Brexit Party)
Impact of CoronaVirus, 2020
Gren Thinking
The Political Fringe
Starmer wins Leadership Contest
Concluding comment
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Part III The mediating agencies
Chapter 9: Political parties
Functions
Party government from the mid-nineteenth century
The conservative party
Labour party
Liberal democrats
UKIP and the Brexit party
The political fringe
Nationalist parties
Funding political parties
Conclusion: Two-party system in decline?
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 10: Pressure groups
Types of pressure groups
Origins of pressure groups
Civil society and pressure groups
Pressure groups and government
Political theory and pressure groups
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 11: The mass media
Evolution of political communication
Decline of the press
The broadcast media
Televised election debates
News values
‘Spin’
Question of bias
Regulation of the press
New media
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Part IV: The legislature
Chapter 12: The monarchy
Functions
Popularity of the monarchy
Excessive cost of royals?
Present power of the monarchy
The monarchy and politics
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 13: The House of Lords
Introduction
Present composition
Functions of the house of Lords
Reform
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 14: The House of Commons
The power of the Commons
Reforming the Commons
Social background of MPs
Expenses Scandal
Further Reading
Websites
Chapter 15: Voting behaviour in the UK
Early history
The electoral system(s)
The diminishing influence of class on voting
Low election turnout
Other factors influencing voting behaviour
The May 2010 general election
The May 2015 general election
General Election of 2017
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 16: The 2019 general election
Background
The Campaign
2019 Election Results
‘The Red Wall’ Shattered
Class and Voting
Gender
Turnout
Tactical Voting
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Political Parties
Matthew Goodwin’s Conclusions
Further Reading
Part V: The executive
Chapter 17: The prime minister and cabinet
Cabinet
The prime minister
Deputy prime minister
The ‘core executive’
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 18: Ministers and civil servants
Ministers
Civil service
Political advisers
Who makes policy – minister or civil servant?
Reforming the civil service
‘Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation’, quangos
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 19: Policy-making in British government
Policy-making as a ‘system’
Models of policy-making
The policy cycle
Policy-making example: managing the economy
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Part VI: Sub-national government
Chapter 20: Devolution
Northern ireland
Devolution in the 1970s
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Devolution: related problems
English nationalism
Regions of England
Greater London government
Scottish independence referendum and its impact
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 21: Local government: provenance and decline
Provenance
Post-war decline
Thatcher and local government
The professional in local government
Further reforms
Parish councils
Abolition of the audit commission
Elected mayors
‘Revolutionary’ devolution of powers to local government in 2014–15
The northern powerhouse
Local government association
Politics and local government
Westminster responsibility for local government
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 22: The judiciary and politics
Overlooked?
Subordinate?
Autonomous?
Judicial posts
The courts and their personnel
The recruitment of judges
‘Judicial activism’
Enforcing european law
Enforcing the european convention on human rights
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Part VII: Conclusions
Chapter 23: The extraordinary Brexit saga
The european idea
De Gaulle’s veto
Heath finally victorious 1972
Euro-scepticism gathers strength
Immigration helps growth of UKIP
Cameron grants an in–out referendum, 2013
Theresa May and Brexit
Divorce bill
Negotiations begin on trade relationship
Transitional Period
Factions in conservative party
May limps on
Misconduct in public office?
Key turning point in Brexit saga
Aftermath of election – Brexit troubles over?
Post-Brexit concerns
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Chapter 24: Britain and the world
Historical perspective
The empire and decline
The spheres of foreign policy
The european union as a focus of foreign policy
The anglo-american bond – a special relationship?
The growth of euro-scepticism
Questions for discussion
Further reading
Websites
Chapter 25: Concluding comments: an uncertain future
Weakening of the centre ground
The ‘cultural war’
Impact of the coronavirus pandemic 2020
Other problems pending at time of writing
Questions for Discussion
Further reading
Glossary
Index