List of Illustrative Material
Using this Book
Preface
Acknowledgements
1 INTRODUCING POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Understanding politics
What is politics?
What is government?
UK politics in context
Historical context
Social context
The UK, the EU and the world
UK politics: an overview
The Westminster model
Key themes in UK politics
PART 1 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN THE UK
2 DEMOCRACY AND PARTICIPATION
Nature of democracy
Types of democracy
Direct democracy
Representative democracy
Democracy in the UK
Features of the UK’s democratic system
A participation crisis?
Explaining declining participation
Enhancing democracy
Initiatives and other forms of direct participation
Reducing the voting age
Compulsory voting
Digital and e-democracy
3 ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUMS
Elections in the UK
Functions of elections
Forming governments
Ensuring representation
Upholding legitimacy
Electoral systems
First-past-the-post
Majority systems
Proportional systems
Which electoral system is best?
The electoral reform debate
Referendums
The wider use of referendums
Scottish independence referendum
EU referendum
4 VOTING BEHAVIOUR AND ELECTORAL OUTCOMES
Theories of voting
Sociological model
Party identification model
Rational-choice model
Factors that affect voting
Long-term factors and voting
Short-term factors and voting
Explaining declining turnout
The media and voting behaviour
Debating the political role of the media
The mass media and electoral outcomes
5 POLITICAL PARTIES
Parties and the party system
Functions of parties
Who has power within parties?
The changing party system
Party ideas and policies
Left and right
Post-war social democracy
Thatcherism
Post-Thatcherite consensus
Ideas and policies in the ‘age of austerity’
Conservative ideas and policies
Labour ideas and policies
Liberal Democrat ideas and policies
Ideas and policies of ‘other’ parties
6 PRESSURE GROUPS
Nature of pressure groups
Pressure groups and political parties
Types of pressure group
Functions of pressure groups
Pressure group power
How pressure groups exert influence
Which pressure groups are the most powerful?
Are pressure groups becoming more powerful?
Pressure groups and democracy
How do pressure groups promote democracy?
How do pressure groups threaten democracy?
PART 2 GOVERNING THE UK
7 THE CONSTITUTION
Understanding constitutions
Types of constitution
The UK constitution
Sources of the constitution
Principles of the constitution
Strengths of the UK constitution
Criticisms of the UK constitution
Constitutional reform
Constitutional reform under Blair and Brown
The constitution under Cameron and Clegg
A codified constitution?
8 PARLIAMENT
The role of Parliament
The make-up of Parliament
Functions of Parliament
Parliamentary government
The effectiveness of Parliament
Theories of parliamentary power
Parliament and government
Reforming Parliament
Commons reform under Blair
Commons reform under Brown
Commons reform under Cameron and Clegg
Reforming the Lords
9 PRIME MINISTER, CABINET AND EXECUTIVE
Prime minister, cabinet and ministers
Prime minister
The cabinet
Ministers and civil servants
Who has power in the executive?
Theories of executive power
Understanding prime ministerial power
Powers of the prime minister
Constraints on the prime minister
Coalition government and beyond
Cameron as prime minister
May as prime minister
10 THE JUDICIARY
Role of the judiciary
What do judges do?
The rule of law
Judges and politics
Judicial independence
Judicial impartiality
The wider use of judicial review
Judges and the Human Rights Act
Reform of the judiciary
The Supreme Court
A UK bill of rights?
11 DEVOLUTION AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
Multilevel governance
Devolution
Devolution and nationalism
How does devolution work?
Quasi-federalism?
The English question
The European Union
Development of the EU
The workings of the EU
The impact of the EU on the UK
Further Reading
Bibliography
Index