The British constitution, long considered entrenched by tradition and history, has, since 1997, undergone a process unique in the democratic world: piecemeal transformation from uncodified to codified
This small volume on UK constitutional politics examines the recent return to coalition rule in Parliament and the effects of proposed electoral reforms on fundamental processes of British government.
Brexit means exit, but what exactly will we be leaving behind?Entry into the European Community in 1973 was a momentous event – one which had seismic effects on the politics and constitution of Britai
The British constitution, since 1997, has undergone a process unique in the democratic world - piecemeal transformation from uncodified to codified status. This book charts the emergence and significa
Brexit means exit, but what exactly will we be leaving behind?Entry into the European Community in 1973 was a momentous event – one which had seismic effects on the politics and constitution of Britai
This book offers a comprehensive critique of the historical debate on the referendum and electoral reform in British politics from the nineteenth century to 1981. The book falls into two parts. First, the role of the referendum in political debate since the beginning of the century is discussed and a detailed analysis of the referendums of the 1970s is presented. Vernon Bogdanor then clarifies both the benefits and the difficulties involved in the wider use of the referendum. In the second part of the book, he examines proposals for electoral reform since 1830 and considers the attitudes of the parties towards it today. The different forms of proportional representation are discussed and the consequences of adopting them in Britain assessed. The People and the Party System is written in clear, non-technical language and is intended for the general reader. It makes an important contribution to a vital debate and will be of interest to all those concerned with British politics.
This book was first published in 1983. Since 1945, British politics has been dominated by a two-party system. Yet this has been challenged with the electoral performance of the two major parties declining since years ago when, between them, they secured over ninety-five per cent of the popular vote. The purpose of Multi-part Politics and the Constitution is twofold: first to examine the reasons for the growth of multi-party politics in Britain, secondly to consider its constitutional consequences. In the first part of the book, Vernon Bogdanor considers the challenges to the two-party system and analyses the role of the Liberal-SDP Alliance as part of that challenge. The second part evaluates the consequences for British politics of hung parliaments where no one party can claim an overall majority. Such situations are likely to occur with increasing frequency if multi-party politics persists. The role of the monarch and the working of coalition and minority governments are discussed
Originally published in 1983, Democracy and Elections analyses the main electoral systems of modern democracies, and places them in their institutional and historical context. A distinguished group of contributors provide interpretations of the electoral systems of the EEC countries and Japan, and assess the ways in which different electoral systems affect the political practice of each country. If the book has a single theme, it is that one should be sceptical about attributing fixed qualities to electoral systems. Although amongst the quantifiable of political phenomena, they do not conform to mechanistic rules, but must be understood in terms of the historical experience and cultural outlook of different societies. What is striking is the great variety of ways in which different countries have attempted to meet the problem of translating votes into seats.
This is the first scholarly survey of the British constitution in the twentieth century. Indeed, it fills a very real gap in the history of Britain during the last hundred years. The book is a produc
These essays analyze "joined-up government", consider its history, and evaluate the consequences for British institutions such as the Cabinet, the civil service and local authorities. The Labour gover
In this book, a stellar collection of contributors consider each British post-war Prime Minister and examine how they have dealt with Britains changing role, domestic and overseas, since the end of WW
A political scientist and a comparative lawyer have joined forces to produce a revised and expanded version of the late F. E. Finer's classic Five Constitutions. Their book gives the present texts of
