This text provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of the British polity and political system. It covers all of the core elements of an introductory undergraduate and A level British politics course - the constitution, social context, political ideology, parliament, Prime Minister and departments, elections and voting behaviour, the media, pressure groups, local government and the judiciary as well as the major policy areas. The material is presented in a consistently clear and lively style, constantly challenging the student and raising thought-provoking issues. The 5th edition has been thoroughly updated and revised. It contains concluding comments by distinguished guest contributors including Tony Wright MP, Simon Heffer, Professors Ken Newton and Kevin Theakston plus Hugo Young of the Guardian. biography and debate boxes, an annotated further reading list plus end-of-chapter discussion points. A companion website contains student learning objectives, revision notes and web links as well as a downloadable instructor's manual and updates for the lecturer. It covers 6 years of New Labour in power, with a concluding chapter assessing the Blair government since 1997. Every chapter completely updated to take account of changes since the last edition. There is new material on a number of important areas - the war in Iraq; the Northern Ireland peace process; reforms to the Lords and the judicial system; developments in the devolved assemblies; and the June 2003 Cabinet reshuffle and falling turnout in elections.
This text provides a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of the British polity and political system. It covers all of the core elements of an introductory undergraduate and A level British politics course - the constitution, social context, political ideology, parliament, Prime Minister and departments, elections and voting behaviour, the media, pressure groups, local government and the judiciary as well as the major policy areas. The material is presented in a consistently clear and lively style, constantly challenging the student and raising thought-provoking issues. The 5th edition has been thoroughly updated and revised. It contains concluding comments by distinguished guest contributors including Tony Wright MP, Simon Heffer, Professors Ken Newton and Kevin Theakston plus Hugo Young of the Guardian. biography and debate boxes, an annotated further reading list plus end-of-chapter discussion points. A companion website contains student learning objectives, revision notes and web links as well as a downloadable instructor's manual and updates for the lecturer. It covers 6 years of New Labour in power, with a concluding chapter assessing the Blair government since 1997. Every chapter completely updated to take account of changes since the last edition. There is new material on a number of important areas - the war in Iraq; the Northern Ireland peace process; reforms to the Lords and the judicial system; developments in the devolved assemblies; and the June 2003 Cabinet reshuffle and falling turnout in elections.