Read complete books and articles on: British Politics and Government

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: British Politics and Government

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

British Politics: A Very Short Introduction » Read Now
by Tony Wright. 122 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Tony Wright's Very Short Introduction to British Politics is an interpretative essay on the British political system, rather than merely an abbreviated textbook on how it currently works. He identifies key characteristics and ideas of the British tradition, and investigates what makes British...
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Tony Wright's Very Short Introduction to British Politics is an interpretative essay on the British political system, rather than merely an abbreviated textbook on how it currently works. He identifies key characteristics and ideas of the British tradition, and investigates what makes British politics distinctive, while emphasizing throughout the book how these characteristics are reflected in the way the political system actually functions. Each chapter is organized around a key theme, such as the constitution or political accountability, which is first established and then explored with examples and illustrations. This in turn provides a perspective for a discussion of how the system is changing, looking in particular at devolution and Britain's place in Europe.
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2.

After Blair: Politics after the New Labour Decade » Read Now
by Gerry Hassan. 224 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
3.

The Re-ordering of British Politics: Politics after Thatcher » Read Now
by Dennis Kavanagh. 265 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Kavanagh assesses the influence of the Thatcher era and the reordering of British politics that has occurred in her wake. He looks at the transition to Majorism, the development of a new consensus, and the evolution of Labour without Socialism.
4.

The Conservatives in Crisis: The Tories after 1997 » Read Now
by Mark Garnett, Philip Lynch. 272 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
5.

Britain for and against Europe: British Politics and the Question of European Integration » Read Now
by David Baker, David Seawright. 258 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This study, by a host of leading experts, provides the most up-to-date analysis of the often problematic relationship between various elements of British political culture and the developing European Union. The book opens with a general review of the history of this relationship since 1950, by...
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This study, by a host of leading experts, provides the most up-to-date analysis of the often problematic relationship between various elements of British political culture and the developing European Union. The book opens with a general review of the history of this relationship since 1950, by Andrew Gamble. This is followed by ten chapters by other leading researchers, each examining a particular aspect of the relationship, including the view of Britain from Europe, the attitudes of Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democratic parties, the Scottish and Welsh Nationalist parties, the Trade Unions, Business, the Civil Service, and the media. The study concludes with a review of the findings of these chapters, and a discussion of their implications for future relations between Britain and her European partners.
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6.

New Labour Triumphs: Britain at the Polls » Read Now
by Anthony King, David Denver, Iain McLean, Pippa Norris. 272 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This text is the full story of the 1997 general election, from campaign to completion. It includes facts, figures, and full information on the entire election, plus meaningful analysis from acknowledged experts.
7.

New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country » Read Now
by Tony Blair. 338 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...left-of-centre in British politics. By reason...policies in government fed the constant...burdened by government failure...majority in British politics, back to...party of...
8.

Changing Patterns of Governance in the United Kingdom: Reinventing Whitehall? » Read Now
by David Marsh. 276 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This is the first comprehensive examination of the changing relations between ministers and civil servants in the UK since 1979. Drawing on evidence compiled from more than 150 interviews, this book provides unprecedented insight into the world of Conservative government. The authors also examine...
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This is the first comprehensive examination of the changing relations between ministers and civil servants in the UK since 1979. Drawing on evidence compiled from more than 150 interviews, this book provides unprecedented insight into the world of Conservative government. The authors also examine the external pressures exerted by factors such as the European Union, and they conclude by arguing that, despite recent claims about the end of the Whitehall model, many of the old features of the British system remain.
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9.

Britain and the European Community: The Politics of Semi-Detachment » Read Now
by Stephen George. 236 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

With the impending unification of the European economic markets in 1992, the role of individual states within the European Community has become an important yet rarely studied area of European politics. The contributors to this collection of papers apply a "domestic policy" approach to European...
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With the impending unification of the European economic markets in 1992, the role of individual states within the European Community has become an important yet rarely studied area of European politics. The contributors to this collection of papers apply a "domestic policy" approach to European affairs in an attempt to illuminate foundations of British policy in the European Community. Three themes are identified and pursued--the attempts of the central government to act as a gatekeeper between the British political system and the European Community in order to protect British sovereignty; the emergence of varying rates of adaptation to membership in different sections of government and politics; as well as Britain's apparent "semi-detachment" from the mainstream of European integration. Within this framework, the contributors examine ways in which central departments of state, local government, Parliament, political parties and the general public opinion all have influence on policy.
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10.

An Awkward Partner: Britain in the European Community » Read Now
by Stephen George. 312 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Britain joined the EU in 1973, over twenty years after the first of the European Communities was formed. Within a year, Britain had established a reputation for being at odds with major Community initiatives and for taking an independent point of view. An Awkward Partner surveys the policies that...
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Britain joined the EU in 1973, over twenty years after the first of the European Communities was formed. Within a year, Britain had established a reputation for being at odds with major Community initiatives and for taking an independent point of view. An Awkward Partner surveys the policies that earned Britain this reputation, recording the rote successive British governments have played in the European Community. In this third edition Stephen George brings his analysis up to date, taking the story of the Major Government through to its end in the 1997 general election.
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11.

Change in British Politics » Read Now
by Hugh Berrington. 241 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
12.

Aspects of British Political History, 1914-1995 » Read Now
by Stephen J. Lee. 430 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Aspects of British Political History 1914-1995 examines all the major themes, personalities and issues of this important period in a clear and digestible form. It:* introduces fresh angles to long-studied topics* consolidates a great body of recent research* analyses views of different historians*...
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Aspects of British Political History 1914-1995 examines all the major themes, personalities and issues of this important period in a clear and digestible form. It:* introduces fresh angles to long-studied topics* consolidates a great body of recent research* analyses views of different historians* offers an interpretive rather than narrative approach * gives concise treatment to complex issues* is directly relevant to student questions and courses* is carefully organised to reflect the way teachers tackle these courses* is illustrated with helpful maps, charts, illustrations and photographs.
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13.

The Transformation of British Politics, 1860-1995 » Read Now
by Brian Harrison. 618 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Brian Harrison investigates in depth how the British political system has acquired its present form by looking back further than most other historians. This is the first book to provide a detailed explanation of British political evolution.
14.

The Constitution after Scott: Government Unwrapped » Read Now
by Adam Tomkins. 282 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This book provides a thorough and authoritative account of the constitutional implications of the Scott report. It is the only book-length treatment of this pivotal Report. The Scott report was established by John Major in 1992 to look into British government policy during the 1980s with regard to...
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This book provides a thorough and authoritative account of the constitutional implications of the Scott report. It is the only book-length treatment of this pivotal Report. The Scott report was established by John Major in 1992 to look into British government policy during the 1980s with regard to trade (including the arms trade) with Iraq and to establish whether the Government had lied to Parliament about its policy. Scott also investigated a number of high-profile and controversial criminal prosecutions which the government brought against several companies that were accused of illegally exporting "defence equipment" to Iraq. All of these cases failed. This book does more than merely relate the Scott story. It offers a full analysis of what the report means for the future of constitutional government, and constitutional reform, in Britain. Issues of lying to Parliament and ministerial responsibility; of the regulation and control of the civil service; and of open government and freedom of information are all reappraised in the light of Scott's discoveries. Central questions of secret intelligence and troublesome "public interest immunity certificates" are also considered. Unusually for a political scandal, Scott was not an exclusively national affair affecting only one country. There was a little-known equivalent to the Scott inquiry in the USA, and the lessons of the US experience are also discussed here - for the first time in Britain.
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15.

The Labour Party and Taxation: Party Identity and Political Purpose in Twentieth-Century Britain » Read Now
by Richard Whiting. 294 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

This is a political history of Labour's use of the tax system from 1906 to 1979; an epilogue brings the story up to the present, surveying New Labour's tax policies and dilemmas. Richard Whiting's lucid and readable study examines how Labour used taxation to further its political aims: to fund...
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This is a political history of Labour's use of the tax system from 1906 to 1979; an epilogue brings the story up to the present, surveying New Labour's tax policies and dilemmas. Richard Whiting's lucid and readable study examines how Labour used taxation to further its political aims: to fund welfare, manage the economy, promote fairness and achieve greater equality. This study sheds new light on Labour's history, and is a valuable contribution to understanding both the tax structure and the politics of twentieth-century Britain more generally.
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16.

Churchill to Major: The British Prime Ministership since 1945 » Read Now
by Donald Shell, Richard Hodder-Williams. 280 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...Churchill to Major : the British prime ministership...Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1945- I. Borthwick...joint editor of British Politics in...