David Denver

How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections? Have age and education replaced class as the social basis for voting? Are elections now ‘presidentialised’, with voters simply choosing between party leaders? What role do the media, new and old, play in all of this? The authors examine these and other questions in the fourth edition of this popular text. The core of the text is devoted to examining and explaining theories of party choice, including the debate about whether voters are driven more by issues and ideology or simply by which party and leader looks least likely to make a mess of things in office. The authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, the media, electoral systems, the geography of party support, and – new to this edition – referendums. Fully revised and with detailed analysis of the 2019 election and the electoral fallout of Brexit, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, andincludes analysis of recent trends and developments – such as the effect of digital media on electoral politics and where recent misfires leave the opinion polls.

This book reviews the history of British general elections since 1964, charting the changes in voters and parties at every step. In parallel, it shows how electoral analysts have responded to these developments. This fully revised and updated edition examines the general elections of 2015, 2017, and 2019 in the context of the momentous referendums on Scottish independence (2014) and EU membership (2016), showing the impact of these votes on an electorate which has become increasingly volatile. If the early post-war period was marked by strong partisan loyalties, based largely on social class, in 2019 Britain seemed to have entered an age of 'identity politics' in which factors such as age and educational qualifications gave a better indication of voter allegiance. By analysing all 16 elections since 1964 in their historical context, this book allows readers to understand both the scale and the nature of developments in British politics over these eventful years.

This book reviews the history of British general elections since 1964, charting the changes in voters and parties at every step. In parallel, it shows how electoral analysts have responded to these developments. This fully revised and updated edition examines the general elections of 2015, 2017, and 2019 in the context of the momentous referendums on Scottish independence (2014) and EU membership (2016), showing the impact of these votes on an electorate which has become increasingly volatile. If the early post-war period was marked by strong partisan loyalties, based largely on social class, in 2019 Britain seemed to have entered an age of 'identity politics' in which factors such as age and educational qualifications gave a better indication of voter allegiance. By analysing all 16 elections since 1964 in their historical context, this book allows readers to understand both the scale and the nature of developments in British politics over these eventful years.

Central Debates in British Politics focuses on British politics in a changing social, economic and institutional context. The book explores issues and debates using a variety of approaches and techniques. It is written and edited by a team of leading experts who analyse key issues in a highly structured and thematic manner.

Despite a recent decline in voter turnout, British general elections are still the centrepiece of Britain's liberal democracy and their results make a real difference to every British citizen. They command strong media interest long before their dates are announced and even uneventful campaigns dominate the headlines. The 2010 general election saw the first direct televised debates between the main party leaders, adding further interest to a battle which was always likely to be close. The result was a 'hung parliament' and the first British coalition government since 1945. However, as this book shows these were only the latest manifestations of a transformation in British elections which began in the early 1960s. While some election rituals remain intact - the counting of votes by hand, the solemn declaration of individual constituency results and, most importantly, the peaceful handover of power if the incumbent party loses, almost everything of significance has changed. Voters have very different attitudes; fewer of them have party loyalties which are more than skin deep, and they tend to base their choices on 'short-term' factors such as the perceived competence of the parties and the image of the leader. The parties themselves are barely recognisable from the institutions of 1964 - not least because their membership figures have dwindled dramatically. Election campaigns are now heavily centralised, and focus obsessively on a handful of target seats. This book reviews the history of British general elections since 1964, charting the changes in voters and parties at every step. In parallel, it shows how electoral analysts have responded to these developments. The first book of its kind, it will be invaluable to readers with a general interest in British politics, as well as to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the subject.

Despite a recent decline in voter turnout, British general elections are still the centrepiece of Britain's liberal democracy and their results make a real difference to every British citizen. They command strong media interest long before their dates are announced and even uneventful campaigns dominate the headlines. The 2010 general election saw the first direct televised debates between the main party leaders, adding further interest to a battle which was always likely to be close. The result was a 'hung parliament' and the first British coalition government since 1945. However, as this book shows these were only the latest manifestations of a transformation in British elections which began in the early 1960s. While some election rituals remain intact - the counting of votes by hand, the solemn declaration of individual constituency results and, most importantly, the peaceful handover of power if the incumbent party loses, almost everything of significance has changed. Voters have very different attitudes; fewer of them have party loyalties which are more than skin deep, and they tend to base their choices on 'short-term' factors such as the perceived competence of the parties and the image of the leader. The parties themselves are barely recognisable from the institutions of 1964 - not least because their membership figures have dwindled dramatically. Election campaigns are now heavily centralised, and focus obsessively on a handful of target seats. This book reviews the history of British general elections since 1964, charting the changes in voters and parties at every step. In parallel, it shows how electoral analysts have responded to these developments. The first book of its kind, it will be invaluable to readers with a general interest in British politics, as well as to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the subject.

How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections?Why do smaller parties get more support than they used to?How do the mass media influence political opinions?The authors examine these and other questions in the third edition of this popular text. They trace the evolution of the British electorate over the post-war period, and focus in particular on recent elections – from Labour's victories in the 2000s through to the hung parliament of 2010. As well as examining and explaining theories of party choice – including the view that voters' evaluations of government performance and party leaders are now the key determinants of election outcomes – the authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, electoral systems and the geography of party support. Campaigning, opinion polls and the mass media are also considered. Fully revised, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, and includes analysis of recent trends and developments – including how 'new media' are affecting election campaigning.

How do voters in Britain decide which party to vote for in elections?Why do smaller parties get more support than they used to?How do the mass media influence political opinions?The authors examine these and other questions in the third edition of this popular text. They trace the evolution of the British electorate over the post-war period, and focus in particular on recent elections – from Labour's victories in the 2000s through to the hung parliament of 2010. As well as examining and explaining theories of party choice – including the view that voters' evaluations of government performance and party leaders are now the key determinants of election outcomes – the authors also devote separate chapters to turnout trends and patterns, electoral systems and the geography of party support. Campaigning, opinion polls and the mass media are also considered. Fully revised, the text incorporates the latest research on elections and voting behaviour, and includes analysis of recent trends and developments – including how 'new media' are affecting election campaigning.

In 2007 Labour lost an election in Scotland for the first time in half a century and the SNP went on to form the Scottish Government. This book explains why. Based on a unique three-wave survey of the Scottish electorate, it can truly be described as the first full-scale Scottish national election study. As such, it is notable not only for its innovative methodology but also because theories and concepts are taken from the recent electoral studies literature and applied to Scotland. Other questions investigated include the impact of campaigning and of the party leaders (at both Scottish and British level) on the election outcome. In addition, for the first time in the UK context, a special study is made of the causes and consequences of rejected ballots – the large number of which at this election caused a media outcry.This book will be required reading for anyone interested in, involved in, teaching or studying Scottish politics. It will also be an important text for those concerned with UK politics in general and attract particular interest among students of elections, both in the UK and internationally.

Scotland has a parliament for the first time in almost 300 years, and this book is an account of how this came about. The authors trace the origins and history of the demand for home rule in Scotland, focusing particularly on developments following the failure of the first referendum on the issue in 1979, which culminated in a second referendum in September 1997.This major political event attracted national and international interest, and its decisive result was a milestone in Scottish history. This work presents an analysis of the referendum campaign at both national and local levels, including media coverage of the event and the outcome. The reactions of voters are explored on the basis of a large survey of the electorate, and lessons to be learnt about referendums in the UK and elsewhere are discussed.

Scotland has a parliament for the first time in almost 300 years, and this book is an account of how this came about. The authors trace the origins and history of the demand for home rule in Scotland, focusing particularly on developments following the failure of the first referendum on the issue in 1979, which culminated in a second referendum in September 1997.This major political event attracted national and international interest, and its decisive result was a milestone in Scottish history. This work presents an analysis of the referendum campaign at both national and local levels, including media coverage of the event and the outcome. The reactions of voters are explored on the basis of a large survey of the electorate, and lessons to be learnt about referendums in the UK and elsewhere are discussed.

In this study of grass-roots election campaigning, the authors survey the evolution of campaigning over the past century and describe how the parties organized their constituency campaigns in the 1992 election. They examine and evaluate the campaign techniques used.

In this study of grass-roots election campaigning, the authors survey the evolution of campaigning over the past century and describe how the parties organized their constituency campaigns in the 1992 election. They examine and evaluate the campaign techniques used.