British Politics: The Basics

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However, the structure proved to be filled with vague content, often repeating itself, giving the distinct feeling that the author was struggling to fill those 309 pages he promised. At the 2017 general election, of the 650 MPs, all but one – Sylvia Hermon – were elected as representatives of a political party. By doing this, they exclude the main opposition and still have power – although it is now shared between the two coalition parties. Many parts of England have 2 tiers of local government: county councils and district, borough or city councils.

Moreover, while nobody sits down and reads a textbook in one sitting, books by a single author can sometimes display a coherence and consistency of purpose which can make them more readable than those written by multiple authors. The author considers each of the major components of British politics in digestible chapters, such as the Monarchy and the House of Lords, the Commons, voting behaviour, parties and pressure groups, the prime minister and cabinet, devolution, local government, and foreign policy. Some politicians interviewed in the Emily Maitlis BBC programme (24 March 2019) on the scandal suggested the already thin degree of trust between government and people had catalysed the process which ultimately erupted in the June 2016 referendum vote. Single-authored books in contrast reflect the expertise, but also the limitations, of a single author’s knowledge.One simple and effective criteria is to select the most recently published textbook on the basis that if a week is a long time in politics then the years between editions of most standard textbooks amount to a political epoch.

This short guide not only provides an introduction to the subject but also invaluable commentary on what one is likely to encounter when studying for a degree in the politics, with details of the likely content of a politics degrees, teaching methods and employment prospects. Judiciary power, which is the power to prosecute those who break the law, is kept independent of the legislature and the executive. Some – Remainers and moderate ‘Leavers’ – preferred a ‘soft’ Brexit, as closely aligned as possible with the status quo.The English monarchy used to have absolute power, but that was a long time ago – over 800 years in fact. Leave advocates, like Liam Fox, reassured voters that leaving would be straightforward: the ‘easiest deal in human history’.