3. Arguing

‘Arguing: the politics of ideas’ characterizes Britain’s political culture as one of institutionalized adversarialism. Arguments from the ‘left’ and ‘right’ are framed by debates and the media in terms of ‘for’ and ‘against’. Three political periods have changed the character of British politics—those of Attlee, Thatcher, and Blair, which respectively saw a post-war rebuilding, a move away from the state and towards market capitalism, and Labour’s move away from public ownership towards a broad ‘third way’. David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ was derailed by austerity politics and the results of the 2016 referendum, seen as a victory for the outsiders that left the insiders struggling to respond.

2. The constitution

Britain is often said to have no constitution, or an unwritten constitution, but this is not strictly true. ‘The constitution: old and new’ describes Britain’s constitution as an accumulation of statutes, conventions, and laws, not one that is codified into a single book of rules. It remains problematic to argue over whether something is unconstitutional, particularly following the reforms of Tony Blair’s Labour government, the growing demand in Scotland and Wales for devolution of powers, the introduction of judges in maintaining a system of checks and balances, and recent developments which open up the question of whether parliamentary sovereignty is being replaced by ‘the will of the people’.

6. Accounting

‘Accounting: parliament and politicians’ looks at the ways in which ministers are held accountable through parliament, the media and select committees, and not least by the electorate. Parliament has a constitutional responsibility to hold governments to account on a continuous basis. However, it can be argued that this leads to a ritualized kind of accountability, with synthetic debates and large numbers of watchdogs and amendments but no shared commitment to improving legislation. As power passes to new places and new bodies, government must now explain its diminished role, and much of what determines the lives of citizens now seems beyond the control of democratic politics.

7. Whither British politics?

The future shape of British politics is impossible to predict. ‘Whither British politics?’ explores what happens when representative democracy collides with direct democracy and parliamentary sovereignty with popular sovereignty. While the recent turbulence has led some MPs to discover that they have more in common with each other than their respective parties, no cross-party collaboration has taken place and unresolved questions about Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales are back on the table. Despite the erosion of some of its foundations, the party system survives. Following the 2019 election of a Conservative government with a majority, it remains to be seen whether the crisis will lead to meaningful political reinvention.

5. Representing

British politics is party politics, but with the changing behaviour of voters, representative democracy is less straightforward than it was. ‘Representing: voters and parties’ explores the importance of the party, and overwhelmingly the party label counts in elections, although party names only appeared on ballot papers in 1969. The dominance of the two major parties has been challenged by a substantial increase in floating voters, gains made by the smaller parties, and changes within the parties themselves, with traditionally ‘top-down’ Conservatives now more likely to dissent. The referendum result presented the greatest challenge to the party-based system, bringing the question of representation into sharp focus.

4. Governing

‘Governing: still the strong centre?’ looks at the British reputation for strong government, and whether this is the same as effective government. Britain is a traditional example of a ‘power-hoarding’ polity, and the power of the British government was evident in the response to the financial crisis. However, there are tensions, not least between the priorities of ministers and civil servants. Historically, disagreements between prime ministers and their chancellors have led to breakdowns. Policy formulation is not the same as policy delivery, and governments have struggled to square their departmental structure and the need for collective strategy when actions are required outside the nation state.

1. The Britishness of British politics

What makes the British political system distinctive? ‘The Britishness of British politics’ explains Britain’s long and remarkable history of stability. Despite relatively late universal suffrage in 1918; the bitterly adversarial politics of the 1970s and 1980s; and ongoing reluctance to engage with the legacies of Empire, immigration, and Northern Ireland, Britain has ‘muddled through’. This may no longer be enough in the face of demands for greater government accountability. Since the 2008 financial crash, British politics have been ‘wild and unruly’ including a peacetime coalition, elections without majorities, leaders ousted by their own parties, and rising nationalism and populism, culminating in the 2016 referendum.