Overview

Forecasts of the death of democracy are often heard and the United Kingdom is on the death watch list. This book challenges such a gloomy view by carefully examining the health of the British body politic from Tony Blair’s time in Downing Street to the challenges of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. It finds some parts are in good health, for example, elections are free and losers as well as winners accept the results, unlike the United States. Other parts show intermittent symptoms of ill health, such as Cabinet ministers avoiding accountability. There is also a chronic problem of managing the unity of the United Kingdom. None of the symptoms is fatal. The book identifies effective remedies for some symptoms, placebos that offer assurance without cure, and perennially popular prescriptions that are politically impossible. Being a healthy democracy does not promise effectiveness in dealing with economic problems, but a big majority of Britons do not want to trade the freedom that comes with democracy for the promises of undemocratic leaders.  

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard Rose
Publisher:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Imprint:   Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Edition:   1st ed. 2021
Weight:   0.282kg
ISBN:  

9783030731250

ISBN 10:   3030731251
Pages:   178
Publication Date:   23 May 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

1. Diagnosing the Health of the Body Politic Democracy: a disembodied ideal Anatomizing the body politic Many symptoms of ill health Potentially fatal symptoms 2. Elections the Heart of Government Institutionalizing choice Responsibility for government fixed What voters make of their choice 3. Party as the Lifeblood of Government Parties decide who can become an MP Representing society in Parliament Representing voters in Parliament MPs can influence policy but not govern 4. A Single Brain in Downing Street Parties decide who can become prime minister What a prime minister can and can't do Personality constant, popularity fluctuates  Two ways to become an ex-prime minister 5. Whitehall's Collective Brainpower Cabinet ministers fill gaps left by Downing Street Opening up with market for policymaking Shuffling and reshuffling accountability 6. The Limbs of A Disunited Kingdom Multiple Identities  A unitary Crown without uniformity Four national party systems The contingency of consent 7. An Unbalance Constitution Politicians are the judges of what they can do Constitutional rights are not politics as usual Constitutional disputes need political resolution 8. Limits on Democratic Sovereignty Governance creates interdependence No island is an island unto itself Brexit: a domestic foreign policy 9. A Mixed Bill of Health for British Democracy What Britons think of democracy Diagnosis: Intermittent ills, none fatal Prescriptions for treatment Coda

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Author Information

Richard Rose is Professor of Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde, UK, and a Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute Florence, Italy, and the Science Centre Berlin, Germany. He has been writing award-winning studies of British politics and democracy in comparative perspective for more than half a century.

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