Wider research

UNITED KINGDOM

CONSTITUTION

CONSTITUTIONS

'What Is a Constitution?' in The British Constitution (2007) by Anthony King

Chapter 1 (pages 1 to 14) of Anthony King's book provides an excellent explanation of the nature and sources of the UK constitution.
CODIFICATION

'Towards a Written Constitution?' in The New British Constitution (2009) by Vernon Bogdanor

Chapter 9 (pages 215 to 231) of Vernon Bogdanor's book provides an excellent argument in favour of codifying the UK constitution and discusses some of the issues in doing so.
CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES

The Rule of Law (2010) by Tom Bingham

Lord Bingham's (former Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary) book provides the ultimate discussion of what the rule of law is, from at least one perspective.

'Constitutional twin pillars: does parliamentary sovereignty trump the rule of law?' in Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and our Ambiguous Constitution (2020) by Philip Norton

Chapter 2 (pages 18 to 31) of Lord Norton's book provides an advanced discussion of the two constitutional principles of parliamentary sovereignty and the rule of law and whether or note they clash.

DEMOCRACY

The Shortest History of Democracy (2022) by John Keane

This new book by John Keane provides an interesting history of of direct democracy, representative democracy and what he calls 'monitory democracy'. It is a much shorter version of Keane's earlier book, The Life and Death of Democracy (2009).
DEMOCRACY IN THE UK

'Assessing democratic quality and renewing the potential for democratic advance' in The UK's Changing Democracy: The 2018 Democratic Audit (2018) by Patrick Dunleavy

The final chapter of this (free and online) book discusses how democratic the UK is (see, in particular, figure 1) and sets out three ways to make the UK more democratic. This is a very fruitful chapter, if perhaps also a complex read. As with everything that you listen to/read/watch, ask yourself if you disagree with any of the conclusions that it comes to.

'How can we fix our democracy?' (UCL, 23 May 2023) by Alan Renwick

This excellent lecture (the lecture itself lasts between 15:47 and 52:11) identifies problems with the UK's democracy and then weighs up some solutions.

ELECTORAL SYSTEMS

A Citizen's Guide to Electoral Reform (2011) by Alan Renwick

This book is concerned with electoral systems. In particular, chapter 2 (pages 12 to 23) on how to judge electoral systems, chapter 3 (pages 24 to 52) on first past the post, chapter 4 (pages 53 to 75) which covers supplementary vote, chapter 6 (pages 100 to 114) on the alternative member system and chapter 7 (pages 115 to 133) on single transferable vote are relevant.
REFORMING FIRST PAST THE POST

'The 2019 General Election: Voters Left Voiceless' (Electoral Reform Society, 2 March 2020)

This report criticises the use of first past the post in the 2019 general election and models what the result may have looked like under the list proportional representation, alternative member system and single transferable vote electoral systems.

EUROPEAN UNION

'The constitution, the EU and Brexit: who governs?' in Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and our Ambiguous Constitution (2020) by Philip Norton

Chapter 4 (pages 51 to 66) of Lord Norton's book provides a very good discussion of how EU membership affected the UK and also touches on the process of leaving the EU.

GROUP POLITICS

'The Other Black Door' (BBC, 19 September 2022) by Jack Fenwick

This podcast discusses how think tanks have influenced ministers over time and whether there is a need for reform.

JUDICIARY

JUDGES AND THE CONSTITUTION

'The Judges Come Out' in The British Constitution (2007) by Anthony King

Chapter 6 (pages 115 to 150) of Anthony King's book provides an in-depth argument that the role of judges has been enhanced in recent years. This chapter probably goes much further than any A-Level Politics student would need though!

'Parliament and the courts: strangers, foes or friends?' in Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and our Ambiguous Constitution (2020) by Philip Norton

Chapter 6 (pages 83 to 99) of Lord Norton's book provides an excellent discussion of the relationship between politicians and judges, particularly in light of historical developments from EU membership onwards.
JUDICIAL DIVERSITY

'Equality in the judiciary: why should we want more women judges?' (Public Law, 2001) by Brenda Hale

This excellent article by the future President of the Supreme Court set out three arguments in favour of greater judicial diversity (specifically more women, but these arguments can be applied more widely): equal opportunities, to make a difference and democratic legitimacy.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Explaining Local Government: Local Government in Britain since 1800 (2007) by JA Chandler

This excellent book provides an excellent history of local government in the UK.

'The Ghost of Local Government' in The British Constitution (2007) by Anthony King

Chapter 7 (pages 151 to 178) of Anthony King's book provides an excellent discussion of the key themes which surround local government in the UK.
ENGLISH DEVOLUTION

'Devolution III' in The New British Constitution (2009) by Vernon Bogdanor

The third section of chapter 4 (pages 98 to 110) of Vernon Bogdanor's book provides a good, although dated, discussion of the options for England now that the other three countries of the UK have devolution: its own parliament, 'English Votes for English Laws', regional parliaments or nothing at all.

London's Mayor at 20 (2020) edited by Jack Brown, Tony Travers and Richard Brown

This really enjoyable book provides an excellent discussion of the successes and failures of London's mayoral model in its first 20 years.

'Give Back Control: Realising the potential of England's mayors' (Onward, 2022) by Adam Hawksbee

This authoritative think tank report argues that regional mayors have been a success so far and should be further empowered.

MEDIA

THE MEDIA AND POLITICS

Elections and Voters in Britain, Elections and Voters in Britain (edition 3, 2012) by David Denver, Christopher Carman and Robert Jones

Chapter 6 (pages 151 to 186) of this very useful book discusses the impact (or lack thereof) of the media (both press and TV) and opinion polls in general elections. The book is, however, around a decade old and so it does not really cover social media.

'The Media' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

The seventh chapter (pages 201 to 225) of Ian Dunt's outstanding book discusses the media and how it does and does not hold politicians to account.
HOW THE MEDIA WORKS

'Inside the Lobby: Westminster's political journalists' (Politico, 27 May 2022) by Ailbhe Rea

'Through the lens of Twitter: Watching a government collapse in real time' (Politico, 8 July 2022) by Jack Blanchard

'Who really cares what the pundits say?' (Politico, 16 December 2022) by Ailbhe Rea

'The secrets of TV news' (Politico, 3 March 2023) by Aggie Chambre

'The art of the political interview' (Politico, 26 May 2023) by Ailbhe Rea

These five podcasts in the 'Westminster Insider' series give a fantastic insight into various parts of the media: how it works, the good and the bad.

POLITICAL PARTIES

IDEOLOGIES

'The vibes theory of politics' (Financial Times, 22 July 2022) by Janan Ganesh

This article suggests that ideological beliefs are not so important in political parties and groupings.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY

'The Problem with the Conservative Party' (Joxley Writes, 8 August 2022) by John Oxley

'The Problem with the Conservative Party Now' (Joxley Writes, 8 August 2023) by John Oxley

These two blog posts discuss the post-Boris Johnson Conservative party from the perspective of a disappointed "right of centre" individual.

'No, really. Rishi Sunak is a right-winger' (The Economist, 27 July 2023) by Duncan Robinson

This article (in my view, convincingly) argues that Rishi Sunak is "comfortably the most right-wing Conservative prime minister since Margaret Thatcher".
LABOUR PARTY

'Revealed: Full draft policy platform that could form 2024 Labour manifesto' (LabourList, 11 May 2023) by Tom Belger, Morgan Jones and Katie Neame

This article is probably the best indication that we have yet of what exactly Keir Starmer (who is probably going to be our next Prime Minister) stands for.
LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

'Are the Lib Dems back in the game?' (Prospect, 6 September 2023) by Sam Freedman

This article usefully discusses the current electoral strategy of the Liberal Democrats and briefly compares to previous electoral strategies.

REFERENDUMS

REFERENDUMS AND THE UK

'References to the People' in The British Constitution (2007) by Anthony King

Chapter 11 (pages 277 to 297) of Anthony King's book provides an excellent discussion, up to 2007, of how referendums fit (or do not fit) into the UK's constitutional system.

'Parliament and referendums: direct or representative democracy?' in Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and our Ambiguous Constitution (2020) by Philip Norton

Chapter 5 (pages 277 to 297) of Lord Norton's book provides a good discussion of how referendums fit (or do not fit) into the UK's constitutional system. This chapter does cover the EU referendum.

RIGHTS

HUMAN RIGHTS ACT 1998

'The Human Rights Act IV–V' in The New British Constitution (2009) by Vernon Bogdanor

The middle part of the third chapter (pages 68 to 80) of Vernon Bogdanor's book sets out why and how the Human Rights Act 1998 might be reformed. It is, however, dated.

VOTING BEHAVIOUR

MODELS OF VOTING BEHAVIOUR

Elections and Voters in Britain, Elections and Voters in Britain (edition 3, 2012) by David Denver, Christopher Carman and Robert Jones

Pages 20 to 27 of this very useful book clearly sets out what the three main models of voting behaviour are: sociological, party identification and rational choice.
VOTING IN THE UK

'How the voters voted' (Ipsos, 15 December 2019)

Ipsos has a demographic breakdown by gender, age, social class, (since 2010) ethnicity and (between 1992 and 2005) region of how the UK voted in general elections since October 1974, in recent years also coupled with useful analysis. YouGov also publishes something similar, but does not have a landing page like Ipsos!

British General Elections Since 1964: Diversity, Dealignment, and Disillusion (edition 2, 2021) by David Denver and Mark Garnett

This excellent book provides an overview of every general election since 1964 both individually and together. It includes lots of data, including about party identification.

UK GOVERNMENT

PRIME MINISTERS

'Great British Icons I–III' in The British Constitution (2007) by Anthony King

The first part of chapter 13 (pages 314 to 331) of Anthony King's book provides an excellent history of the different styles of Prime Ministers (obviously excluding Gordon Brown onwards).

'The centre cannot hold' in The Blunders of our Governments (2013) by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe

Chapter 21 (pages 305 to 320) of this book argues that UK Government departments and agencies are like "sovereign states" and that Prime Ministers are limited in their command and control — it recommends expanding exactly this.

The British Prime Minister in an Age of Upheaval (2021) by Mark Garnett

Pages 7 to 12 of this book provides an excellent overview of the differing theories and recent history surrounding the power of the Prime Minister and their Cabinet.

'King Boris keeps his court guessing' (The Sunday Times, 12 September 2021) by Tim Shipman

'Boris the cat with nine lives has finally been neutered' (The Sunday Times, 9 July 2022) by Tim Shipman

These two articles by the same journalist, in the same newspaper and dated only 10 months apart demonstrate how one Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) can be all-powerful and powerless.

'The Power' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

The third chapter (pages 90 to 117) of Ian Dunt's outstanding book discusses the premiership and argues that 10 Downing Street is powerful, but dysfunctional.
OTHERS

'Ministerial responsibility: responsibility for what?' in Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and our Ambiguous Constitution (2020) by Philip Norton

Chapter 11 (pages 154 to 166) of Lord Norton's book provides a good discussion of individual ministerial responsibility and collective ministerial responsibility.

'Cabinet secretaries... and why Sir Humphrey always wins' (Politico, 4 March 2021) by Jack Blanchard

This podcast episode discusses the role of the most senior civil servant in the country and how powerful they are.

'How special advisers took over Westminster' (Politico, 28 May 2021) by Jack Blanchard

This podcast episode discusses the role of special advisers and how powerful they are.

'The Ministers' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

'The Treasury' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

'The Civil Service' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

The fourth chapter (pages 118 to 148) of Ian Dunt's outstanding book discusses the appointment of ministers and what it is like to be a minister, the fifth chapter (pages 149 to 174) discusses the Treasury and the sixth chapter (pages 175 to 200) discusses the civil service (and perhaps runs against the popular conception of it).

UK PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF COMMONS

'Inside the Commons' (BBC, 2015)

This four-part TV series provides an excellent introduction to the House of Commons (when it is avaliable).

'Unrepresentative' in Held in Contempt: What's wrong with the House of Commons? (2022) by Hannah White

The second chapter (pages 57 to 90) of Hannah White's book provides a good discussion of whether MPs are representative of the people they represent, as well as a consideration of the representative-delegate debate.
BECOMING AN MP

'Getting In' in Why We Get the Wrong Politicians (2018) by Isabel Hardman

The first chapter (pages 3 to 34) of Isobel Hardman's brilliant book explains what people who want to be an MP really go through.

'How to become an MP' (Politico, 31 March 2023) by Aggie Chambre

This podcast episode gives a good idea of the process behind becoming an MP and discusses its limitations.

'The Vote' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

The first chapter (pages 29 to 59) of Ian Dunt's outstanding book discusses the MP selection process.
HOUSE OF LORDS

'Meet the Lords' (BBC, 2017)

This three-part TV series provides an excellent introduction to the House of Lords (when it is avaliable).

Reform of the House of Lords (2017) by Philip Norton

This short book provides a summary of what the House of Lords does, reforms between 1911 and 2015 and sets out for options for the future: retain, reform, replace or remove.

'Ping Pong: Has the House of Lords become a House of opposition?' (Politics Home, 29 May 2022) by Sienna Rodgers

This article discusses how the House of Commons and the House of Lords have been in contest in recent years.

'What's the point of the House of Lords?' (Politico, 24 February 2023) by Ailbhe Rea

This podcast episode sets out some good arguments in respect of reforming the House of Lords.

'The House of Lords' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

The tenth chapter (pages 308 to 327) of Ian Dunt's outstanding book discusses the House of Lords: its pros and cons.
ELECTIVE DICTATORSHIP

'Elective Dictatorship' (Dimbleby Lecture, 1976) by Lord Hailsham

In his infamous Dimbleby Lecture, Lord Hailsham used the term "elective dictatorship" to describe the UK's system of government.

'Great British Icons IV–V' in The British Constitution (2007) by Anthony King

The second part of chapter 13 (pages 331 to 340) of Anthony King's book covers the UK Government's dominance of the UK Parliament and some parliamentary reforms to 2007.

'A peripheral parliament' in The Blunders of our Governments (2013) by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe

'A deficit of deliberation' in The Blunders of our Governments (2013) by Anthony King and Ivor Crewe

Chapter 25 (pages 361 to 374) of this book argues that the UK Parliament "might as well not exist". This chapter covers backbenchers and public bill committees, among other topics. Similarly, chapter 27 (pages 385 to 397) argues that there should be more deliberation, perhaps more "veto-players" in UK politics.

'The Policy Power of the Westminster Parliament: The “Parliamentary State” and the Empirical Evidence' (Governance, 2016) by Meg Russell and Philip Cowley

This academic article argues that the UK Parliament is more powerful than people say it is. It uses quantitative data to cover four methods of influence (while freely admitting that there are more): backbench rebellions (both actual and anticipated, which it says are becoming more common), defeats in the House of Lords (both actual and anticipated; it also says the House of Lords has become more confident since the House of Lords Act 1999), bill amendments (see the academic article below) and select committees (see the academic article above).

'Getting Things Done' in Why We Get the Wrong Politicians (2018) by Isabel Hardman

The fourth chapter (pages 83 to 119) of Isabel Hardman's brilliant book provides an outstanding discussion of how the UK Parliament does (and mostly does not) scrutinise the UK Government, in respect of the legislative process, secondary legislation, select committees, questions, Private Members' Bills and pressure groups.

'Side-lined' in Held in Contempt: What's Wrong with the House of Commons? (2022) by Hannah White

The first chapter (pages 21 to 56) of Hannah White's book provides a magisterial argument that the House of Commons has been side-lined by the UK Government, with a particular focus on Brexit and COVID-19.

'What's the point of Prime Minister's Questions?' (Politico, 15 July 2022) by Ailbhe Rea

This podcast episode discusses the usefulness of Prime Minister's Questions.

'The Slow Death of Parliamentary Scrutiny' (Politics Home, 15 May 2023) by Alice Lilly

This expert article discusses the various ways in which parliamentary scrutiny has been challenged in recent years.

'Members of Parliament' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

'The Commons' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

'The Law' in How Westminster Works... and Why It Doesn't (2023) by Ian Dunt

The second chapter (pages 60 to 89) of Ian Dunt's outstanding book discusses the whipping mechanism of MPs, the eighth chapter (pages 243 to 280) discusses how well (or not so well) MPs hold the UK Government to account (including, but certainly not limited to, select committees) and the ninth chapter (pages 281 to 207) discusses how much of a say MPs have in the legislative process.

The Parliamentary Battle over Brexit (2023) by Meg Russell and Lisa James

This book, written from an academic perspective, is a great reference piece on the role that the UK Parliament played in respect of Brexit. It also includes some discussion of wider academic commentary.
RECALL OF MPs ACT 2015

'Recall petitions: process, consequences, and potential reforms' (The Constitution Unit, 11 December 2023) by Tom Fleming

This excellent blog by Tom Fleming covers how recall petitions for MPs work and their pros and cons.
FIXED-TERM PARLIAMENTS ACT 2011

'Fixed-term Parliaments: fixed or not so fixed?' in Governing Britain: Parliament, Ministers and our Ambiguous Constitution (2020) by Philip Norton

Chapter 8 (pages 115 to 127) of Lord Norton's book provides an excellent discussion from a very authoritative source of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011. However, it does predate the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.

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