Description
Book SynopsisFirst Published in 2004. The most striking change in British politics, during the seventies and early eighties, was the undermining and then the end of the post-war British consensus. That consensus had been long in decline before the final seals were set by Mrs Thatcherâs victories in 1979 and 1983. The consensus, and the end itself, had profound effects on the British polity: they unsettled the distribution of power within the political parties (and hence the working of the institutions of the government); the direction of economic policy, the character of local government, and relations between government and interest groups were transformed. What accounts for the ending, in the mid-1970s of the âpolicy consensusâ which characterised British politics for most of the post-war period? The essays in this collection seek to explore the causes, and some of the consequences, of this breakdown.
Table of ContentsNotes on the Contributors, Change in British Politics: An Introduction, The Labour Party: The Rise of the Left, The Conservative Party: From Pragmatism to Ideology—and Back?, The SDP-Liberal Alliance: The End of the Two-Party System?, The De-Nationalisation of British Politics: The Re-emergence of the Periphery, Confrontation, Incorporation and Exclusion: British Trade Unions in Collectivist and Post-Collectivist Politics, The Business Lobby: Political Attitudes and Strategies, The Electorate: Partisan Dealignment Ten Years On, Central-Local Government Relations: The Irresistible Rise of Centralised Power, The United Kingdom Election of 1983
