British Prime Ministers And Democracy

Author : Roland Quinault
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 391 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2011-03-17
Category : History
ISBN : 9781441112279

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British Prime Ministers and Democracy by Roland Quinault Pdf

Today representative democracy is the dominant political system in the world. Britain played a prominent part in the democratization of the world through both its constitutional reforms at home and its power and influence abroad. In that process, Prime Ministers played a prominent role through their power and influence in government, Parliament and the country more generally. Quinault examines the stance of ten leading Prime Ministers - from the mid-nineteenth century until the twenty-first century - on the theory and practice of democracy. The attitude of each Prime Minister is assessed by considering their general views on democracy and their use of that term and concept in their discourse and thereby their role in advancing or resisting democratic political change. Particular attention is paid to their role in electoral reform, together with their stance on the composition and powers of the House of Lords and the role of the monarchy in the governing process. Their attitudes to the democratic aspects of some major international issues are also considered.

Author : L. Helms
Publisher : Springer
Page : 315 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2004-12-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780230502918

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Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chancellors by L. Helms Pdf

How have the American presidency, the British premiership and the German chancellorship changed over the last half-century? Has there been convergence or divergence in the development of political leadership in the United States and in the two largest democracies of Western Europe? And what difference can individual leaders make in an ever-more complex political environment? Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chancellors addresses these questions by looking at the leadership performance of more than two dozen American presidents, British prime ministers and German chancellors of the post-1945 period. In so doing, it offers a unique perspective on the nature of executive leadership in Western democracies that takes into account both the international and the historical dimension of comparison.

Author : Matt Cole
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2006-04-03
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780748626694

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Democracy in Britain by Matt Cole Pdf

This textbook brings together an introduction to the political theory of democracy since Ancient times and a critical picture of its place in Britain today.The author examines the work of Plato and Aristotle, Rousseau and Mill, Marx and Weber, and locates them and others in the debate about what democracy means. He then scrutinises Britain's claim to be a developing democracy, from the power of the Prime Minister and the role of political parties to the influence of pressure groups and the media, as well as recent constitutional changes.In the context of declining public trust in political institutions and increasing reluctance to vote, crucial questions are tackled: do we have a democracy, and why does it matter? Key Features:*A wide-ranging, accessible introduction to the place of Democracy in Britain today*Divided into two halves: on democratic theory (reflecting its history, development, and key concepts) and democratic practice (examining political institutions)*Offers examples of documentary material to illustrate the ideas presented*Up-to-date: includes material written after the 2005 General Election

Author : R.L. Borthwick,Martin Burch,Philip Giddings
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2016-09-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9781315481517

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Churchill to Major: The British Prime Ministership since 1945 by R.L. Borthwick,Martin Burch,Philip Giddings Pdf

This text summarizes the research on, and experiences of, democratic legislatures around the world. It focuses on what legislatures are and what they do - as both consequence of and contributor to democratic self-government.

Author : Colin Pilkington
Publisher : Manchester University Press
Page : 308 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 1997
Category : Democracy
ISBN : 0719048184

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Representative Democracy in Britain Today by Colin Pilkington Pdf

In the aftermath of the Scott Report and the Nolan Committee this new study looks at the declining accountability of government in Britain, and the growth of quangos and agencies as well as the Monarchy and House of Lords are examined.

Author : David J. Samuels,Matthew S. Shugart
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2010-05-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781139489379

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Presidents, Parties, and Prime Ministers by David J. Samuels,Matthew S. Shugart Pdf

This book provides a framework for analyzing the impact of the separation of powers on party politics. Conventional political science wisdom assumes that democracy is impossible without political parties, because parties fulfil all the key functions of democratic governance. They nominate candidates, coordinate campaigns, aggregate interests, formulate and implement policy, and manage government power. When scholars first asserted the essential connection between parties and democracy, most of the world's democracies were parliamentary. Yet by the dawn of the twenty-first century, most democracies had directly elected presidents. David J. Samuels and Matthew S. Shugart provide a theoretical framework for analyzing variation in the relationships among presidents, parties, and prime ministers across the world's democracies, revealing the important ways that the separation of powers alters party organization and behavior - thereby changing the nature of democratic representation and accountability.

Author : Byrum E. Carter
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 363 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2015-12-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781400878260

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Office of the Prime Minister by Byrum E. Carter Pdf

Starting with an illuminating historical survey, Mr. Carter devotes the main portion of his hook to the position of the British Prime Minister since 1894, with emphasis on the realities of British politics today. The relations of the Prime Minister with the public, his party, the Cabinet, and Parliament are discussed, and the problem of public relations generally is fully taken into account. Professor Carter fills an important gap, and provides an authoritative and readable commentary on British political life. Originally published in 1955. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author : David Beetham,Stuart Weir
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 544 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2002-09-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781134864119

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Political Power and Democratic Control in Britain by David Beetham,Stuart Weir Pdf

Democratic Institutions and Practices is the second study carried out under the Democratic Audit of the UK. This volume explores the formal institutions and processes of the liberal democratic state: including the executive, elections, parliament and the civil service.

Author : Patrick Diamond
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Great Britain
ISBN : 075562145X

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Governing Britain by Patrick Diamond Pdf

"Number Ten Downing Street and the Cabinet Office are at the apex of power in British government, but relatively little is known about the day to day functioning of these great institutions of state. With an unprecedented level of access, and wide-ranging interviews from former ministers, senior civil servants and political advisers, Patrick Diamond examines the administrative and political machinery serving the Prime Minister, and considers how it evolved from the early years of New Labour to the election of the Coalition Government in 2010. Drawing on previously unpublished material, Diamond provides a unique analysis which considers the continuing power of the civil service, the tensions between permanent officials and political aides, and the hard grind of achieving policy change from the centre in Whitehall. By exploring the ideological beliefs underpinning the policy-making process and in illuminating the importance of the British Political Tradition in shaping the institutions and practice of statecraft, this book reveals the contemporary realities of government and democracy in practice."--Bloomsbury publishing.

Author : Paul Strangio,Paul 't Hart,James Walter
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2013-03-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780191644467

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Understanding Prime-Ministerial Performance by Paul Strangio,Paul 't Hart,James Walter Pdf

At the beginning of the twenty-first century prime ministers loom larger in the consciousness of their nations than perhaps in any previous era. But how well do we really understand the variables of prime-ministerial performance, and, specifically, why some prime ministers apparently flourish in the role while others wither? This study examines how prime ministers perform as leaders of their governments, parties, and nations. It offers new ways of thinking about prime-ministerial power and leadership, and systematic empirical studies of prime-ministerial leadership practices in four Westminster democracies: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The volume features contributions from leading political scientists from all of these countries and is organised into three major sections: understanding power in prime-ministerial performance, prime ministers and their parties, and evaluating prime-ministerial performance. Through its collaborative and multifaceted approach the volume demonstrates that there are no hard and fast propositions or rules of thumb to capture what it is that makes us think of some prime ministers as so much more effective than others. Instead it highlights the importance for students of executive government to grasp the contingent interplay between personal, institutional, and contextual factors in understanding and evaluating prime-ministerial performance.

Author : Nick Clegg,John Major
Publisher : Haus Publishing
Page : 56 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2020-04-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781912208746

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The Responsibilities of Democracy by Nick Clegg,John Major Pdf

Democracy operates on consent. That means politicians have an obligation to present and argue their causes in order to ultimately win consensus. Above all, democracy requires honesty—in facing up to challenges, acknowledging fears and dangers, and admitting the limitations of government. But democracy has its flaws, not least in the lack of efficiency in the decision-making process. Amid pressing questions about the nature and limits of democracy, both in Britain and beyond, The Responsibilities of Democracy provides a clear-eyed perspective shared by two former politicians. Two central figures of the British political establishment, John Major and Nick Clegg, share their thoughts on where democracy is heading and how it can survive in the twenty-first century. Offering his perspective as a former prime minister, Major writes of the qualities on which a healthy democracy depends and expresses his deep concerns about the declining decorum of political exchange. Clegg brings a counter-perspective in discussing the ways in which political language has always involved trading insults and argues that echo chambers, although now more sophisticated, are nothing new. Compromise, Clegg insists, is not betrayal, but is instead the very substance of our politics and our democracy. The Responsibilities of Democracy explores the overall health of UK democracy, giving a balanced analysis of its values and flaws. It is also a clarion call to the electorate and politicians to nurture and protect the precious values on which democracy depends.

Author : Reginald Bassett
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 1965
Category : Democracy
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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The Essentials of Parliamentary Democracy by Reginald Bassett Pdf

Author : Winston S. Churchill
Publisher : Rosetta Books
Page : 331 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2013-04-29
Category : History
ISBN : 9780795330629

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The Great Democracies by Winston S. Churchill Pdf

The final volume of the prime minister’s four-part history of Britain brings the nation from the Napoleonic Wars to the Boer War of 1902. In the “wilderness” years after Sir Winston Churchill unflinchingly guided his country through World War II, he turned his masterful hand to an exhaustive history of the country he loved above all else. And the world discovered that this brilliant military strategist was an equally brilliant storyteller. In 1953, the great man was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.” This final volume in Churchill’s extraordinary, sweeping history follows Britain from the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars to the Boer War of 1902. In it, Churchill makes an impassioned argument for the crucial role played by the English-speaking people in exporting not just economic benefits, but political freedom by encouraging democracy throughout the world. Churchill’s passion for this era—informed by his own experience as a soldier and a wartime journalist during the Boer War—shines through in this thrilling conclusion to his historic work. “This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues—its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country’s past.” —The Daily Telegraph

Author : K. Theakston,J. de Vries,Jouke de Vries
Publisher : Springer
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2012-04-05
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781137265319

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Former Leaders in Modern Democracies by K. Theakston,J. de Vries,Jouke de Vries Pdf

What comes next for a former leader in a democracy - a Prime Minister or President obliged to leave office because they have lost an election, come to the end of their constitutionally-fixed term, lost the backing of their party, or chosen to leave? This book analyses the role and political influence of former leaders in Western democratic states.

Author : Mark-Oliver Morkos
Publisher : GRIN Verlag
Page : 5 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2016-01-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783668120709

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Is the UK Prime Minister an "Elected Dictator"? by Mark-Oliver Morkos Pdf

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Politics - Political Systems - General and Comparisons, grade: 1.3, The Open University, language: English, abstract: The current paper analyses the role of the UK prime minister in comparison to the US presidential system. It will be discussed whether the British prime minister in his or her political exercise is too powerful, equipped with dictatorial powers or if he or she is just an elected representative with limited control. Firstly an introduction about the domestic political role of the UK government provides a starting point to the topic. Secondly an analysis of the term “elected dictator” and a comparison between the UK and the US state systems offers a better understanding why the UK government might be seen as an all in all too powerful institution. Thirdly an analysis of interest groups gives an overview about its effects on policy makers. Finally the main points will be summarised with a conclusion whether the description “elected dictator” of the UK prime minister is a reasonable contemporary term or whether it is rather unjustified.