UK Politics

Description

UK Politics is the ideal introduction to the subject, providing students with the foundational understanding, critical perspectives, and historical knowledge they need to make sense of politics in the United Kingdom today.

• The ideal introduction to UK politics: covers all the core elements of political institutions and processes, and introduces students to key skills such as critical analysis, engagement with primary sources, and debating skills.
• Takes a historical and contextual approach to UK politics, weaving the historical development of key issues, institutions and processes into the chapters.
• A contemporary account of UK politics, covering the impact on politics of events including Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and from social justice movements like Black Lives Matter.
• Also available as an e-book with functionality, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support.

About the Author(s)

Andrew Blick, Reader in Politics and Contemporary History, and Head of Department of Political Economy, King's College London

Dr Andrew Blick is Reader in Politics and Contemporary History and Head of the Department of Political Economy, King's College London. He specialises in constitutional and democratic reform in the UK, from an historical and contemporary perspective. Andrew has also worked inside the UK political system. Before becoming an academic he worked for various think tanks, in Parliament, and in the office of the UK Prime Minister. He has made frequent media appearances, often provides evidence to parliamentary select committees, and is also the author of numerous books, articles and pamphlets, including: The Referendum in Britain: A history. Andrew has taught various aspects of UK politics at undergraduate and post-graduate level. He enjoys conveying to students the relationship between institutions, rules, and the day-to-day lives of people living in the UK; and the historical developments that have led us to where we are today, and where we might be in future.

Table of Contents

1:Introduction: tradition and change
Part 1: How are we governed?
2:Cabinet and the prime minister
3:The UK government
4:Parliament
5:The legal system and human rights
Part 2: How do people participate in politics?
6:The party system
7:Elections and voting
8:Referendums
Part 3: How does society affect UK Politics?
9:Communication and public opinion
10:Identity, equality, and power
Part 4: What is 'the UK', and how does it relate to the rest of the world?
11:Devolution and local government
12:The nations and the union
11:The UK and the outside world

Reviews

"Ever been baffled by the working of British politics and government, its structures, and its hidden wiring? Your worries are over. Read this book and you will find out how we got here, where we are now, and acquire a sense of where we might be going in these most perplexing of times." - Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield, FBA, Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History, Queen Mary, University of London

"Very well organised and comprehensive coverage with a variety of different features, including primary source material, comparative data and excellent explanations and examples to illustrate the main points." - Dr Geoff Horn, Teacher, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University

"Excellent introductory text for students [...] full of detailed case studies to tease out some of the complexities and dilemmas in British politics at the moment." - Dr Marc Geddes, Senior Lecturer in Politics, The University of Edinburgh

"The mixture of historical detail, current information, in practice/in theory discussion and debates works very well and would give me a wealth of information to draw on and to direct students towards." - Dr Amy Smith, formerly Lecturer in Politics, The University of Sheffield

Additional Resources

Digital formats and resources

UK Politics is supported by online resources and is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats.

The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks

This book is supported by a range of online resources for students and lecturers, including additional case studies, multiple choice questions with instant feedback, activities that can be used in seminars or for self-study, PowerPoint slides to accompany each chapter, terminology-testing flashcards, an interactive timeline, additional links, and biannual updates from the author.