Product Description

Tony Wright's Very Short Introduction to British Politics is an interpretative essay on the British political system, rather than merely an abbreviated textbook on how it currently works. He identifies key characteristics and ideas of the British tradition, and investigates what makes British politics distinctive, while emphasizing throughout the book how these characteristics are reflected in the way the political system actually functions. Each chapter is organized around a key theme, such as the constitution or political accountability, which is first established and then explored with examples and illustrations. This in turn provides a perspective for a discussion of how the system is changing, looking in particular at devolution and Britain's place in Europe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29507 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 136 pages

About the Author
Tony Wright is MP for Cannock Chase, and Chairman of the Public Administration Committee. Before entering parliament in 1992 he was Reader in Politics at the University of Birmingham. His publications include Socialisms: Old and New (OUP; reissued Routledge, 1996), Citizens and Subjects: An Essay on British Politics (Routledge, 1994), Why Vote Labour? (Penguin, 1997) and, as editor, The British Political Process (Routledge, 1999).

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected
The score here is perhaps a little harsh, as this is a good book, but there is a reason for it. For those that have read the 'Short Introduction To' series of books, you will know that these books are normally quite objective, and provide a good source of information for those who wish to learn about a subject, or are students of it.

Not so with this book. It makes a good stab at being objective and informative, especially at the beginning, but as the book goes on it becomes more and more of the author's view.

The author, Tony Wright, is a Labour politician, and this comes through very much in the writing. Here is someone who knows what really goes on, but for me I didn't want to know what really goes on, I wanted a dispassionate, informative account of what British Politics theoretically is. This is too one-sided, too involved in the subject.

It is certainly not a memoir, so does have use, and the writing is light and easy. If you don't want a 'textbook' on British Politics, it might be useful for you. If you have read other books, and want a more personal look at the subject, it will definitely be a good read. But as a starter book, which most of these 'Short Introductions' are, this isn't the best.

Introduction???
As complete beginner of politics i found this book to be filled with terminology that was not explained or defined, therefore page after page could not be understood. The title should not include the word introductory since this book requires a prior knowledge, of at least a good number of terms used, of the subject. The for Dummies books are much better as an intro into politics, but, as of yet, they do not seem to have a specific british politics book.

From the horses mouth
I thought that this was a good read. I had long suspected that many of our MPs are pretty useless and the author's discussion of the way that they vote under pressure from the whips only confirmed this. Well worth a read.