- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Manchester University Press; illustrated edition edition (30 Dec 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 071906600X
- ISBN-13: 978-0719066009
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 799,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
…this book is a fascinating read. For those seeking to understand the development of the electoral basis of Liberal Democrat support over the last decade, however, and to gather much information about how the party organises itself and fights its campaigns, Neither Left Nor Right is invaluable. --Duncan Brack, Journal of Liberal History
Product Description
This fascinating book provides a comprehensive and considered account of the nature of Liberal Democrat electoral politics in contemporary Britain. It explores the specific challenges facing the Liberal Democrats in their struggle for identity, distinctiveness and, most importantly, votes, and examines the different layers of the party, in terms of organisational structure, strategy and representation. The book begins with an analysis of the history of the Liberal party from the days of Lloyd George through to the present day, before looking closely at the party's role in contemporary British politics. It looks at the organisation of the party, from the grassroots to the leadership, and considers the anatomy of the Liberal Democrat vote - who votes for the party and why. It goes on to analyse the party's continuing search for votes and also for seats, which has led the party to align itself closely to Labour in the early days of the first New Labour Government, and therafter to gradually to weaken that alignment. The book includes a number of case studies of how local strategies were adopted in heartland and marginal seats at the 1997 and 2001 elections. The first modern, up to date analysis of the Liberal Democrats to be written, Neither Left nor right? will be essential reading for students of British politics and British political parties.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a longstanding Lib Dem activist in Scotland at both Scotland-wide and local levels, I am often interested in what social and political scientists make of us and our inimitable ways. This is the first published academic-style study I have come across that considers the Liberal Democrats as a whole, and I found it interesting and informative, and most of the content rung true from my perspective.
I suspect that a student of politics would find this book helpful in understanding the Party in several respects:
· its purposes and philosophy;
· its history;
· the difficulty of being a third party faced with a simple majority electoral system;
· its focus on grassroots activism and community politics;
· the importance of targeting to its campaigning, and its prospects for success in particular areas and constituencies;
· its record of success in the devolved administrations and in local government;
· the persistent struggle for media attention and the consequent desire to have eye-catching and distinctive policy positions; and
· the importance of the party leadership in presenting the public face of the Party.
As an activist I have found it a useful independent analysis of where we are and what our major challenges might be. The case studies of particular seats are also informative and useful examples. The statistics on electoral results, and the section trying to develop a picture of a typical Liberal Democrat voter, offer new insights and are not simply a rehash of data available elsewhere.
Such caveats as there are would include the observation that some of the information is a little out of date, and this position will only be exacerbated following the expected general election of 2005.
I was disappointed that some issues were not given more attention: in particular, the distinctive political situations and cultures in both Scotland and Wales, and the consequences of the Party's federal structure in reacting to the recent constitutional and political changes across the UK. These were alluded to briefly in describing the benefit of being perceived as a party capable of performing well in government and the countervailing difficulties of being seen as tied to Labour in the Scottish Executive and Welsh Cabinet, but the issues could have been considered in greater depth. Like most academics, this book views politics very much as a UK-wide (or, in this case, GB-wide) activity. However, the perception of political activists, journalists and commentators and (in my experience) voters in these areas is that people have more knowledge of, and interest in, the devolved political scene than its UK-wide equivalent.
That said, this is a serious, thought-provoking and well-researched study and deserves attention within the academic and political fields. It also has a highly readable style for a work of this type and I would confidently recommend it.
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