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Synopsis
Based on unprecedented access to both rebels and whips, The Rebels shows how a group of MPs routinely dismissed as spineless and feeble have become one of Tony Blair's biggest headaches. Written by Britain's leading expert on the subject, it details the clashes between the Prime Minister and his backbench MPs since 1997. The Rebels tells the inside story of the revolts on tuition fees, foundation hospitals and the Iraq war, and investigates when and how the whips intervene to keep MPs on message.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
The Rebels tells the story of backbench behaviour in the 2001-5 Parliament and how revolts impacted upon the government's legislative programme. Cowley himself is no stranger to the subject having previously written Revolts and Rebellions: Parliamentary Voting under Blair in 2002, winning the Political Studies Association's Prize for the best political science book.
Cowley sets out by adamantly disproving the accepted myth that parliament has come under the complete control of Tony Blair and the party whips. He argues that, in fact, backbenchers have been inclined to vote against their party line more often than any parliament of recent memory. What follows is a meticulously compiled examination of the events surrounding key legislation from the 2001 parliament, such as anti-terrorism, foundation hospitals, top-up fees and fox-hunting, as well as the vote on the Iraq war debate, where a record 139 Labour MPs voted against the whip. The Rebels departs here from its predecessor by waving goodbye to the use of tedious statistics and tables, and instead adopts a narrative format, drawing from over a hundred interviews with Labour MPs, that makes for a more entertaining and engaging read.
The only criticism that emerges from this fastidious study is that because of the sheer wealth of information available, much of it has been relegated to footnotes and the appendixes. That said, Philip Cowley's The Rebels, is original in its concept and a pioneer in its field of political analysis.
With a closing legacy, that when Gordon Brown runs into trouble with the PLP it will be because "he has managed to alienate the broad non-aligned mainstream on his back benches" (P.253), Cowley and his research team have proved that The Rebels is the ultimate resource, not only on revolts and rebellions during 2001-5, but also as a template for future backbench behaviour. P.J O'Rourke once said "Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it". The Rebels should suffice brilliantly.
Cowley sets out by adamantly disproving the accepted myth that parliament has come under the complete control of Tony Blair and the party whips. He argues that, in fact, backbenchers have been inclined to vote against their party line more often than any parliament of recent memory. What follows is a meticulously compiled examination of the events surrounding key legislation from the 2001 parliament, such as anti-terrorism, foundation hospitals, top-up fees and fox-hunting, as well as the vote on the Iraq war debate, where a record 139 Labour MPs voted against the whip. The Rebels departs here from its predecessor by waving goodbye to the use of tedious statistics and tables, and instead adopts a narrative format, drawing from over a hundred interviews with Labour MPs, that makes for a more entertaining and engaging read.
The only criticism that emerges from this fastidious study is that because of the sheer wealth of information available, much of it has been relegated to footnotes and the appendixes. That said, Philip Cowley's The Rebels, is original in its concept and a pioneer in its field of political analysis.
With a closing legacy, that when Gordon Brown runs into trouble with the PLP it will be because "he has managed to alienate the broad non-aligned mainstream on his back benches" (P.253), Cowley and his research team have proved that The Rebels is the ultimate resource, not only on revolts and rebellions during 2001-5, but also as a template for future backbench behaviour. P.J O'Rourke once said "Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it". The Rebels should suffice brilliantly.
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