Christopher T. Husbands

Those who keep a finger on the pulse of British democracy often announce that the patient is in a critical state. In the 1970s, the diagnosis most often came from the right, with dire warnings of the debilitating effects of social democracy. Since the 1979 election, it is those on the left who are pessimistic, pointing to an insidious authoritarianism that threatens democratic values. Therefore, a book which maintains that a major turning point in British politics has been reached is not, in itself, particularly rare. What sets British Democracy at the Crossroads (originally published in 1985) apart, however, is the breadth and depth of its analysis. It breaks the mould of conventional political science by marrying a study of voting in the 1983 election (using a specially commissioned survey) with a detailed presentation of the context in which the election took place, including analyses of the dynamics of political parties, of the role of the news media before and during the campaign, and other important issues. This markedly different approach to the subject allows the book to serve two valuable functions. It provides a clear and concise introduction to the various methods of electoral analysis, which will be welcomed in the classroom and lecture theatre. Also, by drawing on modern political theory, it develops a distinctive radical perspective on the interconnected themes of party competition and electoral behaviour, contesting many of the assumptions that underlie the orthodox accounts of electoral dealignment. This is a challenging and stimulating book that no one with an interest in the future of democracy in Britain can afford to ignore.

Those who keep a finger on the pulse of British democracy often announce that the patient is in a critical state. In the 1970s, the diagnosis most often came from the right, with dire warnings of the debilitating effects of social democracy. Since the 1979 election, it is those on the left who are pessimistic, pointing to an insidious authoritarianism that threatens democratic values. Therefore, a book which maintains that a major turning point in British politics has been reached is not, in itself, particularly rare. What sets British Democracy at the Crossroads (originally published in 1985) apart, however, is the breadth and depth of its analysis. It breaks the mould of conventional political science by marrying a study of voting in the 1983 election (using a specially commissioned survey) with a detailed presentation of the context in which the election took place, including analyses of the dynamics of political parties, of the role of the news media before and during the campaign, and other important issues. This markedly different approach to the subject allows the book to serve two valuable functions. It provides a clear and concise introduction to the various methods of electoral analysis, which will be welcomed in the classroom and lecture theatre. Also, by drawing on modern political theory, it develops a distinctive radical perspective on the interconnected themes of party competition and electoral behaviour, contesting many of the assumptions that underlie the orthodox accounts of electoral dealignment. This is a challenging and stimulating book that no one with an interest in the future of democracy in Britain can afford to ignore.

This book provides an original overall account of the history of sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where the first sociology course as part of a conventional university degree programme in the UK was taught. Thus, the book is unique in its contribution to an important part of the history and development of sociology in the UK. The chapters discuss the names that – at least until the post-war period – are identified as central to the early phase of British sociology. Husbands documents the impact and influence of these leading figures through material in numerous previously little-used archives. Also explored are the culture of LSE Sociology students, their attitudes, political orientations, and academic attainments. The reputation and influence of LSE Sociology on the general development of the subject in the UK are also assessed. The book will be of interest to sociology students and scholars wanting to know about the discipline’s history, as well as to those with a broader interest in higher education policy.

First published in 1983, this book reports on the results of a survey in thirteen areas of England where the National Front (NF) had previously gained significant levels of electoral support and examines the social and political histories of these areas to reveal not only who and was voting for the NF in the 1970s but also why.

First published in 1983, this book reports on the results of a survey in thirteen areas of England where the National Front (NF) had previously gained significant levels of electoral support and examines the social and political histories of these areas to reveal not only who and was voting for the NF in the 1970s but also why.