British Government in Crisis.

Half Title Page -- Title Page -- Title verso -- Contents -- Introduction -- Part 1: The Old Regime -- 1. Parliament -- PARLIAMENT AND THE EXECUTIVE -- THE SEPARATION OF POWERS -- THE REFORM OF PARLIAMENT -- THE REAL SAFEGUARDS -- ACCOUNTABILITY AND MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY -- TRUTH AND OBJECTIVITY -- PARLIAMENT AS A NURSERY OF MINISTERS -- CONCLUSION -- 2. The Constitution Acquires a Third Element: The Civil Service -- GROWTH OF THE RELATIONSHIP -- EXPERIENCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP -- POWER WITHIN THE EXECUTIVE -- ADAPTABILITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP -- STRENGTHS OF THE RELATIONSHIP -- CONCLUSION -- 3. Decision-Making: The Exercise of Ministerial Power -- THE PRACTICE OF DECISION-MAKING -- CONSISTENCY WITH THE LAW -- CONVENTIONS: CONSISTENCY WITH DEPARTMENTAL POLICY -- CONVENTIONS: CONSISTENCY WITH GOVERNMENT POLICY -- NATURAL JUSTICE -- THE PUBLIC INTEREST -- FORMAL CRITERIA -- THE PLACE OF POLITICS -- ARM-TWISTING -- ABSENCE OF SERIOUS CORRUPTION IN THE BRITISH EXECUTIVE -- ABSENCE OF OFFICIAL CORRUPTION -- CONCLUSION -- 4. Laws That Work -- MINISTERS' POWER TO CHANGE THE LAW -- BILL PREPARATION -- THE 1964 LABOUR GOVERNMENT: MANIFESTO CHALLENGE -- PREPARATION FOR THE 1968 TRANSPORT ACT -- SHORTCOMINGS OF CORPORATISM -- IMPLEMENTATION -- NO STATEMENT OF STATUTORY OBJECTIVES -- CONCLUSION -- 5. Cabinet Tries to Cope -- THE EFFICIENT SECRET OF THE CONSTITUTION -- COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY -- THE DEVELOPMENT OF CABINET -- PRIME MINISTERS AND CABINETS -- DEVELOPMENT OF THE CABINET SYSTEM -- CABINET SECRETARIAT -- CABINET PAPERS -- INTERDEPARTMENTAL ISSUES -- THE FUNCTIONS OF CABINET -- CONCLUSION -- 6. Overload and Gridlock: The Old Regime's Decline -- WHAT IS OVERLOAD? -- INTRACTABLE PROBLEMS -- THE 1970S -- THE HEATH GOVERNMENT: 1970-74 -- THE WILSON AND CALLAGHAN ADMINISTRATIONS: 1974-9 -- DEPARTMENTAL OVERLOAD -- CONSEQUENCES OF THE 1970S.

CONCLUSION -- Part 2: First Stages of Revolution -- 7. Margaret Thatcher -- HERESTHETIC -- MARGARET THATCHER AS PRIME MINISTER -- HER HISTORIC MISSION -- MARGARET THATCHER AND CABINET -- HER USE OF THE CABINET SYSTEM -- COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY -- DECLINE IN CABINET SOLIDARITY -- CONCLUSION -- 8. The Poll-Tax -- 9. Major: The Counter-Revolution That Failed -- THE CABINET AND CABINET SYSTEM UNDER JOHN MAJOR -- THE EXAMPLE OF RAIL PRIVATISATION -- CONCLUSION -- Part 3: Background to the Revolution -- 10. The House of Commons: Less Representative, Less Effective -- CHANGING COMPOSITION OF THE HOUSE -- ALTERED CONDITIONS OF WORK: MINISTERS AND BACKBENCHERS -- THE MEDIA TRUMPS PARLIAMENT -- COMMITTEES -- LEGISLATION -- CONSTITUENCY BUSINESS -- TALENT, BUT NO LONGER NURSERY? -- CONCLUSION -- 11. The Spread of Grass-Roots Anarchy -- THE OLD STRUCTURE -- REDUCING THE PUBLIC SECTOR -- PRIVATISATION, CONTRACTING OUT AND AGENCIES -- MULTIPLICATION OF PUBLIC BODIES -- LOCAL GOVERNMENT -- LOSS OF GOVERNMENT POWER -- BLAME AVOIDANCE -- MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY -- CONCLUSION -- Part 4: The Revolution -- 12. Blair's Cabinet: Monarchy Returns -- PREPARATION FOR POWER -- PREMONITIONS -- THE TAKE-OVER OF NO 10 -- THE BLAIR CABINET -- CABINET OFFICE -- BLAIR AND THATCHER -- THE SECOND EXPERIMENT IN PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT FAILS -- CONCLUSION -- 13. The Excesses of News Management -- NEWS MANAGEMENT -- MEDIA OBJECTIVES -- THE PRIZES WON -- AVOIDING EXCESSIVE NEWS MANAGEMENT -- CONCLUSION -- 14. Minister's Diminished Standing -- UNDER THATCHER -- UNDER BLAIR -- BLAIR AND BROWN -- DIARCHY: AN EXPERIMENT IN MINISTERIAL DISCUSSION? -- THE CASCADE PRINCIPLE -- MINISTERS' FUNCTIONS -- LAWMAKING -- DELIVERY -- MINISTERS AS MANAGERS -- CONCLUSION -- 15. Civil Service: End of Northcote-Trevelyan -- THE CIVIL SERVICE UNDER THATCHER -- CIVIL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS.

DECLINE IN PUBLIC INTEREST AND CONSENSUS-SEEKING -- STANDARDS -- DENIGRATION -- UNDER MAJOR -- UNDER BLAIR -- THE CIVIL SERVICE AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR -- CONCLUSION -- 16. Nadir of Government: The Railways -- EARLY SUCCESS -- INVESTMENT -- RISING DEMAND EXHAUSTS CAPACITY -- DIFFICULTIES -- 2000: HATFIELD -- WAS PRIVATISATION TO BLAME? -- LESSONS -- CONCLUSION -- 17. Summarising the Revolution -- THE NATURE OF THE REVOLUTION -- CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES -- THE REAL REVOLUTION -- IRAQ -- THE SEPTEMBER 2002 DOSSIER -- THE JULY 2004 IRAQ DEBATE -- Part 5: What Next? -- 18. Resilience or a Third Presidency? -- THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION -- THE LIMITS OF PRIME MINISTERIAL POWER -- A REVERSION TO CABINET GOVERNMENT? -- THE BELITTLING OF MINISTERS -- PARTY DISCIPLINE -- SUCCESSION -- THE ROLE OF THE UNELECTED POLITICAL CLASS -- A MORE PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT -- MORE AMERICANISATION -- SHORTCOMINGS OF THE US MODEL -- CONCLUSION -- 19. A More Legal Constitution -- RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY -- DEVOLUTION -- EXTENDING JUDICIAL REVIEW -- FROM A POLITICAL TO A LEGAL CONSTITUTION -- CONCLUSION -- 20. Restoration -- ACHIEVING BETTER GOVERNMENT -- THE CABINET -- PARLIAMENT -- THE CIVIL SERVICE -- CONCLUSION -- Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here? -- ONSET OF REVOLUTION -- WHAT NEXT? -- FOURTEEN PILLARS OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY -- Appendix -- THE AUTHOR'S RELEVANT EXPERIENCE -- Bibliography -- Index.

This book traces the development of government over 25 years and argues that it's defects are not attributable to one political party.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.