Book review: the rules of the game: leadership coups in British party politics

The Labour party comeback at last week’s local elections raised the possibility that the current leaders of the coalition may actually be standing on shaky ground. However, as the book Electing and Ejecting Party Leaders in Britain argues, parties have moved to make it harder to evict their leaders. Timothy Heppell feels the book distinguishes itself by examining the institutional obstacles in place which make it hard for parties to eject their leaders, rather than giving undue attention to personality clashes. Electing and Ejecting Party Leaders in Britain. Thomas Quinn. Palgrave Macmillan. February 2012

The Tories

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book offers a comprehensive and accessible study of the electoral strategies, governing approaches and ideological thought of the British Conservative Party from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. Timothy Heppell integrates a chronological narrative with theoretical evaluation, examining the interplay between the ideology of Conservatism and the political practice of the Conservative Party both in government and in opposition. He considers the ethos of the Party within the context of statecraft theory, looking at the art of winning elections and of governing competently. The book opens with an examination of the triumph and subsequent degeneration of one-nation Conservatism in the 1945 to 1965 period, and closes with an analysis of the party's re-entry into government as a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2010, and of the developing ideology and approach of the Cameron-led Tory party in government

The Tories

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. This book offers a comprehensive and accessible study of the electoral strategies, governing approaches and ideological thought of the British Conservative Party from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. Timothy Heppell integrates a chronological narrative with theoretical evaluation, examining the interplay between the ideology of Conservatism and the political practice of the Conservative Party both in government and in opposition. He considers the ethos of the Party within the context of statecraft theory, looking at the art of winning elections and of governing competently. The book opens with an examination of the triumph and subsequent degeneration of one-nation Conservatism in the 1945 to 1965 period, and closes with an analysis of the party's re-entry into government as a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2010, and of the developing ideology and approach of the Cameron-led Tory party in government

Conservative backbench opposition to international aid: is it driven by hard Euroscepticism?

This paper considers the opposition within Conservative parliamentary ranks to the decision of the Cameron administration to ring fence spending on overseas development aid (ODA) or international aid. Using documentary analysis from a range of parliamentary debates and divisions in the 2010 to 2015 Parliament, the paper pieces together the arguments against legally enshrining spending on international aid at 0.7 percent of Gross National Income (GNI) made by Conservative parliamentarians. We define each Conservative parliamentarian as either aid critics (voted or spoke out against the 0.7 percent target); aid sceptics (abstained and did not publicly speak out for the 0.7 percent target); and aid advocates (those who voted and spoke out for the 0.7 percent target). We then consider the overlap between hard Euroscepticism (i.e. Brexit) to see the extent to which issues of national identity may explain hostility towards international aid spending

Catch shares, fisheries, and ecological stewardship: a comparative analysis of resource responses to a rights-based policy instrument

Rights-based approaches are potentially promising tools to meet conservation objectives in natural resource management. Here, we evaluated how population status and fishery production respond to catch shares, a rights-based policy instrument in fisheries whereby participants are granted a right to harvest a fraction of the allowable catch. By analyzing time series of landings, exploitation rate, and population biomass for >150 fisheries, we find that catch shares tended to dampen variance in fishery landings and exploitation rate, that they had no effect on population biomass, and that the responses were unrelated to population status prior to catch shares. Variance dampening was strongest when harvesting rights were durable and secure but was absent otherwise. Reductions in exploitation rate were strongest in multispecies fisheries with high levels of at-sea observers. Although benefits are not guaranteed, successful catch share programs share common elements that can be incorporated in the design of future programs.Keywords: marine conservation, Catch shares, market-based approaches, fisheries, policy evaluation, property-rightsKeywords: marine conservation, Catch shares, market-based approaches, fisheries, policy evaluation, property-right

Book review: George Osborne: the austerity Chancellor

Given Janan Ganesh’s status as a Financial Times political columnist and his choice of subject matter, it was inevitable that George Osborne: The Austerity Chancellor would attract attention. Timothy Heppell finds the book illuminating when it comes to understanding the professional career of George Osborne prior to his sudden emergence as a strikingly youthful Shadow Chancellor. However he cautions that many might find the book frustrating, because of both the author’s undisguised admiration for the Chancellor and how little attention he devotes to Osborne’s time in government

What do I have to do to get promoted? Tory MPs resent the reduced likelihood of reshuffles and promotions under coalition

Timothy Heppell explores the Prime Minister’s power to appoint or dismiss parliamentarians from cabinet and suggests that while some backbenchers may be irritated by Cameron’s perceived restraint, a reshuffle could permit the Liberal Democrats to renegotiate and improve their portfolio distribution

Book review: The Conservatives since 1945: the drivers of party change

What do the periods spent in both opposition and government by the Conservatives since 1945 tell us about what drives parties to change their sales force, the way they organize, and the policies they come up with? Using internal papers, memos, and minutes of meetings from party archives, along with historical and contemporary accounts, memoirs and interviews, Tim Bale‘s recent book maps the extent of change and then explores what may have driven it. Timothy Heppell recommends the book to students of political history

Party leaders are getting younger, but Cabinet Ministers arenot

During the 20th Century, the average age of Prime Ministers upon assuming office has trended downwards. However, according to Judi Atkins, Timothy Heppell and Kevin Theakston, the same is not true of Cabinet Ministers, with the average age remaining relatively consistent since 1945 across both main parties. The authors argue that the claim that we are witnessing the rise of the novice Cabinet minister is perhaps more a consequence of the personalisation of politics than evidence of an emerging ‘cult of youth’