The Lobby in transition: what the 2009 MPs’ expenses scandal revealed about the changing relationship between politicians and the Westminster Lobby?

The 2009 MPs' expenses scandal was one of the most significant political stories of modern times. It raised questions, not just about the ethics and behaviour of MPs but also about the relationship between politicians at Westminster and the political correspondents who follow them on a daily basis, known as ‘the lobby’. For the significance of this scandal, in media terms, was that the story was not broken by members of the lobby but came from outside the traditional Westminster news gathering process. This paper examines why this was the case and it compares the lobby today with that which was described and analysed by Jeremy Tunstall and Colin Seymour-Ure in their respective studies more than 40 years ago. The article concludes that the lobby missed the story partly because of the nature of the lobby itself and partly as a result of a number of specific changes which have taken place in the media and the political systems over the past 40 years

'Farewell Camelot! British Cartoonists' Views of the United States since Watergate

British cartoonists' portrayal of the United States after Watergate was affected by changes in cartooning imagery and style and by various significant features of American politics and society. The outcome was a more critical picture. Causes included a new generation of cartoonists with a sharper critical edge; a greater interest by up-market newspapers in cartoons; and a growing public tolerance of offensive imagery. Cartoonists continued to benefit from readers' familiarity with the imagery of American popular culture and with the office of President. On the American side, controversial domestic and foreign policies, the personal behaviour of particular Presidents, and the reduced mystique of the presidency, all gave more grounds for criticism. British cartoonists tended to over-represent the President at the expense of other political institutions