The relative electoral impact of central party co-ordination and size of party membership at constituency level

Over the past decade, clear evidence has been produced showing that effective constituency campaigning in British general elections can lead to better electoral performance. This evidence has challenged the received wisdom that only national campaigning is significant and that efforts at local level are meaningless rituals. Denver et al. have focused on the role of the national parties in strengthening local campaigns in target seats; Seyd and Whiteley, by contrast, have stressed the importance of local party membership. This article attempts to assess the relative electoral impact of national party co-ordination and constituency party membership and suggests that the impact of these two factors varies by party

The general election in the UK, May 2005

At the 2005 general election in the UK, held on 5 May, the Labour Party won an historically unprecedented third victory in a row, and, correspondingly, the Conservative Party suffered its third defeat in a row. In total, 62 seats changed hands, and, as all three major parties experienced both some success and some failure, the election results were curiously ambivalent

Party membership and campaign activity in Britain: The impact of electoral performance

The article examines the impact of electoral results on party membership and activity. Previous studies have focused on the long-term effects of electoral success or failure, suggesting that they may produce a spiral of demobilization or mobilization. The article shows that the dramatic change of electoral fortunes experienced by British parties at the 1997 general election broke this spiral, with the outcome leading to significant changes in the health and activity of local parties. It is concluded that dramatic election results can have significant implications for party organization

From foot-slogging to call centres and direct mail: A framework for analysing the development of district-level campaigning

Drawing upon ideas formulated with national-level campaigning in mind and also analyses of district or local-level campaigning, a conceptual framework to assist in analysing the development of district-level campaigning is presented. The proposed framework is further amplified, explained and tested using quantitative and qualitative data collected at British General Elections between 1992 and 2005. Various aspects of district (constituency) campaigning in Britain are examined and the extent of change over four General Elections analysed. In broad terms, the data show a good fit with the framework, which offers a useful way of thinking about developments in campaigning both within and across countries

Organic consumption in three European countries

The present paper describes the consumption of organic foods in Denmark, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The study is based on an extensive set of household purchase panel data for each country. The data indicate that the consumption level in Denmark is substantially higher than in both Italy and in the United Kingdom. Furthermore differences between various socio-demographic groups are investigated. Some of these differences can be identified in all three countries

A quiet revolution: STV and the Scottish Council elections of 2007

This article examines the introduction of the single transferable vote for the Scottish council elections of 2007. It suggests that the new system had a variety of effects barely-noticed by the media – there was, indeed, a quiet revolution – and that these will resonate in Scottish local government and politics for a long time to come

Do Danish consumers prefer an organic vegetarian meal or a non-organic meaty alternative? Evidence from a choice experiment

The paper aimed to analyse how different segments of consumers make trade-offs between the content of vegetables and meat in a meal and between organic and non-organic ingredients