Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on contributors
- Preface
- PART 1 Politics and government
- 1 The Blair premiership
- 2 Parliament
- 3 Elections and public opinion
- 4 Local and central government
- 5 Media management
- 6 The Labour Party
- 7 The Conservative Party
- PART 2 Economic and social policy
- PART 3 Wider relations
- Commentaries
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - Elections and public opinion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Notes on contributors
- Preface
- PART 1 Politics and government
- 1 The Blair premiership
- 2 Parliament
- 3 Elections and public opinion
- 4 Local and central government
- 5 Media management
- 6 The Labour Party
- 7 The Conservative Party
- PART 2 Economic and social policy
- PART 3 Wider relations
- Commentaries
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Other chapters in this book consider the record of the second Blair government on key policy issues, including the delivery of public services, the issue of constitutional reform and the foreign policy record on Iraq and Europe. There are reasons to be sceptical about whether Tony Blair fully achieved his goals in many of these areas but on one there is no doubt whatever: if nothing else, in terms of the outcome of elections, Tony Blair will go down in the history books as the most successful Labour prime minister we have ever known. One of the most striking features of elections and public opinion in the UK since 1997 has been the predominance of the Labour Party, in contrast to the weakness of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition at Westminster, despite everything which has occurred during Blair's tenure. This electoral success is puzzling given that many polls report continued public dissatisfaction with Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, popular mistrust of Blair's leadership and perceptions of the government's ‘failure’ to improve delivery of basic social services. Labour has also suffered from backbench rebellions, visible leadership rivalries and policy divisions at the apex of government, which are often believed to damage party popularity. Tony Blair has continued to win elections despite the loss of some of his closest advisers who were thought to be the architects of his victories, including Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson.
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- Chapter
- Information
- The Blair Effect 2001–5 , pp. 43 - 67Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005
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