British Politics

British politics, notes Tony Wright, is arguably Britain's greatest gift to the world. In this Very Short Introduction, Wright offers a brilliant interpretative essay on the British political system. The author, an academic and recent Member of Parliament, illuminates the key characteristics and ideas of the British tradition, and investigates what makes British politics distinctive, while emphasizing throughout the book how these characteristics are reflected in the way the political system actually functions. Each chapter is organized around a key theme, such as the constitution or political accountability, which is first established and then explored with examples and illustrations. This in turn provides a perspective for a discussion of how the system is changing, looking in particular at devolution and Britain's place in Europe. For the second edition, Wright considers how the system continues to evolve in light of the fall of New Labour, the arrival of David Cameron, and "big society" thinking and he explores the impact of issues such as immigration and terrorism, parliamentary scandal, and the financial crash of 2008.