The History of British Political Parties
Encyclopedia
The History of British Political Parties, also referred to as Politico's Guide to the History of British Political Parties, is a reference book on political parties in the United Kingdom
, written by David Boothroyd. It was published in 2001 by Politico's and distributed in the United States by International Specialized Book Services (ISBS). At the time of the book's publication Boothroyd worked as a researcher with Parliamentary Monitoring Services
. The book contains entries on over 250 political parties in the United Kingdom
that have participated in parliamentary elections. It is structured alphabetically by entry, with size of each entry relative to the history and influence of the individual political party. Boothroyd includes information on the history and election statistics of each party, as well as a brief narrative. He focuses on the Conservative
, Liberal
, and Labour
parties, the three parties with a significant history in British politics.
Boothroyd's work received positive reviews in book journals. The book was recommended by The School Librarian
and Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, though a review in Choice criticised it for not including bibliographical aids. The authors of the bibliographical work Information Sources of Political Science described it as a "handy guide", and it was used as a reference in Third Force Politics: Liberal Democrats at the Grassroots.
that have participated in parliamentary elections since 1832. Entries are organised alphabetically, and most descriptions of the political parties span a few paragraphs or pages. Space is allotted to each entry based on the individual party's history and influence, such that 34 pages are devoted to the Conservative Party
, whereas only two paragraphs are given to the Captain Beany
's New Millennium Bean Party.
Each entry contains objective information on the party including history, address, amount of registered members, and election statistics, as well as email address and website if available. After the objective information, the author provides a detailed narrative describing the party. Boothroyd writes: "Only three parties out of the 250 ... have ever formed a government in the United Kingdom." He devotes the most amount of discussion in the book to these three parties: Conservative
, Liberal
, and Labour
. The book includes cross-references to make it easier for the reader to locate political parties that have had changes over time.
, Valerie Caless commented: "Overall, this is a thorough historical guide to the political parties, and will serve as a very useful reference book for students of both history and politics at all levels. A glossary or 'concepts' guide would have been a bonus for the new or less patient student." N.W. Polsby of the University of California, Berkeley
reviewed the book for Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, and wrote: "The total absence of bibliographical aids is a weakness of this book. Its strengths are its plainly factual and accessible writing. This is a book to be consulted, not read straight through. Recommended at all levels." A review in Reference & Research Book News noted "The book is intended as an affordable reference book for the general reader interested in British politics." The History of British Political Parties was also reviewed in Parliamentary Affairs
.
In the 2003 book The Times House of Commons Guide: 1929, 1931, 1935, Boothroyd is noted as the author of The History of British Political Parties and referred to as "an elections specialist". Boothroyd was commissioned to put together the fifth volume of the 2003 House of Commons series. In the 2005 bibliographical work Information Sources of Political Science, authors Stephen W. Green, Douglas Ernest, and Frederick L. Holler described Boothroyd's book as "a handy guide to approximately 250 British political parties," and noted "Even some of the more humorous and tongue-in-cheek political parties are included in this handbook, such as the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
."
The book is used as a reference in the work Third Force Politics: Liberal Democrats at the Grassroots (2006) by authors Paul Whiteley, Patrick Seyd, and Antony Billinghurst, published by Oxford University Press
, The Logic of Pre-Electoral Coalition Formation (2006) by Sona Nadenichek Golder, published by Ohio State University Press
, and in Posters, Propaganda, and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History (2008) by Steven A. Seidman. Nicholas Whyte said of the book, on the website Northern Ireland Access Research Knowledge (ARK), "For general information about political parties in Northern Ireland since 1922, the whole of Ireland 1801-1922, England, Scotland, and Wales, I urge you to get hold of Politico's Guide to the History of British Political Parties by David Boothroyd available from Politico's."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, written by David Boothroyd. It was published in 2001 by Politico's and distributed in the United States by International Specialized Book Services (ISBS). At the time of the book's publication Boothroyd worked as a researcher with Parliamentary Monitoring Services
Parliamentary Monitoring Services
Parliamentary Monitoring Services is a United Kingdom-based political research and publishing company. The company researches the activities of the United States Congress, European Parliament, and the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Consultants to the company have included British politicians Sir...
. The book contains entries on over 250 political parties in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that have participated in parliamentary elections. It is structured alphabetically by entry, with size of each entry relative to the history and influence of the individual political party. Boothroyd includes information on the history and election statistics of each party, as well as a brief narrative. He focuses on the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
parties, the three parties with a significant history in British politics.
Boothroyd's work received positive reviews in book journals. The book was recommended by The School Librarian
School Library Association
The School Library Association is an independent organization in the United Kingdom which promotes libraries and literacy in schools. The SLA was founded in 1937 and is based at Wanborough, Wiltshire, near Swindon...
and Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, though a review in Choice criticised it for not including bibliographical aids. The authors of the bibliographical work Information Sources of Political Science described it as a "handy guide", and it was used as a reference in Third Force Politics: Liberal Democrats at the Grassroots.
Contents
The book is a comprehensive work which lists and describes over 250 political parties in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that have participated in parliamentary elections since 1832. Entries are organised alphabetically, and most descriptions of the political parties span a few paragraphs or pages. Space is allotted to each entry based on the individual party's history and influence, such that 34 pages are devoted to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, whereas only two paragraphs are given to the Captain Beany
Captain Beany
Captain Beany, born Barry Kirk, is a Welsh eccentric and celebrity charity fundraiser in Sandfields, Port Talbot, Wales. Kirk worked in the computer department of the British Petroleum chemical plant in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot, but has been unemployed and claiming social security benefits for...
's New Millennium Bean Party.
Each entry contains objective information on the party including history, address, amount of registered members, and election statistics, as well as email address and website if available. After the objective information, the author provides a detailed narrative describing the party. Boothroyd writes: "Only three parties out of the 250 ... have ever formed a government in the United Kingdom." He devotes the most amount of discussion in the book to these three parties: Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. The book includes cross-references to make it easier for the reader to locate political parties that have had changes over time.
Reception
In a review of the book for The School LibrarianSchool Library Association
The School Library Association is an independent organization in the United Kingdom which promotes libraries and literacy in schools. The SLA was founded in 1937 and is based at Wanborough, Wiltshire, near Swindon...
, Valerie Caless commented: "Overall, this is a thorough historical guide to the political parties, and will serve as a very useful reference book for students of both history and politics at all levels. A glossary or 'concepts' guide would have been a bonus for the new or less patient student." N.W. Polsby of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
reviewed the book for Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, and wrote: "The total absence of bibliographical aids is a weakness of this book. Its strengths are its plainly factual and accessible writing. This is a book to be consulted, not read straight through. Recommended at all levels." A review in Reference & Research Book News noted "The book is intended as an affordable reference book for the general reader interested in British politics." The History of British Political Parties was also reviewed in Parliamentary Affairs
Parliamentary Affairs
Parliamentary Affairs is a British peer-reviewed quarterly academic journal. Founded in 1947, it focuses on the government and politics of the United Kingdom, and also covers parliamentary systems across the world...
.
In the 2003 book The Times House of Commons Guide: 1929, 1931, 1935, Boothroyd is noted as the author of The History of British Political Parties and referred to as "an elections specialist". Boothroyd was commissioned to put together the fifth volume of the 2003 House of Commons series. In the 2005 bibliographical work Information Sources of Political Science, authors Stephen W. Green, Douglas Ernest, and Frederick L. Holler described Boothroyd's book as "a handy guide to approximately 250 British political parties," and noted "Even some of the more humorous and tongue-in-cheek political parties are included in this handbook, such as the Official Monster Raving Loony Party
Official Monster Raving Loony Party
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party is a registered political party established in the United Kingdom in 1983 by musician and politician David Sutch , better known as Screaming Lord Sutch.-History:...
."
The book is used as a reference in the work Third Force Politics: Liberal Democrats at the Grassroots (2006) by authors Paul Whiteley, Patrick Seyd, and Antony Billinghurst, published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, The Logic of Pre-Electoral Coalition Formation (2006) by Sona Nadenichek Golder, published by Ohio State University Press
Ohio State University Press
The Ohio State University Press, founded in 1957, is a university press and a part of The Ohio State University.-External links:*...
, and in Posters, Propaganda, and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History (2008) by Steven A. Seidman. Nicholas Whyte said of the book, on the website Northern Ireland Access Research Knowledge (ARK), "For general information about political parties in Northern Ireland since 1922, the whole of Ireland 1801-1922, England, Scotland, and Wales, I urge you to get hold of Politico's Guide to the History of British Political Parties by David Boothroyd available from Politico's."
See also
- Elections in the United KingdomElections in the United KingdomThere are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday...
- List of UK by-elections
- List of political parties in the United Kingdom
- Politics of the United KingdomPolitics of the United KingdomThe politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
- United Kingdom general electionsUnited Kingdom general electionsThis is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, before being co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom, so that Parliament...