Dr Nicholas Allen, from the Department of Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, has edited a new book, None past the post: Britain at the polls, 2017, alongside Professor John Bartle from the University of Essex.
None Past the Post: Britain at the Polls 2017
None past the post is the latest in the long-running Britain at the Polls series of books. With contributions from a number of leading political experts, the book provides an in depth analysis of the events leading up to the 2017 General Election, as well as the aftermath of the shock results.
As Brexit negotiations continue to dominate parliamentary proceedings, this new book explores how the country found itself with a minority government and reflects on what is to come. During a time of enormous political uncertainty and upheaval, None past the post investigates the state of Britain’s political parties and considers the importance of immigration, economic change, and the public’s attitudes and habits towards voting.
Dr Allen’s own chapter tells the story of two Conservative leaders’ failed gambles: David Cameron’s Brexit referendum in 2016, which forced him from Downing Street, and Theresa May’s snap election in 2017, which cost her party its majority and the Prime Minster her authority.
Other chapters explore Labour’s move to the left under Jeremy Corbyn, the apparent demise of UKIP, how the Scottish National Party was squeezed in Scotland, and, in the centenary of women first getting the vote, the role of female politicians in the election and British politics more generally.
Dr Allen said: “British politics has historically been viewed as rather flat and predictable. However, in the past few years it has been anything but.
“We’ve seen coalitions, referendums, prime ministerial resignations, upheaval in the party system and concerns about ‘post-truth’ politics, to name just a few things.
“The future of British politics is now more uncertain than ever, proving, if nothing else, how each and every person’s vote really does count.”
None past the post: Britain at the polls, 2017 is published by Manchester University Press, and will be available to buy from 22 June, with pre-orders accessible now.
