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The British General Election of 2019
The British General Election of 2019 is the definitive account of one of the most consequential and controversial general elections in recent times, when Boris Johnson gambled everything calling an early election to 'Get Brexit Done', and emerged triumphant. Drawing upon cutting-edge research and wide-ranging elite interviews, the new author team provides a compelling and accessible narrative of this landmark election and its implications for British politics, built on unparalleled access to all the key players, and married up to first-class data analysis. The 21st volume in a prestigious series dating back to 1945, it offers something for everyone from Westminster insiders and politics students to the interested general reader.
- GenresPolitics
702 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 1, 2022
5 stars for the book not the event, obvs
October 13, 2023
A new group takes the wheel for the Nuffield series, and not only do they keep to the spirit of past entries but they produce what I think is the best edition yet. The format is generally the same, but they add in some new chapters that all strengthen the book in needed ways. Northern Ireland gets some well-deserved focus in the section on the devolved nations; observations on the changing geography of the major party coalitions in the 2017 book are expanded upon by way of a new chapter; and the British Election Study is masterfully incorporated to examine the changing views of voters both in 2019 and since the 1990s. Combined with the usual array of writings about the machinations of the major parties, the campaign, the TV media and the press etc, you get a book that is not only the definitive account of the election but a stellar look at the current political moment and what it took to get there.
This time, the term “Brexit election” fit like a glove. After two years of failed deals, cabinet resignations and party fractures, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent to the people a choice. As he saw it, the choice was “dither and delay” from the radical Jeremy Corbyn versus an “oven-ready deal” to “get Brexit done” from the Tories. Yes, he oversimplified, but the frame went down smooth with a weary electorate ready to move on. His opponents had no credible alternative to present. Labour’s brand had withered after a freshly-hostile press probed Corbyn’s past associations with extremists; neither did the leader help himself out of the jam, refusing in any sense to lay the party’s anti-semitism problem to bed. Divisions on Brexit and the overall direction of the party displayed a confusing message to voters, leading to a loss in support from Leavers and Remainers equally. Could some other party pick up the mantle for either side? The Lib Dems appealed to Europhiles, but wounded their own cause significantly with a controversial plan to revoke Article 50 (and thus Brexit) entirely without a second referendum. Both them and Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party threatened to tear the British party system apart at the seams in early 2019–but it didn’t last. So a chaotic Parliament ended with a surprisingly serene official campaign that brought few surprises. No significant developments in the fortune of the parties took place, and Boris got his majority mandate.
This series has always done an unmatched job of balancing the pseudo-tabloid gossip that excites but doesn’t enthrall, with drab but much more enriching data analysis of the results. This latest addition tips the scales decidedly in favor of hard, evidence-based study. Which I approve of heartily. There is a place for tidbits about the conduct of the campaign, but the new chapters on political geography and “The British Voter in 2019” provide a view from 30,000 feet on where politics stand in Britain as of the last election. I dearly wish the book’s format could carry over to other countries. Sides and Vavreck are trying their best with some truly incisive works on the 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections in the US. In Canada, the Dundurn/McGill series currently helmed by Pammett and Dornan is solid but still lacking in the ability to see the broader picture. There is less investigation in the variety of John Curtice and Patrick English that feature in the appendix of the Nuffield books. Eventually I will turn to books on Australia and New Zealand’s elections, and we will see what their caliber is. To match up to the Nuffield series, considering especially the latest iteration, they have a very high bar to clear.
This time, the term “Brexit election” fit like a glove. After two years of failed deals, cabinet resignations and party fractures, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent to the people a choice. As he saw it, the choice was “dither and delay” from the radical Jeremy Corbyn versus an “oven-ready deal” to “get Brexit done” from the Tories. Yes, he oversimplified, but the frame went down smooth with a weary electorate ready to move on. His opponents had no credible alternative to present. Labour’s brand had withered after a freshly-hostile press probed Corbyn’s past associations with extremists; neither did the leader help himself out of the jam, refusing in any sense to lay the party’s anti-semitism problem to bed. Divisions on Brexit and the overall direction of the party displayed a confusing message to voters, leading to a loss in support from Leavers and Remainers equally. Could some other party pick up the mantle for either side? The Lib Dems appealed to Europhiles, but wounded their own cause significantly with a controversial plan to revoke Article 50 (and thus Brexit) entirely without a second referendum. Both them and Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party threatened to tear the British party system apart at the seams in early 2019–but it didn’t last. So a chaotic Parliament ended with a surprisingly serene official campaign that brought few surprises. No significant developments in the fortune of the parties took place, and Boris got his majority mandate.
This series has always done an unmatched job of balancing the pseudo-tabloid gossip that excites but doesn’t enthrall, with drab but much more enriching data analysis of the results. This latest addition tips the scales decidedly in favor of hard, evidence-based study. Which I approve of heartily. There is a place for tidbits about the conduct of the campaign, but the new chapters on political geography and “The British Voter in 2019” provide a view from 30,000 feet on where politics stand in Britain as of the last election. I dearly wish the book’s format could carry over to other countries. Sides and Vavreck are trying their best with some truly incisive works on the 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections in the US. In Canada, the Dundurn/McGill series currently helmed by Pammett and Dornan is solid but still lacking in the ability to see the broader picture. There is less investigation in the variety of John Curtice and Patrick English that feature in the appendix of the Nuffield books. Eventually I will turn to books on Australia and New Zealand’s elections, and we will see what their caliber is. To match up to the Nuffield series, considering especially the latest iteration, they have a very high bar to clear.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews