British Parliamentary Parties : Policy and Power

In this book Jack Brand examines the role of the British Conservative and Labour parliamentary parties in the development of government policy since 1945. Focusing on six major policy fields: agriculture, education, housing, defence, the economy, and Scottish affairs, he argues that the influence of back-benchers has been consistently underestimated, and that the close interdependence of front- and back-benchers frequently produces surprising and significant effects on policy development. Dr Brand concludes that the common perception of back-benchers as powerless to affect the policies of their leaders is misleading, and that they are essential to the development of government policy.