Political Parties and the Concept of Power ― A Theoretical Famework

This richly critical and original perspective on the way power within political parties structures and influences party life offers an original investigation into the nature of the forces that make members and representatives both loyal and beneficial to a contemporary political party. The study skilfully and imaginatively weaves together theoretical reflection through the use of interviews and archive material to provide a unique perspective on power, arguing that it is both more complex and nuanced than mainstream approaches to political parties assume. As well as providing a more satisfactory, general, framework for understanding how power functions in democratic politics, this book also delivers a fresh interpretation of the development of the modern Labour Party. This text is essential reading for students and scholars of British Party politics and may be of interest to academics exploring political parties more generally.

Danny Rye is Associate Lecturer in Politics and Policy at the Department of Politics, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.