Overview
- Examines to what extent the electoral impact of leadership is mediated by political context
- Considers the strategic deployment of party leaders around the country and how parties use their leaders to ‘set the scene’ for voters
- Analyses the communication of leadership
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership (PSPL)
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About this book
This book concentrates on the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats in British general election campaigns between 2010 and 2019, by exploring where they visit during the campaign and why, the impact they have, and how leadership is represented in the Press. It establishes the key strategic underpinnings for their visits, and the types of activities they undertake - in a uniquely British context. The degree to which leaders - and their visits - form an important dimension of voter behaviour is also considered.
Moreover, the book explores how the Press delve into the personal lives of lesser-known opposition leaders and scrutinise the policies of Prime Ministers. The types of visits by leaders that become newsworthy are identified alongside their importance as a framing tool in election reporting. Beyond the leaders themselves, press reporting on their personal relationships is scrutinised, showing an increased acceptance of active partnership.
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Keywords
Table of contents (8 chapters)
Reviews
‘Following the Leaders allows Middleton to unmask the logic and impact of contemporary British election campaigns. Marshalling evidence from twelve campaigns over a decade of four general elections, the sophisticated analysis provides new insights into how party and leaders’ campaign strategy is used to bridge the local and national dimensions of the country’s political life’.
-R.K. Carty, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia, Canada
‘This is a fascinating – and highly original – account of the activities of party leaders in British elections.’
-David Denver, Emeritus Professor, Lancaster University, UK.Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Alia Middleton is Lecturer in Politics at the University of Surrey. She is the author of several research articles and her research interests include: the electoral impact of MP retirement, the political lifecycle and multi-level voting behaviour.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Communicating and Strategising Leadership in British Elections
Book Subtitle: Follow the Leader?
Authors: Alia Middleton
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61067-8
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-61066-1Published: 18 March 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-61069-2Published: 19 March 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-61067-8Published: 17 March 2021
Series ISSN: 2947-5821
Series E-ISSN: 2947-583X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 221
Topics: Political Leadership, Political Communication, Electoral Politics, European Politics