Changing parties : an anthropology of British political party conferences

Political parties in Europe face a crisis of legitimacy, which manifests itself through a decline in partisan identification, an increase in electoral volatility and a drop in membership figures. The development of new means of communication has transformed the way political parties relate to their constituents. In recent years political campaigning has become more centralised and more professional. Florence Faucher uses her research into party conferences as a vehicle for examining the changes that parties are undergoing as they provide a microcosm for the study of relationships between party leaders and their followers: it is where policy is decided upon and developed and where support for those plans is initiated. Based On Seven Years Of Participant Observation And Interviews, This Book Examines How Four Political Parties In Contemporary Britain (labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat And Green) Have Changed At The Turn Of The Millennium. This Groundbreaking Work Brings Together Insights From Anthropology And Political Sociology And Opens Up New Vistas In The Study Of Modern Political Institutions.--jacket. 1. An Anthropological Approach To Conventional Politics -- 2. Why Do People Attend Conferences? -- 3. Imagined Communities -- 4. Constructing Leadership And Authority -- 5. Setting The Agenda -- 6. Making The News -- 7. The Public Performance -- 8. The Discourse Of Deliberative Democracy -- 9. Direct Democracy : The Vote As Fetish -- 10. Fringe Benefits : Dissent Vs Commercialisation -- Conclusion -- Politics In The Age Of The Individual -- App. 1. Quoted Interviews -- App. 2. Conferences 1994-2002 -- App. 3. Comparative Overview Of Change In The Four Parties. Florence Faucher-king. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 290-303) And Index. Since 1867, annual conferences have been key institutions for understanding the nature and evolution of relationships between leaders and members in British political parties. Although essential for the maintenance of party cohesion and the legitimization of leadership, policies and procedures, conferences have largely been ignored. Based on seven years of participant observation and interviews, this book examines how four political parties in contemporary Britain (Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens) have changed at the turn of the Millennium. This groundbreaking work brings together insights from anthropology and political sociology and opens up new vistas in the study of modern political institutions Party conferences are central to the life of political parties. They contribute to setting policy agendas, developing policy options, legitimizing policy choices, building party cohesion, motivating activists and publicizing party activities to the wider public. An analysis of their evolution in Britain helps us understand the ways in which political parties change. This book combines anthropological methods with political science to analyze changing power relationships, party organizations and political culture in British political parties: Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, The Greens.