The British General Election of 2015

Nuffield Election Studies #19

by Philip Cowley, Dennis Kavanagh

The British General Election of 2015 is a must-read for anyone wanting to know how the action unfolded in the most unpredictable election for a generation. Drawing on hundreds of confidential interviews with all the key players, it offers a compelling insider's guide to the election's background, campaign, and the results which led to the formation of the first majority Conservative government in eighteen years. Designed to appeal to everyone from Westminster insiders, politics students and the wider general public, this is the authoritative account of the 2015 election. Continuing a proud Palgrave Macmillan tradition, The British General Election of 2015 is the 19th edition and celebrates the 70th year of this prestigious series.

Genres: Nonfiction

503 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2015

Reviews

[Patrick Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book aims to be a definitive account of what happened at the 2015 general election, the facts which are the starting point of any discussion. At this it does its job. I don't agree with all its conclusions, but I would certainly advise anyone with an interest to read it. It covers everything you might want to know, and includes a lot of interviews with senior party figures, who spoke candidly as they had anonymity.

The only reason I gave it four stars rather than five is that, as someone who has never studied politics actively, I found it quite tough going at times, especially when the book gets deep into statistical discussions. However, I am likely not the target audience in this respect.

[AndrewMillerTheSecond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another down-to-the-wire UK election ends in a smashing victory for the Conservatives, and the story is retold in clarity and totality by Cowley and Kavanagh. Again the Nuffield series strays little from the traditional structure–if it’s ain’t broke, you know the rest. An extra chapter is devoted to the SNP’s foundation-shattering breakthrough in Scotland, which is needed but IMO does not clearly describe why the breakthrough occurred in 2015 (and not earlier). An independence referendum in 2014 mobilized a tremendous ground operation that would carry into the general election… and at the same time the party sloughed off their raison d’etre and instead branded themselves as the only party able to govern Scotland effectively. These reasons may be reconcilable and the reader may judge them for yourself, but I remained only partly convinced.

David Cameron’s shock–and he himself was surprised along with the rest of his party–majority victory immediately put months of endless hung parliament and coalition talk to rest. While the public wanted a debate on the NHS and the economy, they were instead treated to nonstop process coverage about who would govern, and with whom. A dreaded and much-discussed Lab/SNP pact, which became an anchor around Ed Miliband’s neck? Another Lib/Con deal? Would UKIP somehow be involved? Perhaps the DUP or, most wildly of all, Sinn Fein? All of this, according to many at least in retrospect, worked to the Tories benefit. Tying Labour and specifically Ed Miliband to separatist parties played well “on the doorstep” with voters, but more subtly the incessant focus on coalition, confirmed in the press’s eyes by the tight polls, distracted from any real dissection of a possible Conservative majority agenda.

The “Americanization” of British politics has been much maligned by some pundits, and the poo-pooers had plenty of ammunition in 2015. Labour’s close proximity with the Tories in the voting intention polls belied their (perhaps fatal) weaknesses on the economy, and on leadership. It was not the Labour brand but Miliband that featured on Tory adverts; the inverse wasn’t present to nearly the same degree. Some may have been surprised, then, when Miliband so forcefully pushed for (the also very American) televised debates with Cameron. Some back-and-forth over the number of leaders concluded with a mish-mash of Q&As, a “challengers debate” and only one debate with Miliband, Cameron and Clegg all on stage simultaneously. Analysts were in broad agreement about the minimal impact of these contests.

Placing a star rating on these books is not terribly important, even if it is immensely frustrating. You aren’t getting anything different from past versions, and as I’ve said previously the consistency results in basing your rating on not the writing but how dramatic the election fared. In this case the result stunned all, so I have no choice but to assign a 5. There is something for everyone, if you enjoy reading about elections.

[Andres Cordoba · Rating 5 out of 5]

As splendid a book as any other in the series, the author's own up to their poor predictions in the last one, and carefully paint out a picture of the missteps taken by Labour, the careful planning of the conservatives, and the complete collapse of the Liberal Democrats. The Appendix is especially well written in this copy, and contains really solid analysis. Solid attention is played to the press, and even more on the implausibility of the actual scenario, based on the polls at the time. All around, an exemplary entry into the series and worth a reread for anyone interested in how BGE 2015 went down and the variations it had between 2010 and 2017.

[angelica winborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

comprehensive and very good book for research & stuffs ...