This paper argues that parties of the far right have a higher degree of latent support in Britain than would be indicated by the standard accounts of its political system, preferences that have been hitherto unnoticed because of the impact of the first-past-the-post electoral system. Using evidence from exit polls of the 2004 European and London elections, and a national survey, the paper examines the voters' liking of and likelihood of voting for the major and minor parties, and explores second preferences in the London elections. It argues that the electorate perceives a linkage between the British National party and the UK

Democracy Under Blair offers a full picture of democratic life in the UK, looking beyond the state, elections and formal democratic arrangements to social and economic rights, the role of the media, corruption and the UK's international record.

Democratic Institutions and Practices is the second study carried out under the Democratic Audit of the UK. This volume explores the formal institutions and processes of the liberal democratic state: including the executive, elections, parliament and the civil service.

The International IDEA Handbook on Democracy Assessment is a robust and sensitive guide to assessing the quality of democracy and human rights in any country around the world. The Handbook introduces an easy-to-use and universal methodology for assessing the condition of democracy in any country, or its progress in democratisation, that has been developed in a three-year action programme at IDEA, the inter-governmental Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Sweden. The Handbook provides a means to measure systematically the full range of values, institutions and issues relating to modern democracy that is sensitive to the underlying principles and democracy and the differences between democracies themselves. It is therefore both universal in application and capable of responding to particular aspects of any one nation's democratic arrangements. The animating principle of the Handbook is that only citizens of a nation themselves are qualified to assess the quality of their own democratic arrangements. Thus, it provides a self-help guide, which gives academics, lawyers, political practitioners, journalists and interested citizens the tools to assess the state of their democracy, or any key aspects of their democracy. The Handbook is above all a practical working document that draws on the actual experience of assessing democracy in different countries, comparative knowledge and research, and democratic principles and practice. It gives a step-by-step guide to the purposes and methods of democracy assessment; who to involve; how to use the research tools; how to validate the findings; what standards of practice to adopt; and how to present and publicise a finished assessment. It contains extracts from completed assessments, guidance on the use of qualitative and quantitative data, examples of codes of democratic practice and international and regional standards, and a vast list of accessible data sources. The methodology was created by a team of political scientists assembled from all regions of the world by International IDEA and has been tried and tested in a variety of countries, including Bangladesh, El Salvador, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea and the United Kingdom. International organisations like the World Bank and UNECA are adapting it for in-country use. The four main authors and editors have been directly involved from the inception of the project - in developing and refining the methodology and participating in and advising on the nine country studies that form the essential practical core of experience on which this invaluable Handbook is based.

This is a 'democratic audit' of political freedom and democratic arrangements in the UK as at the end of the year 2000, appraising the performance of the Blair government in recent years. it argues that the Blair government has sought to maintain the power of the central executive in the United Kingdom, even though it has created devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and mayor and assembly in London. The determination to protect central powers explains the weakness of the Freedom of Information Act and the equivocation over the pledge to hold a referendum on electoral reform for Westminster elections. The government's greatest achievement is the Human Rights Act, which puts civil and political rights in the UK on a statutory basis.

Introduction 1. Auditing Democracy in Britain 2. Ancient and Modern Part I Elections and Mandates Introduction 3.The Other National Lottery 4. The Independance of Elections 5. Sticking to the Manifesto Part II The Core Executive Introduction 6. Does the cabinet really govern? 7. Ministers and mandarins 8. Agents of power 9 Below the centre 10. Networks in power 11. The Rules of the Game Part III Checks and Balances Introduction 12. Giving account to Parliament 13. A Parliament bound 14. Heckling the steamroller 15. The rule of law Part IV The Balance Sheet Findings Good in parts Conclusions Tying down Gulliver

The Political QuarterlyVolume 70, Issue 2 p. 128-138 Auditing British Democracy David Beetham, David Beetham Centre for Democratisation Studies, University of Leeds,Search for more papers by this authorStuart Weir, Stuart Weir University of EssexSearch for more papers by this author David Beetham, David Beetham Centre for Democratisation Studies, University of Leeds,Search for more papers by this authorStuart Weir, Stuart Weir University of EssexSearch for more papers by this author First published: 28 June 2008 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.00213Citations: 7AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume70, Issue2April 1999Pages 128-138 RelatedInformation