Britain at the polls 2010 / [edited by] John Bartle and Nicholas Allen.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Foreword -- John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons Labour's Third Term: A Tale of Two Prime Ministers -- Nicholas Allen The Conservative Party -- Tim Bale and Paul Webb Realignment in the Centre: The Liberal Democrats -- Thomas Quinn and Ben Clements The Financial Crisis and its Consequences -- Michael Moran, Sukhdev Johal and Karel Williams The Great Divide: Voters, Parties, MPs and Expenses -- Oliver Heath The Policy Mood and the Moving Centre -- John Bartle, Sebastian Dellepiane Avellaneda and James A. Stimson A Much Debated Campaign -- Nicholas Allen, Judith Bara and John Bartle The Local Campaigns and the Outcome -- Ron Johnston and Charles Pattie The Politics of Coalition -- Philip Norton Appendix: Elections since 1945.

'The Britain at the Polls series always asks-and answers, often with new insights-the key questions about British general elections. And few elections in living memory pose as many big questions as that of May 2010.' - Martin Kettle, The Guardian 'Britain at the Polls 2010 is an essential guide to a highly unusual election. The authors provide detailed coverage of the major developments within and between the parties, the issues that shaped the election and-perhaps most importantly-some long-term trends in public opinion that might explain New Labour's slow but steady decline since the late 1990s. Detailed, yet highly accessible, this book should be read by anyone interested in the what, when and why of this remarkable event in British politics.' - Kai Arzheimer, Professor of Empirical Political Science, University of Mainz 'This is an outstanding collection of papers by an outstanding cast of authors. It tells the story of the remarkable election of 2010 to be sure, but it also makes general patterns in British politics much more understandable. I heartily endorse it.' - Christopher Wlezien, Professor of Political Science, Temple University, Philadelphia The ninth book in the long-running Britiain at the Polls series, the 2010 edition looks back at the political landscape since 2005 with special focus on the transition from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown and the impact of events such as the the financial crisis, the parliamentary expenses scandal and the first ever leaders' debates. The 2010 election is analysised in this context and the final chapters look ahead to assess the fortunes of the new government. A strong line-up of contributors includes Philip Norton, Paul Webb, James A. Stimson, Charles Pattie, Michael Moran and Ron Johnston.