Citizens and Subjects

"Citizens and Subjects" is an essay on the nature and condition of democracy in Britain at the end of the 20th century. It looks at the commonly held view that Britain is a model democracy, and exposes it as a dangerous myth inhibiting both radical thought and actual constitutional change. The text explores the tradition of political and constitutional thought in Britain, and contemporary political reality, revealing a wide gulf between the two. Anthony Wright, a recently-elected Labour MP, considers Britain's particularly acute form of a general problem of modern government. While the nation thinks of itself as a liberal democracy, its liberalism was in place well before democracy came onto the agenda. Consequently, from the outset, democracy was seen as a problem by both Conservatives and Liberals. Constitutional issues have re-emerged on the political agenda in recent years. The author discusses the means by which we might move towards a pluralistic, open and participatory democracy; he also argues, however, that practical reforms will not be possible unless they are linked to a new tradition of radical constitutional thought.

ISBN 0415049644   Pages 168 ISBN13 9780415049641 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd   Weight (grammes) 236 Imprint Routledge   Published in London Format Paperback   Height (mm) 216 Publication date 04 Nov 1993   Width (mm) 138 Library of Congress DA589.7.W7   Spine width (mm) 13 DEWEY 320.941   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate DEWEY edition DC12A

		Preface
1		The image and the system		1
2		The place and the problem		8
3		Democracy and the constitution: New wine, old bottles		15
4		Dominocracy		22
5		Doubts and discontents		29
6		Representative government revisited		36
7		Responsible government revisited		43
8		Political culture: Democracy unvisited		50
9		Democracy and ideology: The left		57
10		Democracy and ideology: The right		64
11		The missing traditions		71
12		Centralism and localism		78
13		Consumers, producers and citizens		85
14		Reconstructions I: Representation		92
15		Reconstructions II: Accountability		99
16		Reconstructions III: Participation		106
17		Reconstructions IV: Openness		113
18		The end of politics?		120
19		Becoming citizens		126
20		Postscript on prospects		132
		Notes and references		136
		Index		152

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