British Politics and European Elections 1999

The authors present an original and authoritative account of what was involved for the UK in the contests for the European Parliament. They describe the background, the preparation by the parties, the unfolding campaign (both nationally and regionally), and the results. They discuss the short-term effects and the long-term implications and explore what lay behind the unexpectedly low turnout. The European elections involved the first nationwide experiment with proportional representation and the ramifying consequences for the parties, and the rules of the political game provide a major theme.