The influence of the political party group on the representative activities of councillors
Abstract
This thesis studies the influence of the political party group on the
processes of local political representation. It sets out to discover how party
groups are able to position themselves between councillor and the
electorate, to demand the loyalty of councillors, and to ensure that they act
publicly in a cohesive fashion in respect of local issues.
The study distinguishes between different theatres of representation, the
more or less open arenas within which councillors speak and act. This
distinction is used to investigate the actual and likely behaviour of
councillors in a range of situations from the closed and private to the open
and public. The study also introduces the concept of crises of
representation, which arise when a councillor experiences the competing
pulls of party group loyalty and local feelings on contentious issues
affecting his or her ward or division. To explore this tension, the study
introduces the concept of event-driven democracy to describe those
situations which motivate the community to protest council decisions and
compete with the party group for councillors' loyalty. Evidence from a survey of 629 councillors in 20 authorities in the
Midlands and surrounding area was gathered in order to compare and
contrast reports of past and hypothetical actions in open and closed
theatres of representation. Interviews were used to supplement and
illuminate these data. Three case studies examine the actual responses of
councillors faced with crises of representation. Comparison is made with
national data. Differences between the political parties are explored and
political affiliation examined as a factor in party group influence on local
representation.
Authors
Copus, ColinCollections
- Theses [3827]