Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England

Over the past decade and a half in Britain, citizens have been consulted by referenda on questions of devolution, the office of Mayor of London (1997), directly elected mayors (2002-2012) and, more recently, the voting system (2012). The office of Mayor has a long-standing history in Britain. What i...

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Main Author: Susan Finding
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université de Poitiers
Series:Cahiers du MIMMOC
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/mimmoc/2288
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author Susan Finding
author_facet Susan Finding
author_sort Susan Finding
collection DOAJ
description Over the past decade and a half in Britain, citizens have been consulted by referenda on questions of devolution, the office of Mayor of London (1997), directly elected mayors (2002-2012) and, more recently, the voting system (2012). The office of Mayor has a long-standing history in Britain. What is new is the manner in which some are now elected and the significance this office has taken on with the changes in their electoral legitimacy. This paper examines the debates about the advantages and disadvantages of directly electing mayors and on the nature of democracy and the reliability of democratic institutions in Britain. It also analyses reasons for the relative successes and failures of the changes introduced, looking in particular at the scale at which direct democracy can operate.
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spelling doaj.art-9349c2c393b64a2cba2aa806fb9957182024-02-15T13:57:19ZengUniversité de PoitiersCahiers du MIMMOC1951-67891410.4000/mimmoc.2288Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in EnglandSusan FindingOver the past decade and a half in Britain, citizens have been consulted by referenda on questions of devolution, the office of Mayor of London (1997), directly elected mayors (2002-2012) and, more recently, the voting system (2012). The office of Mayor has a long-standing history in Britain. What is new is the manner in which some are now elected and the significance this office has taken on with the changes in their electoral legitimacy. This paper examines the debates about the advantages and disadvantages of directly electing mayors and on the nature of democracy and the reliability of democratic institutions in Britain. It also analyses reasons for the relative successes and failures of the changes introduced, looking in particular at the scale at which direct democracy can operate.https://journals.openedition.org/mimmoc/2288direct democracymayorlocal authoritiescouncilsdevolution
spellingShingle Susan Finding
Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England
Cahiers du MIMMOC
direct democracy
mayor
local authorities
councils
devolution
title Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England
title_full Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England
title_fullStr Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England
title_full_unstemmed Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England
title_short Who governs Britain - Democracy in action? Directly Elected Mayors in England
title_sort who governs britain democracy in action directly elected mayors in england
topic direct democracy
mayor
local authorities
councils
devolution
url https://journals.openedition.org/mimmoc/2288
work_keys_str_mv AT susanfinding whogovernsbritaindemocracyinactiondirectlyelectedmayorsinengland