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Synopsis
The Westminster Parliament is worth closer scrutiny not just for the sake of democracy, but on intellectual grounds because the surprises it contains challenge our understanding of politics. Based on anthropological fieldwork between 1998-2000 in the House of Lords and 2011-2013 in the House of Commons and constituencies, this Curiosity explains how relationships within the two Houses are utterly different from their surface appearances. The high social status of peers in the House of Lords gives the impression of hierarchy and, more specifically, patriarchy. In contrast, the Commons conjures assumptions of equality and fairness between members of the lower House. But observation of the everyday relationships within the two Houses reveals the opposite: while the Lords has an egalitarian and co-operative ethos, and women thrive in the upper House, the competitive and aggressive Commons is a far less comfortable place for women. Paradoxically MPs have to be both an individual, serving their constituents, and a symbol of a collective, their political party.
The inevitable messiness of representative politics, and the disappointment it brings, are both the virtue and weakness of parliamentary democracy. Emma Crewe looks beneath the surface and uncovers its surprises and secrets. New & Used
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOME GREAT ESSAYS ON A VERY MODERN PARLIAMENTARY PERSPECTIVE - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IN LESS THAN 70 PAGES
An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers
This book is described by ‘The Independent’ as ‘nifty’ and it is! The Times Higher Education goes to the heart of the success of this little book by saying that it can be read in one sitting… in an internet age, too! No small feat for the students of today, then, if we can succeed in getting their attention, which can seem to wander after 30 seconds.
In fact, what Emma Crewe poses here with her five chapters will interest a very wide range of both lay readers and students.
This short book covers: Parliamentary Curiosities; Party discipline: The Whips have no clothes; Women in Parliament: Performing patriarchy; Parliamentary scrutiny: Reading the runes; and finally the interestingly titled “Seductive gilded village and addictive city of torture”.
As the publishers rightly proclaim, our two Houses of Parliament deserve closer scrutiny not just for the sake of democracy, but also because of the surprises it contains which challenge our understanding of British politics… and they get it in spades here with a very well researched and written trip round our Parliamentary system with all its faults.
“Commons and Lords” draws back the curtain on both the upper (senior) House of Lords (soon possibly to be a Senate under reform) and the lower House of Commons to examine their mysterious and unexpected inner workings. Both Houses are always linked with colour, the Lords for red and the Commons for green… and don’t read into this any party political preferences! (Not yet anyway!)
The book emerges from substantial anthropological case work conducted on both Houses of Parliament. Crewe’s thesis, part of the Haus Curiosities series, gives a surprising twist in how relationships in each section of the Palace of Westminster play out. She describes well “the high social status of peers in the House of Lords” and does give an interesting impression of hierarchy and, possibly more accurately, its patriarchy.
For balance, the Commons delivers supposed impressions of equality and fairness between members although backbenchers would probably not agree at all with this conclusion.
However, actual observations show the opposite: whilst the Lords have an egalitarian and cooperative ethos that is also highly supportive of female members (they don’t have constituencies), the competitive and aggressive shouting matches in the Commons make that place a far less comfortable environment for women, as Blair, Brown and Cameron have found to their cost when addressing the singularly difficult issue of gender equality in politics and candidate selection.
Emma Crewe has done a superb job here opening up what so many students find as a boring and irrelevant place- you try teaching them the subject, although the guided tours are wizard to keep the attention span from wandering elsewhere.
She uncovers many surprises and secrets so this book is a short treasure house of modern facts about Westminster exposing what many consider the sheer oddity of the British parliamentary system: you make your own mind up but do get the book as you will not put it down when you start reading it!
An appreciation
This book is described by ‘The Independent’ as ‘nifty’ and it is! The Times Higher Education goes to the heart of the success of this little book by saying that it can be read in one sitting… in an internet age, too! No small feat for the students of today, then, if we can succeed in getting their attention, which can seem to wander after 30 seconds.
In fact, what Emma Crewe poses here with her five chapters will interest a very wide range of both lay readers and students.
This short book covers: Parliamentar
As the publishers rightly proclaim, our two Houses of Parliament deserve closer scrutiny not just for the sake of democracy, but also because of the surprises it contains which challenge our understandin
“Commons and Lords” draws back the curtain on both the upper (senior) House of Lords (soon possibly to be a Senate under reform) and the lower House of Commons to examine their mysterious and unexpected inner workings. Both Houses are always linked with colour, the Lords for red and the Commons for green… and don’t read into this any party political preferences!
The book emerges from substantial anthropologi
For balance, the Commons delivers supposed impressions of equality and fairness between members although backbenchers
However, actual observations
Emma Crewe has done a superb job here opening up what so many students find as a boring and irrelevant place- you try teaching them the subject, although the guided tours are wizard to keep the attention span from wandering elsewhere.
She uncovers many surprises and secrets so this book is a short treasure house of modern facts about Westminster exposing what many consider the sheer oddity of the British parliamentar