List of boxes; List of tables; Leaders of the two main parties in Britain since 1945; US presidents since 1945; Votes and seats in British general elections since 1945; 1. The Setting of British Politics: British Society and the British People; Introduction; The historical background; British society and the British way of life; Immigration and religion: their impact; Underlying British ideas and values; 2. The Constitution;PART A THE CONSTITUTION; Introduction; The growth of interest in constitutional revision; The characteristics of constitutions; The constitution of the United Kingdom; The Blair government and the Constitution; PART B, THE PROTECTION OF RIGHTS IN BRITAIN; Introduction; The protection of rights in Britain; The case of South Africa; The case of the USA; 3. The Legislature; Introduction; What is the legislature?; The structure of legislatures; The British House of Lords; The main functions of the House of Commons; The House as a watchdog over government; Elected representatives: the duties and responsibilities of British MPs; Parliamentary reform in recent years; The social composition of elected legislators; The pay and conditions of legislators; The case of Denmark; The case of the USA; 4. The Executive; Introduction; The Executive in parliamentary and presidential systems of government; The distribution of power within political executives: the trend towards first ministerial dominance; The British Cabinet; The role of Prime Minister; The debate about prime ministerial power; Constraints on the British Prime Minister; A presidential prime minister?; British ministers and their civil servants; The conventions of Ministerial Responsibility; The case of Holland;The case of the USA; 5. The Judiciary; Introduction; Judicial independence; Judicial neutrality; The growing importance of judicial review; The developing trend towards judicial activism; The politicisation of British judges: growing judicial power; The case of the European Court on Human.