Full Issue
| Published date | 01 April 2010 |
| Date | 01 April 2010 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.2041-9066.2010.00001.x |
| Subject Matter | Full Issue |
Editorial
Anyone who attended the Political Studies Association’s awards ceremony back in November – or watched
the highlights on BBC Parliament – would have witnessed a stirring speech from Labour’s Dr Tony Wright.
On accepting his award for parliamentarian of the year, Dr Wright argued that politicians can be divided
into two camps: ‘what’ and ‘why’. The former are politics’ bean-counters, concerned with the shillings
and pence of public administration. The latter, on the other hand, ask why certain policies are being
implemented and not others, why funds are being spent in one area and not another. It is these politicians
who are crucial to the success of democracy and who must be encouraged and supported.
Like Dr Wright and other ‘why’ politicians, Political Insight is all about asking the important, often
awkward, questions of politics and politicians. If we do not call government to account, who will?
Each issue of Political Insight will cover a broad range of topics. In this issue, election expert Paul Whiteley predicts the
forthcoming UK general election; Andrew Gamble takes a look at the implications of the fi nancial crisis and Alexandra Kelso
considers whether last year’s expenses crisis will lead to lasting parliamentary reform. Elsewhere, Charlie Jeffery shows how
devolution has changed Scottish electoral politics and John Benyon profi les the politics of our ageing society.
Political Insight is not restricted to national politics. In this issue, Inderjeet Parmar analyses how American foreign policy
has changed under President Obama, and Muhammad Idrees Ahmad reports from Peshawar on the growth of the Pakistani
Taliban. Meanwhile, Allison Drew profi les the politics of South Africa and Edward Huijbens and Huginn Freyr Þorsteinsson
explain how the credit crunch has affected Iceland.
As well as regular feature-length pieces, between the covers of Political Insight you will fi nd a variety of irregular columns
on everything from research impact and methods to controversial views and opinions. This month, Iain McLean and Vernon
Bogdanor debate the thorny issue of whether or not the UK should have an elected head of state and upper house, and, in
our Foresight slot, David McNair and Dries Lesage argue the case for greater international co-operation on taxation to help
developing nations. Meanwhile, I talk to former Liberal Democrat leader and parliamentary stalwart Ming Campbell about
his life in politics.
Political Insight has a vital role to play in bringing research and debates on all aspects of politics to a broad audience. If you
would like to be part of this process, drop me an email (address on the opposite page) with your comments and suggestions.
All that is left for me to say is enjoy the magazine’s fi rst issue and see you again in September.
Peter Geoghegan
Editor
Editor
Peter Geoghegan
editor@politicalinsightmagazine.com
Editorial Board
Professor John Benyon
University of Leicester
Professor Vicky Randall
University of Essex
Professor Richard Topf
London Metropolitan University
Professor Paul Whiteley
University of Essex
International Advisory Board
Professor Luciano Bardi
University of Pisa
Professor Andrew Gamble
University of Cambridge
Professor Robert Goodin
Australian National University
Professor Ian Holliday
University of Hong Kong
Professor Ira Katznelson
Columbia University
Martha Kearney
British Broadcasting Corporation
Professor Gurpreet Mahajan
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Professor Pippa Norris
Harvard University
Professor Rasul Bakhsh Rais
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Professor Rod Rhodes
University of Tasmania
Contents
Insight making sense
of issues,
arguments,
trends and
developments
POLITICAL
Volume 1 • Number 1 April 2010
In the News 2
My Political Life 4
Menzies Campbell talks about Iraq, ageism
and why he’ll never support Scottish inde-
pendence.
Features
Can Labour Win? 5
Who will be the next PM? Will there be a hung
parliament? Paul Whiteley forecasts the up-
coming general election – and comes up with
some unexpected results.
The Public Good: Reforming Westminster
after the Expenses Crisis 8
Duck houses, moats, garlic presses: last year’s
expenses revelations rocked Westminster. But
has the scandal led to lasting parliamentary
reforms? Alexandra Kelso fi nds out.
Plus Ça Change? American Foreign Policy
under Obama 14
Barack Obama’s election seemed to herald a
new dawn in US politics, but has the super-
power’s foreign policy really changed since the
Bush years? Inderjeet Parmar investigates.
New World Order: The Aftermath of the
Financial Crisis 17
Just how big was the fi nancial crash? And what
will its long-term effects be? Andrew Gamble
takes a look at the worldwide implications of
the recent credit crunch.
Letters from Iceland 20
In 2008 Iceland became the poster child for
the global fi nancial crash, but how has it fared
since? Edward Huijbens and Huginn Freyr
Þorsteinsson report.
The Longevity Revolution 27
Life expectancy has been increasing since 1840
– and is set to continue. John Benyon looks at
the challenges and opportunities of our ageing
society.
An Outbreak of Consensus: Scottish
Politics after Devolution 32
Nationalists support independence and union-
ists the union. Or do they? Charlie Jeffery
reports on the growing appetite for devolution
on both sides of the border.
Debate
Shifting Sovereignties 11
Vernon Bogdanor and Iain McLean take
opposing sides of the house for the motion
‘Should the United Kingdom have an elected
upper house and an elected head of state?’
Foresight
What Hope for Global Tax Justice? 22
Developing countries pay the largest humanitar-
ian price for tax evasion. The time has come for
greater international co-operation on taxation,
argue David McNair and Dries Lesage.
Country Focus
South Africa 24
Ahead of this summer’s World Cup, Allison
Drew profi les the turbulent politics of host
nation South Africa.
From the Front Line
Insurgent Pakistan 36
Muhammad Idrees Ahmad reports from
Peshawar, where Pakistan’s frontier insurgency
threatens to further destabilise an already
volatile region.
In Focus 38
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1April 2010
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