Dictionary of British Politics

Contemporary Review, April, 2005

Dictionary of British Politics. Bill Jones. Manchester University Press. [pounds sterling]9.99. ix 401 pages. ISBN 0-7190-4958-X. The author avoids constitutional matters (such as the destruction of the House of Lords) as these are treated in another volume in the Politics Today series. He concentrates on British politics since 1945, political institutions, offices and individuals 'who have had a formative influence' on politics.

The entries can sometimes be surprising but welcome: propaganda; Nolan Committee; and Matrix Churchill case. The entries also vary enormously in quality: he writes that Edward VIII was 'spiritual head of the Church of England'. He was, of course, Supreme Governor. The 'spiritual head' is the Archbishop of Canterbury. The entry on the Queen is skewed by personal prejudice and hampered by lack of knowledge: to say that the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, showed the Queen to be 'a possibly unfeeling and vindictive woman' is damning by innuendo without foundation. The entry on the Monarchy is unbelievably unprofessional when a quote by the sublimely uninformed malcontent, Tom Paine, is quoted at the end. Why? To say the Queen is limited to 'performing ceremonial functions' is not only incorrect but again based on a lack of knowledge. To say that the Court was urged to save money is humorous when one considers how MPs raise their salaries and pensions whilst the Court constantly reduces expenditure. (G.F.B.)