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The "hollowed-out election," or where did all the policy go?

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Sustainable Development Goals

  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
    SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

Abstract

An increasing emphasis on personalities, at the expense of party policies, is a trend that has been apparent in UK General Elections for the past two decades. However, the 2010 election saw that trend reach new heights in what is here described as a “hollowed out” election. This article, based on research that investigates the news agendas of the parties and contrasts these with those of the media and the public, seeks to demonstrate the extent to which, with the exception of generalized debate about the state of the economy, there was an almost total absence of policy discussion by the parties and the media during the 2010 campaign. This is attributed to three factors: the impact of the first-ever leaders' televised debates, ideological convergence between the parties, and the fact that the two issues of greatest concern to the public—government spending cuts and immigration—were issues that the parties felt were “too hot to handle.”

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 211-225

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Journal of Political Marketing (Volume 12, Issue 2-3)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 01/04/2013

Publication status

Published - 01/04/2013

ISSN

1537-7857

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/594874
  • Scopus: 84879172834

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