Political Communications: The General Election Campaign of 1983. Book

A unique mixture of academic research, professional experience and personal reflection, Political Communications examines the crucial dialogue between politicians and people that is conducted, via the Press, broadcasting and opinion polls, during the course of a British election campaign. Scholarly analysis is complemented by the contributions of individual experts from advertising agencies, polling organisations and political parties: among the latter is a piece on the successful Conservative campaign by the then chairman Cecil Parkinson. Special attention is paid to the innovative aspects of the 1983 campaign, e.g. the impact of the Alliance parties, of CND, of massively increased opinion polling, and of breakfast television. The concluding section considers election campaigning in the light of these changes, and examines the arguments for the legal regulation of what has become a political process of the utmost significance.