Conclusion

Abstract

The main purpose of this book has been to put to the empirical test the thesis that British general elections have presidentialized in the sense that party leaders have come to play a more prominent role than they used to in structuring both media coverage of the campaign and the party people choose at the polls. It needs to be reiterated here that the book makes no claims to being a comprehensive analysis of the role of prime ministerial candidates in parliamentary electoral politics. Rather, it is an analysis of their direct effects on individual voting choice and on election outcomes. Their indirect effects are not considered herein. These may take the form, for example, of the leaders shifting their party’s ideological centre of gravity to enhance its electoral appeal or of their shaping the party’s image in the public eye through the projection on to the party of personal characteristics like competence, probity and caringness that the public perceives in him (Webb 2000: ch. 5). Also ignored are minor party leaders. The decision was taken to exclude them so as to make the test of the presidentialization thesis especially rigorous. Specifically, the supporters of the traditionally class-based Conservative and Labour parties are notable for being firmer in their loyalty at the polls than their third-party (Liberal/Liberal-Social Democratic Alliance/Liberal Democratic) counterparts.