Member of Parliament : the job of a backbencher /

An excellent examination of the life and role of the British member of Parliament (MP) written by three specialists, two of whom are academics. Based on personal interviews, an extensive survey, and substantial secondary research, it analyzes backbench members from their own perspectives. The study covers the recruitment of MPs, their job in Parliament, how they spend a typical day in the House of Commons, the pay and conditions under which they work, their responsibilities outside Parliament, and their view of what they do. The authors examine the diaries of four of these backbenchers and conclude with an analysis of the changes MPs themselves recommend. North American academics and students of legislative behavior and British politics undoubtedly will be disappointed at the absence of the tables and graphs to which they have become accustomed in studies of this kind. However, it makes for easy and pleasant reading while accurately reflecting the realities of British parliamentary life today. The most up-to-date discussion of a subject which by now has a lengthy bibliography. For all undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.-P. Regenstreif, University of Rochester