The Diploma thesis "The Rise and Fall of New Labour: A Political Ideology or a Just a Trend?" focuses on the analysis of a British political course called New Labour. The research focuses on internal and external factors that had allowed this ideology to dominate the British politics over the last 13 years under the established brand of Labour Party. This thesis constitutes a comparative case study, based on the theoretical assumption of time, as well as economic and social constrains of the New Labour phenomenon. The circumstances which back in 1997 allowed the election triumph of New Labour, are often similar to those, that let to its decline a decade later, amid the new social, economic and political climate, caused its decline. This hypothesis is confronted with a secondary research based on the evaluation of broader economic, social and political influences. While the study has proved the validity of the New Labour idea in times of favorable economic and political circumstances, such as the combination of divided opposition and economic boom, it has also shown its failure in the times of economic downturn. Although the vision of New Labour was rejected by the current Labour Party, research and the governing coalition prove that the ideology can successfully operate in combination with...

This thesis examines through the means of a comparative perspective, factors which have allowed the British National Party to enjoy recent electoral success at the local level under the leadership of party chairman Nick Griffin. Such electoral successes have arisen despite the seemingly relative obscurity of the party at the turn of the century. A number of different aspects are examined in order to achieve this aim. The history of the far right in the UK is examined to establish whether the BNP have changed their stance in comparison to previous far right movements. The BNP are also investigated comparatively with other West European parties who have enjoyed national success, as a means of discovering whether the party are similar to their far right neighbours and why they have not enjoyed similar national success. The press coverage of the BNP is examined at a local and national level, using content analysis and the LexisNexis database. The thesis looks at the role played by the BNP in local elections and the decline of participation in political activity, to establish if there is a link between these two factors. Finally a case study is taken of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, to establish directly if any of the above factors can be directly applied to BNP electoral success in this district. The research discovers that there are opportunities for the BNP to establish a connection with the electorate in local politics which are not necessarily available at times of general election.

This thesis examines through the means of a comparative perspective, factors which have allowed the British National Party to enjoy recent electoral success at the local level under the leadership of party chairman Nick Griffin. Such electoral successes have arisen despite the seemingly relative obscurity of the party at the turn of the century. A number of different aspects are examined in order to achieve this aim. The history of the far right in the UK is examined to establish whether the BNP have changed their stance in comparison to previous far right movements. The BNP are also investigated comparatively with other West European parties who have enjoyed national success, as a means of discovering whether the party are similar to their far right neighbours and why they have not enjoyed similar national success. The press coverage of the BNP is examined at a local and national level, using content analysis and the LexisNexis database. The thesis looks at the role played by the BNP in local elections and the decline of participation in political activity, to establish if there is a link between these two factors. Finally a case study is taken of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, to establish directly if any of the above factors can be directly applied to BNP electoral success in this district. The research discovers that there are opportunities for the BNP to establish a connection with the electorate in local politics which are not necessarily available at times of general election.