Real political change does not follow one, or even three, crises. It takes decades, says Jonathan Bartley, surveying the scene this summer. In certain respects things aren’t all that different from sixty years ago. But grassroots pressure still makes a difference.
Will the five different polls that took place on 5 May 2011 prove to be a watershed for politics in Britain? It depends where you see the axis for change and the key tipping points, says Simon Barrow. There are at least two distinct ways of narrating differential outcomes.
A manifesto for re-connecting formal British politics with ordinary people has been chosen by the public and officially unveiled, as the largest ever campaign for political reform enters its decisive phase.
Once in a generation, people get a chance to make radical and significant changes to the country's political fabric, says Power 2010. This is such a time.
Democracy campaigners have reacted angrily to news that the British government plans to bury proposals to reform the House of Commons by putting them to a special vote which means they will almost certainly be rejected.
The die seems cast for the next General Election, says Simon Barrow. But much can still shift if non-Conservative parties, voters and reformers swing into action.