The strange death of Tory Liverpool: Conservative electoral decline in Liverpool, 1945–1996

Jeffery, David

doi:10.1057/s41293-016-0032-6

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…This finding also presents a potential issue for support for metro mayors in the Liverpool City Region. Although Liverpool, and the wider city region, is currently a very safe Labour area, this was not always the case (Jeffery 2017 ), and the Conservatives still perform well in some areas of Merseyside (Jeffery 2021a ). This, coupled with the Green Party providing a challenge to Labour’s left flank in some parts of Merseyside (Hamilton 2021 ), could see Labour dominance eventually threatened.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Jeffery

2022

Br Polit

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Metro mayors heading a combined authority represent the most recent innovation in English devolution. City-region devolution has been a key way in which successive Conservative governments have sought to boost local economic growth against a background of local authority austerity, and now form a part of the Johnson government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda. However, the perspective of voters is often overlooked in these debates. City-region devolution is a top-down innovation, with a focus on city-region economics rather than democratic renewal or engagement, and there is so far very little academic literature on identifying the drivers of public support for mayoral combined authorities. This study draws on survey responses of voters in the Liverpool City Region and explores a number of potential drivers of support for the Liverpool City Region combined authority, including party support, English, British and European identity, left–right and other value positions, and the role of place in driving support. It finds that support for devolution to the Liverpool City Region is driven by whether one lives in the centre or periphery of the city region, support for the Labour Party, left-wing, socially liberal and European identities, as well as being female and older. This paper also lays the groundwork for further research into drivers of public support for city-region devolution in England.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Jeffery

2022

Br Polit

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“…This again shows the influence of national politics on local voting behaviour, with a tired Labour government boosting Conservative fortunes. Yet a plurality of votes did not translate into a plurality of seats: the Conservatives won 31 per cent of the seats from 37 per cent of Figure 1.8: Share of seats for local elections in Liverpool, 1945Liverpool, -2019 Source: Rallings, Thrasher, and Ware (2006) and Jeffery (2021).…”

Section: Local-level Declinementioning

confidence: 99%

Whatever happened to Tory Liverpool?

Jeffery¹

2023

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Typeset by Carnegie Book Production, Lancaster Contents Contents Acknowledgements and note on figures vii 2013, Tim has been generous with his time and supportive when things have not gone quite to plan. This book, and the thesis it was based on, is all the stronger for his involvement. His advice not to make the perfect the enemy of the good will stick with me, and I am sorry that I still do not properly understand the semicolon.I am grateful to the Economic and Social Research Council and Queen Mary University of London for awarding me the QMUL Principal's Studentship to fund my doctoral studies. I hope the contribution this book makes to our understanding of Liverpool's rich history, and the history of the Conservative Party, is worth it.I would also like to thank all the people who have offered their comments, thoughts, and insights over the course of my journey in producing this book. These include my doctoral examiners, Dr Nicholas Allen and Professor Jonathan Tonge, and my friends Dr Antony Mullen and Dr Sam Blaxland, who provided detailed feedback on the final draft (Sam even read it twicea true glutton for punishment). Your advice has been invaluable. Liverpool University Press, especially Alison Welsby, deserve a special thanks for their patience with this (very delayed) book, and I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their kind and thoughtful comments.On a personal level, I would like to thank my friends and family for putting up with me for so long. My parents Lynne and Dave, for always encouraging viii Whatever happened to Tory Liverpool? me to do my best; my sister Laura, for reminding me that academia is a relatively easy gig, all things considered; my partner Ben, for making life fun; and, of course, Dublin, Bella, Jess, and Hugo, for their unconditional love.I would especially like to thank Gareth Anderson for the advice, support, and encouragement he has given me over the years. I am a much better person for knowing you. Thank you.There is one final acknowledgement that I should make. Like many doctoral students, I chose my topic because it was of immense interest to me. I was born in Liverpool and, apart from some years in Sheffield and London for university, I have lived in Liverpool all my life. I also joined the Conservative Party in Liverpool in early 2010 and have been a member ever since. I have even stood as a Conservative candidate in a number of Liverpool's local elections and as a result I am a data point in my own data set, which is a strange feeling.Often academics will seek to hide their political views, emerging only after a few drinks at the end-of-year social, but for better or worse that has never been the path I have taken and it has not been unknown for people to discount my work because of my publicly held views. However, I have written this book as an academic, not a partisan, because I believe the story of Conservative decline in Liverpool is one that deserves to be told to a wider audience. I hope you agree.And please, if you have any comments about this book,...

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“…Indeed, the archetypal Liverpudlian Tory-phobe emerged prior to Margaret Thatcher’s rise to leadership and eventual role as PM from 1979 to 1990. David Jeffrey (2017) has argued that it was a “perfect storm” and a weather forecast that was dominated by the Liberal Party, initially in 1973. The Liberals were seen as the primary opposition to Labour with their effective use of “pavement politics” that concentrated on local issues and endeavored to entice Conservative voters who were dissatisfied with Edward Heath’s (1970-1974) government.…”

Section: Toward the 1980smentioning

confidence: 99%

And in The End: A 1980s Liverpool Youth Magazine

Grant

2022

Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies

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This article will examine the 1980s magazine The End first published in Liverpool by young people following 2 years of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative election victory in 1979. The End editors and contributors have previously been discussed within popular culture, but there is a lack of academic consideration of the magazine itself. The End has been absorbed within the wider “Casual Cultural” appraisal—soccer subcultures of fashion and “terrace culture.” The End stands alone as it embraced the difficult life experiences of school leavers and endeavored to apply a humorous and acidly sarcastic twist to the dull consequences of unemployment and economic recession. This paper will explore the social, economic, and industrial landscape at the time of The End’s inception and capture the thoughts and motivations of those who first published the magazine. An exploration will examine the devastation of one industry as a representation of many businesses and manufacturing plants in Liverpool that relocated or ceased trading in the early 1980s. It explores the multi-layered texture and observational humor within The End.

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The strange death of Tory Liverpool: Conservative electoral decline in Liverpool, 1945–1996

Cited by 19 publications

References 13 publications

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Understanding drivers of support for English city-region devolution: a case study of the Liverpool City Region

Whatever happened to Tory Liverpool?

And in The End: A 1980s Liverpool Youth Magazine

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