Based on an extensive range of sources, this impressive book analyses
the principal institutions and features of British politics on the eve
of reform: the monarchy, the prime ministership, the cabinet, the
departments of State, parliamentary legislation, investigation, debate
and parties, and the relationship between Parliament, the media, public
opinion and popular politics. Designed to provide an accessible guide to
how British politics was conducted in the early nineteenth century, this
book leads to two main conclusions about pre-Reform politics: the
unpredictability and openness of parliamentary affairs, and the
centrality of Parliament to the politics of all social classes.