MEMBERSHIP BALLOTS IN PARTY LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS IN BRITAIN

摘要

Given the propensity of party members to be ideologically less centrist than voters, British parties' shift to membership ballots in leadership elections might have been expected to result in radical leaders. This paper explains why this development has largely not occurred, using data from four recent leadership elections. Following Stark (1996), it argues that members' selection criteria are unity, electability and competence. The paper shows that members are not blind ideologues but are sensitive to the need for party unity.