Author Interview

Gillian Peele talks about her own experiences of studying and teaching Politics as well as the value of studying Politics today.

1. How did you become interested in the subject of Politics?

I had always been fascinated by current affairs and I was passionately interested in history at school. I was fortunate to have an excellent history teacher who also taught what was then called "British Constitution" which, although very different from current politics A- level courses allowed scope to explore the subject.

I chose to read law and politics as an undergraduate at Durham thinking I might become a lawyer. In fact I was hooked on the study of politics and decided to do postgraduate work at Oxford and to continue in academic life.

Within my career, I have been fortunate to be able to spend a good deal of time in the United States on my research. I have also contributed to debates on a range of public policy issues such as curriculum restructuring, broadcasting policy, Northern Ireland's future and parliamentary reform.

2. What are the big political issues facing the UK at the start of the 21st century?

This is an exciting time for the study of British politics. Three issues stand out for me and I have tried to address them in part in the text.

The first is the role of the nation state. This question has a number of dimensions which are crucial politically. To what extent has globalisation eroded the capacity of national governments to control their own environments and to what extent does this process (which is by no means an uncomplicated or uncontentious one) require further transnational regulation? Our understanding of democratic control and self-government has developed largely within the context of the sovereign nation state. Transnational structures of governance may be increasingly necessary but they are also difficult for citizens to understand and identify with, not least because of their complex structures and geographic distance.

Linked to this is the question of engagement in the political process and the problem of why conventional political participation appears to be declining in the United Kingdom and indeed in many parts of Europe. There are more opportunities to vote in the United Kingdom than ever before but the evidence suggests alarmingly low levels of public interest in choosing their local, European or even national representatives. The recent prediction that the vote in the next European Parliament elections could fall to as low as 18% is really worrying both because of what it says about the apathy of the British electorate and because low turnouts may leave the way open for unrepresentative and perhaps extremist political forces. Reconnecting British political life and the British public is an urgent task.

Finally I think there urgent need to rebuild trust in politicians and political processes. The apparent prevalence of sleaze and spin in government has created a climate in the public that is cynical about its politicians. Thus we see poll data suggesting that, despite Lord Hutton's extensive investigations into the death of Dr Kelly, a large portion of the public considered the verdict a whitewash. I believe in healthy scepticism but such extensive cynicism about the motives and behaviour of politicians as we have seen recently is damaging to democracy.

3. Why should someone study politics now?

Politics is an exciting and diverse subject, offering an insight into key international problems as well as small scale ones. It will provide a remarkably good basis for a number of careers in journalism, law, teaching and of course a career within the government. Students who study politics embark on a journey which is endlessly intriguing and it allows them to acquire skills which they can deploy not only in their careers but in their everyday lives.