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The election in 2010 of the first Green MP, Caroline Lucas, was a significant breakthrough for the party, but during the 2015 UK general election the Greens became a serious, albeit still minor, el...

The environment was David Cameron’s signature issue underpinning his modernization agenda. In opposition the ‘Vote Blue, Go Green’ strategy had a positive impact on the party’s image: the environment operated as a valence issue in a period of raised public concern, particularly about climate change, and Cameron’s high-profile support contributed to the cross-party consensus that delivered radical change in climate policy. Although the Coalition government has implemented important environmental measures, the Conservatives have not enhanced their green credentials in government and Cameron has failed to provide strong leadership on the issue. Since 2010, climate change has to some extent been transformed into a positional issue. Conservative MPs, urged on by the right-wing press, have adopted an increasingly partisan approach to climate change, and opinion polls reveal clear partisan divisions on climate change amongst public opinion. As a positional issue climate change has become challenging for the Conservatives, showing them to be internally divided, rebellious and inclined to support producer interests. This article makes a contribution to our understanding of Conservative modernization, while also challenging the dominant assumption in the scholarly literature that the environment, particularly climate change, is a valence issue.

Writing a history of a football club is an increasingly serious business. Recent works such as Red Men: Liverpool Football Club – The Biography (Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2010) by John Williams and Da...

Within the phrase ‘cultural conflict’ in its title, this book hints at a throwback to a time when the history of leisure was bound up with notions of social control. But rather than a descent into ...

Between 2006 and 2010 climate change rose rapidly up the UK political agenda and the Labour Government, with cross-party support, introduced major changes in domestic climate and energy policy, including the landmark Climate Change Act 2008, which represented an important step toward the UK becoming a low carbon economy. Cross-party consensus was initially sustained by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition, before growing criticism from the political right began to turn climate change into an increasingly partisan issue, thereby weakening the commitment of David Cameron to climate leadership. The article examines the transition of climate change from low politics to high politics, assessing the role of public opinion, the media, business, environmental groups, and party competition in overcoming the obstacles to progressive climate change and energy policy. The roles of party politics and of individual political leadership are identified as critical factors in raising the profile of climate change and delivering radical policy change. The significance of the growing partisan divisions over climate change is assessed. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The author has declared no conflict of interest for this article.

An innovative framework combining the ‘multiple streams’ (MS) and ‘punctuated equilibrium’ (PE) models of agenda-setting is used to explain the transformation of UK climate change and energy policy under the Labour Government between 2006 and 2010. The coupling of the problem, politics and policy streams by policy entrepreneurs (MS), and changes in policy image and institutional venues (PE), were critical in opening a policy window, disrupting the existing policy monopoly and enabling radical policy initiatives. The case study suggests two revisions to the models: (1) policy windows can remain open far longer than either model typically predicts; and (2) party politics, especially where party competition generates a ‘competitive consensus’, can be important for both initiating and prolonging policy change in parliamentary systems. An important factor typically overlooked by both models is the significant policy entrepreneurship role that government ministers can play, particularly when an issue becomes part of their ‘narrative identity’.

Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska, Managing the Body: Beauty, Health and Fitness in Britain, 1880–1939 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010). Pp. xi+394, £65.00 (hb), ISBN 978-0-19-928052-0 In defiance ...

If the environment becomes the subject of party competition so that mainstream parties compete to be the ‘greenest’ party and move closer to Green party positions that may produce more environmental policy measures and better environmental outcomes. A comparative analysis of the impact of the environmental dimension on contemporary party politics employs the 2010 Chapel Hill Expert Survey and the Manifesto Project empirical data to analyse party positions and issue salience. Green parties still form a homogenous party family characterised by strong environmental, libertarian and left-wing policy positions. Mainstream parties have mostly employed dismissive and accommodative strategies towards the environment, with left-wing parties adopting more pro-environment policy positions than right-wing parties, but with only marginal differences in issue salience that fluctuate over time.

Chris McConville (ed.), A Global Racecourse: Work, Culture and Horse Sports (ASSH Studies No. 23) (Melbourne: Australian Society for Sports History, 2008). Pp. Xii+164, AUS$25.00 (pb), ISBN 978-0-9...

In July 2009, the Special Olympics Great Britain National Summer Games for athletes with learning disabilities were held in Leicester. Uniquely the Games achieved considerable television news coverage. This article offers a preliminary analysis of television representations of the Games. National TV coverage of the Paralympics is now established, but Special Olympics – and sport for people with learning disabilities in general – receives little media or research attention. This is partly because Special Olympics remains located outside mainstream national sporting networks and its ethos stresses the importance of participation over sporting excellence. The 2009 Games’ television coverage projected complex and ‘mixed’ messages reflected in the language, tone and images typically employed by broadcasters. We identify three key themes: first, the problematically relentless ‘positive’ tone of the coverage, which echoes wider public discourses concerning learning disability; second, the media emphasis on ‘human interest’ narratives and so, via these, the invidualizing of learning disability questions and the general absence of any wider discussion of political or social agendas linking sport and disability; finally, how television in its occasional focus on the families of athletes with learning disabilities articulated values and tensions which characterize the unusually conflicted status of the Games.

Published under Bloomsbury Open licence - This licence means you are free to share this work for non-commercial purposes only, providing you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher. You may not alter or transform this work without explicit permission in writing from Bloomsbury Publishing.

WellcomeTrust sponsored research project on the history of sports medicine, 2004-07 between De Montfort University and University of Manchester

Wellcome Trust funded research project on the history of sports medicine, 2004-07 between De Montfort University and University of Manchester

Published under Bloomsbury Open licence - This licence means you are free to share this work for non-commercial purposes only, providing you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher. You may not alter or transform this work without explicit permission in writing from Bloomsbury Publishing. What role does sports medicine play in today's society? Is it solely about treating sports injuries? Should it only be concerned with elite sport? This book provides a history of the relationship between sport, medicine and health from the mid-19th century to today. It combines the sub-disciplines of the history of medicine and the history of sport to give a balanced analysis of the role of medicine in sport and how this has evolved over the past two centuries. In an age where sports medicine plays an increasingly prominent role in both elite and recreational sport, this book provides a timely and clear analysis of its rise and purpose. Wellcome Trust funded research project on the history of sports medicine, 2004-07 between De Montfort University and University of Manchester Published under Bloomsbury Open licence - This licence means you are free to share this work for non-commercial purposes only, providing you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher. You may not alter or transform this work without explicit permission in writing from Bloomsbury Publishing. Please contact us to apply for permission

What role does sports medicine play in today's society? Is it solely about treating sports injuries? Should it only be concerned with elite sport? This book provides a history of the relationship between sport, medicine and health from the mid-19th century to today. It combines the sub-disciplines of the history of medicine and the history of sport to give a balanced analysis of the role of medicine in sport and how this has evolved over the past two centuries. In an age where sports medicine plays an increasingly prominent role in both elite and recreational sport, this book provides a timely and clear analysis of its rise and purpose. Wellcome Trust funded research project on the history of sports medicine, 2004-07 between De Montfort University and University of Manchester

Published under Bloomsbury Open licence - This licence means you are free to share this work for non-commercial purposes only, providing you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher. You may not alter or transform this work without explicit permission in writing from Bloomsbury Publishing. Please contact us to apply for permission What role does sports medicine play in today's society? Is it solely about treating sports injuries? Should it only be concerned with elite sport? This book provides a history of the relationship between sport, medicine and health from the mid-19th century to today. It combines the sub-disciplines of the history of medicine and the history of sport to give a balanced analysis of the role of medicine in sport and how this has evolved over the past two centuries. In an age where sports medicine plays an increasingly prominent role in both elite and recreational sport, this book provides a timely and clear analysis of its rise and purpose. Wellcome Trust funded research project on the history of sports medicine, 2004-07 between De Montfort University and University of Manchester

It was widely anticipated before European Union enlargement that the accession states would have a negative impact on EU environmental governance. By extension, the European Parliament’s (EP) reputation as an environmental champion might be threatened by the influx of MEPs from accession states. An analysis of all EP amendments to environmental legislation between 1999 and 2009 reveals that post-enlargement the EP was more successful at securing the adoption of its amendments into law but that these amendments were less radical. These changes arise from the institutional adaptation prompted by enlargement and a broad ideological shift to the right within the EP.

When the Labour Party came to power in 1997, it promised to put the environment ‘at the centre of government’. Its record during the next 13 years was mixed. During its first two terms in office, i...

The primary goal of the study was to compare adult age groups on aging bias, with measures of knowledge of aging in the physical, psychological, and social domains and life satisfaction. The study sample, consisting of 752 men and women, 40 to 95 years of age, was tested using Neugarten, Havighurst, and Tobin's (1961) Life Satisfaction Index (LSI) and Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz (1998) modified to extract bias toward older adults and categorized into 3 domains: physical, psychological, and social. Independent variables were 3 levels of LSI from the Neugarten et al. quiz. Aging bias was measured among the age groups, gender, life satisfaction, and knowledge of aging domains. Significant bias differences were found in age group, life satisfaction, and knowledge of aging domain variables. Financial, health, and volunteer status interacted with these effects. Among other significant findings, the data indicate that middle-aged adults 40–59 have the most negative bias in the psychological and social domains and the least negative bias in the physical domain compared to the older participants. Both middle aged and old-old adults have the most negative aging biases. These differential aging stereotypes (positive and negative) among the physical, psychological, and social perceptions of aging over adult age groups are interpreted within aging stereotyping and aging self-stereotyping.

The European Green Party can be satisfied with its performance in the 2009 European Parliament (EP) election. The number of Green Members of the European Parliament (MEP) elected increased from 35 ...

Sports medicine has been largely neglected by historians. This article examines the devel opment of the role of the football trainer from 1885 to 1992, placing it in the wider context of the shifting relationship between orthodox and unorthodox medicine. It is underpinned by two interdependent arguments. First, it can be argued that the origins of football trainers can be traced to unorthodox alternative medicine; their role developed largely outside a regulatory framework imposed by the medical profession despite attempts to marginalise irregular healers and practitioners of alternative medicine. Secondly, it is claimed that the treatments, practices and working conditions of trainers were shaped by the sub-culture of professional football, and were an amalgam of the uneven adoption of contemporary biomedical principles and scientific developments, especially in physiotherapy, and the persistence of traditional methods.

How genuine is the Conservative party's rediscovery of the environment? Would a Conservative government led by David Cameron implement a wide-ranging and progressive environmental policy? This article explores why Cameron has embraced the environment so enthusiastically when Conservative governments have had a poor record of environmental protection and the Conservative party has traditionally shown little interest in the issue. It assesses the impact of Cameron's strategy both on his own party and on the wider world of environmental politics and it evaluates the continuing commitment of the Conservatives to the issue by assessing what kind of policies a future Conservative government might implement. Although Cameron remains committed to the issue and he has already had a positive impact on Labour government policy, he has not yet convinced his party or its supporters, so a future Conservative government would probably represent continuity rather than significant change in environmental policy.

The football club doctor has traditionally been a role fulfilled by a local general practitioner on a casual basis over a long period. Since the 1990s, due to football’s accelerated commercialization, a number of clubs have appointed full-time doctors with specialist sports medicine knowledge. This article explores the origins and development of this role in its wider social context since the late nineteenth century and argues that initially club doctors were part of a voluntary tradition. In addition, the development of the role has reflected the nature of sports medicine in Britain and more particularly football, as well as highlighting the changing demands and pressures of the job in light of growing commercial demands.

In November 2007, the membership of the Green Party in England and Wales voted overwhelmingly in favour of replacing its collective leadership with a more conventional structure of party leader and deputy leader. This organisational change reflected the increasing electoral focus of the Green Party. Despite a dismal record in UK general elections, the Greens have made some electoral advances in second-order elections in recent years and have slowly moved away from the political margins. But can they overcome the plurality vote electoral system to secure an MP at Westminster? This article examines the electoral record of the Greens, analyses why they have struggled to secure electoral success and assesses their future prospects.

There is a curious disjunction between the Labour Government's international actions and its domestic policy. Although Tony Blair did much to promote the climate change agenda on the international stage, domestically, with carbon emissions rising again, the Government will fail to meet its target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. This article examines the weaknesses in the Labour Government's domestic record and assesses the significance of the recent transformation of climate change politics. Several obstacles to the design and delivery of more effective policies are identified, which can be categorised as either problems of ‘environmental politics’ or ‘environmental governance’. It is argued that the recent politicisation of climate change has overcome some of these obstacles - albeit temporarily - but whether the pressure for further policy measures can be sustained, with a long-term impact on environmental governance, remains uncertain.

Traits associated with autism, along with depression, anxiety, loneliness, quality of life, and social anxiety were investigated by self-report questionnaires in a university student population (N = 413). In the sample, which was recruited online, 8 % had scores above cut-off on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) self-report questionnaire. There were significant differences in AQ between students studying physical sciences and both social sciences and arts/humanities. Higher AQ scores were associated with higher scores of loneliness, social anxiety, depression, and anxiety, as well as with lower scores of quality of life (QoL). QoL was best predicted for by scores of depression, loneliness, and social anxiety; the latter two variables mediated the relationship between autism traits and QoL. The identification and support of such students who may be vulnerable is of utmost importance.

This article examines how the relationship between the media and football managers has evolved over the twentieth century. In particular, it argues that before the late 1960s, the print media largely shaped perceptions of managers but after this period, television became the dominant medium in framing their image. In a wider context, this relationship has reflected changes in the media as well as mirroring football’s association with it. The transformation of football managers into celebrities, for example, has reflected the so-called ‘tabloidization’ process of the media. Not only have tabloid newspapers gone ‘downmarket’ but also both quality broadsheet papers and television broadcasters have ‘dumbed down’. The article highlights not only how the changing role of the manager has been partly due to changes in the media industry but also the impact managers themselves have had on media developments.

This book chapter was a product of 2 year research project, 2008-2010 on the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, which were held in Leicester in 2009.

The impact of the environment on established political parties, especially in polities without an electorally successful green party, is surprisingly under-researched. This article provides a theoretically informed and empirically comprehensive analysis of the party politicization of the environment in Britain. Four hypotheses are developed, drawn from the party competition and ‘new politics’ perspectives, which predict the response of the three major British parties to environ-mental issues. These hypotheses are tested against a range of quantitative and qualitative sources, notably the Manifesto Research Group and expert survey data. Party politicization of the environment is found to be limited, but there are important variations in party responses. Party competition is critical in explaining these responses. However, the ‘new politics’ insight that the environmental issue dimension cuts across the traditional left–right cleavage identifies ideology as a further signifi-cant constraint on the willingness of established parties to embrace this issue.

The challenge for contemporary Green parties in government is to demonstrate both that they have not been completely de-radicalised, and that their presence in government can make a difference. Green party involvement in the European Union (EU) adds distinctive elements to this challenge. Does engagement in supranational decision making provide new opportunities for Green parties to exercise influence beyond borders? Or does it simply further exacerbate de-radicalisation tendencies? Focusing on the German and Finnish Green parties, this article explores the 'European dimension' of Green parties' governmental incumbency. Three sets of literature (Europeanisation, party change and EU policy making) are used to derive and test several hypotheses related to the impact of EU involvement on Green parties, and the impact of Green parties on EU policy making. It is argued that EU governmental engagement has accelerated Green party de-radicalisation both organisationally and programmatically, but the dynamics of this process are complex and surprisingly interactive as Greens also attempt to exercise influence over EU policy. The findings are relevant not just for those studying Green parties, but for those exploring wider questions of Europeanisation, party change and EU policy making.

Current concern about declining public participation has ignored the potential of workplace democracy to encourage citizen involvement in political activities. Yet, Carole Pateman, in one of the classic texts of participatory democratic theory, outlines the ‘spillover thesis’, which posits a direct link between workplace participation, political efficacy and public participation. The lack of strong empirical evidence supporting this causal relationship suggests that the processes underpinning the ‘spillover thesis’, particularly between workplace participation and political efficacy, are more complex than Pateman acknowledged. A detailed review of empirical studies of worker co-operatives indicates that the ‘spillover thesis’ needs respecification to take account of seven variables that can shape the relationship between workplace participation and political efficacy. The case for supporting worker co-operatives as an institutional solution to declining public participation is weak.

In an election in which the re-election of the Labour government was a foregone conclusion, the environment barely registered as an issue. Nevertheless, the Greens continued to make progress. For t...

There has been very little debate about the practical forms that ecological citizenship might take. Ethical investment, which seeks to influence companies to adopt responsible policies that benefit...

Coaches have played an important role in the history of sport in not only reflecting the sporting environment but also shaping its direction. Coaches have also exercised a large influence over thei...

Four hundred young-, middle-, and old-old adults responded to a battery of quizzes dealing with life satisfaction and objective aging knowledge in the physical, psychological, and social domains. Analyses incorporated domains of aging knowledge, life satisfaction, age, gender, and demographic variables. Both means difference and regression analyses were computed. Significant age group, gender, and life satisfaction differences were found for the three aging knowledge domains. For successive age groups, knowledge of aging decreased, with females knowing less than males. The greater knowledge of aging, the higher the life satisfaction. The demographic variables education, financial status, health, living arrangement, and volunteerism were significant covariates for knowledge of aging. Results from this study indicate that knowledge of aging in specific domains varies among older adult age groups and is associated with life satisfaction.

S.W. Pope and John Nauright, , London, Routledge, 2010, xv+655 pp., notes and sources index, , £135.00, ISBN978-0-415-77339-3 This book is a statement on the coming of age of sports history and as ...