000			02039cam a2200241 a 4500
020			_a9780521876650 (hardback)
020			_a0521876656 (hardback)
020			_a9780521700177 (pbk.)
020			_a0521700175 (pbk.)
082	0	0	_aKM39 .R68 2010 _b1
100	1		_aRowbottom, Jacob
245	1	0	_aDemocracy distorted : _bwealth, influence and democratic politics / _cJacob Rowbottom
264			_aNEW YORK _bCAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS _c2010
300			_ax, 257 p. ;
490	1		_aThe law in context series
505	0		_aPolitical equality, wealth and democracy -- Freedom to speak and freedom to spend -- Strategies and reforms -- Access, influence and lobbying -- Beyond equal votes : election campaigns and political parties -- Public spaces, property and participation -- The mass media : democratic dreams and private propagandists -- Participation in the digital era : a new distribution?
520			_a"High-profile controversies surrounding the funding of political parties have shown how inequalities in wealth can enter the political process. The growth of the professional lobbying of MPs and the executive raises similar questions about money in politics. More broadly, inequalities emerge in terms of the opportunities the public have to participate in political debate. This analysis of the ways wealth can be used to influence politics in Britain explores the threat posed to the principle of political equality. As well as examining lobbying and party funding, the discussion also focuses on the ownership and control of the media, the chance to be heard on the internet and the impact of the privatisation of public spaces on rights to assemble and protest. Looking at this range of political activities, the author proposes various strategies designed to protect the integrity of British democracy and stop inequalities in wealth becoming inequalities in politics"--
650		0	_aCampaign funds
650		0	_aPolitical parties
650		0	_aMass media
650		0	_aPolitical participation
942			_2mys _cBK
999			_c16232 _d16232