This offers a unique insight into the 2005 British General Election from the perspectives of those responsible for organizing, reporting, and understanding the campaign. It contains definitive accounts of what happened from those most intimately involved in preparing the main party strategies as well as leading academic, media and polling experts.

This offers a unique insight into the 2005 British General Election from the perspectives of those responsible for organizing, reporting, and understanding the campaign. It contains definitive accounts of what happened from those most intimately involved in preparing the main party strategies as well as leading academic, media and polling experts.

Introduction: General Election Campaign Communication in Perspective; D.Wring PART I: PARTIES Labour's Political Strategy; P.Gould Conservative Party Strategy; G.Barwell Liberal Democrat Strategy: A New High Watermark for the Liberal Democrats; C.Rennard The Labour Campaign; G.Cook The Conservative Campaign; D.Canzini The Charles Kennedy Campaign; J.Rowley PART II: CAMPAIGNING Political Communication: Party Advertising in the General Election; J.van Heerde Constituency Campaigning: Ever More Centralization?; J.Fisher, D.Denver, E.Fieldhouse, D.Cutts & A.Russell The Internet and the UK Election; J.Downey & S.Davidson PART III: POLLING The Public and the Polls; R.Mortimore & S.Atkinson Poll Methodology, Weighting and Adjustment Systems; A.Cooper Internet versus Conventional Polls in the General Election; P.Kellner Challenges Facing the Pollsters Next Time; N.Sparrow PART IV: VOTERS Looking Through the Other End of the Microscope: How the Public Experienced the General Election Campaign; R.Worcester, R.Mortimore & P.Baines Viewer and Voters: Attitudes to Television Coverage of the General Election; V.Hyland Hearts or Minds? Leader Evaluations by Men and Women in the 2005 British General Election; K.Winters & R.Campbell PART V: BROADCASTING Reconnecting with the Viewers: Sky News' Election Coverage; A.Boulton Politics as Appearance and Reality Show: The Hermeneutics of Suspicion; M.Billig PRESS The 'Take a Break' Campaign? National Print Media Reporting of the Election; D.Deacon, D.Wring & P.Golding Amateurs or Adversaries? Local Journalists' Coverage of the UK Non-General Election; B.Franklin & S.Cushion PART VI: CONCLUSION 2005: A Non-General Election?; J.Green