This article explores the ways in which British election campaigns and parties have changed as a result of new technology and party recruitment from advertising agencies, pollsters, and public relations advisers. The emerging model is sometimes termed an Americanization of British politics. This article draws on interviews to report on the relations and tensions between politicians and the outsider advisers, discusses the extent to which the parties have been changed as a result of these trends, and concludes by demonstrating the limits of Americanization in Britain.
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