THE PSA AWARDS 2015 AWARDS BROCHURE IS AVAILABLE HERE

Harriet Harman, Sarah Wollaston and Douglas Carswell were among the MPs to be honoured by the UK’s leading body for the study and development of politics at a Gala Dinner on Tuesday, 1st of December in Westminster.

The Political Studies Association also paid tribute to a number of journalists, broadcasters and academics at its Annual Awards Dinner, which recognises those who have made an exceptional contribution to politics. 

The Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham Harriet Harman was presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement in Politics Award by Iain Watson of the BBC who, prior to announcing the winner, said:

“The winner of this award has made a huge contribution to British politics, having served the Labour party in a variety of roles with distinction and dignity for more than thirty years, she has had a great impact not just on parliament but on women’s lives everywhere”.

The PSA’s jury of experts, who selected the winners, chose to recognise Harman with a Lifetime Achievement award on account of “her enormous contribution to political life which is also reflected in the many social and political gains that she has helped to instigate for women”

Sarah Wollaston, Conservative MP for Totnes and Chair of the Health Select Committee, was the recipient of this year’s Parliamentarian of the Year award. The judges said that she was a worthy winner as someone who has developed a “reputation for independence of opinion and approach, using her knowledge of the health service to raise concerns over planned health reforms”.

Sky’s Adam Boulton, who presented the award to Wollaston, said that the judges also commended her for:

“making best use of parliamentary scrutiny and use of her role as Chair of the House of Commons Health Select Committee to impressive effect. Her work proves that the independent voice still plays an active role in UK politics.”

Professor John Curtice (University of Strathclyde), the well-known as leader of the team of electoral experts who produce the exit poll on general election nights in the UK, was named as the winner of the PSA's Political Communicator  award for the second time, having first picked up the award in 2004.  The judges said:

Professor John Curtice was chosen by the judges for his important positive contribution to the study of elections and public opinion and the skill with which he communicates his insights to the public through regular media appearances, broadcast and in print. In particular, the judges complimented his work on the exit poll for this year’s election for its accuracy and high quality methodology.”

It was two in a row for Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as she was awarded the prize for Best Election Campaigner, having picked up the Parliamentarian of the Year award at last year’s PSA Awards. She couldn’t make it to Westminster on the night but Stuart Hosie MP, Deputy Leader of the SNP, accepted the award from Lord Steel on Sturgeon’s behalf. The judges who chose Nicola Sturgeon as the winner of the award said:

“despite being awarded the PSA Parliamentarian of the Year award in 2014, Sturgeon is a deserving winner of the Best Election Campaigner due to her very impressive performances in the election debates and key role in winning a record number of seats for the SNP in Westminster, making the SNP the third party in Parliament.’ 

The University of Manchester's Professor Jane Green, well-known for her work with the British Election Study, picked up the Research Communicator Award. Professor Green was one of the team which hosted ITV News Election Night Live, working alongside Tom Bradby, Julie Etchingham and Professor Colin Rallings through the night of May 15 as the poll results came in. The judges particularly commended her skill in, ‘conveying complex scholarly insights in a very accessible way.’

The prestigious Isaiah Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies went to Professor Anthony King (University of Essex). Professor King, who has been Professor of Government since 1969, received his award from Katie Ghose (CEO, Electoral Reform Society). The judges said:

 ‘As a major figure in British political science for over five decades Professor Anthony King has been awarded the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize in recognition of the huge contribution he has made to the study of politics and the work he has done to bridge the divide between academic political science and the public understanding of politics. King has been prolific across a number of media, including radio, television and print journalism and is author of a number seminal articles and hugely important books on British elections and political parties, the 1975 referendum, the British constitution and policy failures.

UKIP’s only Member of Parliament Douglas Carswell collected the PSA’s award for Rebel of the Year from Michael Crick of Channel 4 News. Carswell was chosen by the judges in recognition of the challenge he posed to mainstream party politics by “leaving the governing party to join a ‘political upstart’, resigning his seat, winning the resultant by-election in Clacton-on-Sea and raising questions about the way in which his adopted party is run”. The judges commended him on his independence of mind and commented that:

“Carswell has established himself as an anti-politician, railing against the Westminster elite and championing the issues of his constituents”. 

The Spectator’s Isabel Hardman (Journalist of the Year) and the BBC’s James Landale (Broadcaster of the Year) and David Cowling (Enlightening the Public) were all recognised by the Association for their services to political journalism in 2015 while Professor John Curtice (Political Studies Communicator), who has led the team of experts who produce the exit poll on general election night for the last 23 years, was one of numerous academics to receive awards from the PSA.

Professor Sarah Childs was the recipient of a Special Recognition Award   for her "sustained and significant contribution to the study of politics and gender”. The panel added:

"Her contribution to the literature on descriptive and substantive representation has been outstanding. The judges also particularly praised Professor Childs for her campaigns for equal rights and work in Parliament to make it more ‘gender-friendly’"

Professor Childs was presented with her award by Carolyn Quinn, Presenter of the BBC’s Westminster Hour.

Professor Michael Kenny (Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London) took home the W.J.M Mackenzie Book Prize for his book The Politics of English Nationhood. The book was the unanimous choice of the PSA’s adjudicating panel which consisted of a number of distinguished academics.

The panel said:

Michael Kenny’s ‘The Politics of English Nationhood’ is a deserving winner of this year’s WJM Mackenzie Book Prize. In a timely and insightful account, this book addresses the many confusions that exist concerning Englishness providing a nuanced and informative examination of why a myriad of complex meanings have arisen and how ‘the English question’ should be understood. The book claims it offers ‘a powerful challenge’ to prevailing orthodoxies – this is does, but it also reconstructs a more liberal and civic idea of multicultural England drawing on its political dimensions. An impressive piece of research with potentially far reaching impact on how we should think about a fundamental issue in contemporary politics.

Professor Michael Kenny was presented with his prize by Ben Bradshaw MP.  Previous winners of the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize include Iain McLean, Lawrence Freedman, Tim Bale and Colin Hay.

The PSA also recognised outstanding teaching in the discipline of politics as three lecturers from the University of Kent received the Innovation in Teaching Politics award. Dr Iain McKenzie, Dr Stefan Rossbach and Dr Adrian Pabst use a diverse range of teaching methods - from large lectures to small group discussions, simulation exercises, and class debates. Working together, MacKenzie, Rossbach and Pabst have developed a module entitled ‘Resistance in Practice’ which innovatively blends traditional seminar discussion, interactive workshops and work with partner organisations such as Tate Modern. The PSA’s judging panel who selected the award winners agreed that the ‘Resistance in Practice’ module was “an exemplary case of teaching innovation that greatly enriches the student learning experience." 

The team from the University of Kent received their award from Peter Kellner, President of the political polling company YouGov.  

Other award recipients on the night included actor, comedian and television personality Sandi Toksvig (Political Satire) and the CEO of Manchester City Council Sir Howard Bernstein (Influencing Government) who was praised by the PSA judges for the key role he played in negotiating devolved powers for Greater Manchester.

The full list of winners:

Parliamentarian of the Year
Sarah Wollaston

Lifetime Achievement in Politics
Harriet Harman

Rebel of the Year
Douglas Carswell

Democratic Innovation
Bite the Ballot

Best Election Campaigner
Nicola Sturgeon

Journalist of the Year
Isabel Hardman

Broadcaster of the Year
James Landale

Enlightening the Public
David Cowling

Political Satire
Sandy Toksvig

Influencing Government
Sir Howard Bernstein

Special Recognition Award
Professor Sarah Childs (University of Bristol)

Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize for Lifetime Contribution to Political Studies
Professor Anthony King (University of Essex)

Political Studies Communicator
Professor John Curtice (University of Strathclyde)

Research Communicator
Professor Jane Green (University of Manchester)

Innovation in Teaching Politics
Dr Iain MacKenzie, Dr Stefan Rossbach and Dr Adrian Pabst (University of Kent)

Lifetime Contribution to the Political Studies Association
Professor John Benyon (University of Leicester)

W.J.M. Mackenzie Book Prize
Professor Michael Kenny (Queen Mary University of London) for The Politics of English Nationhood 

Download the full PSA Awards 2015 brochure 

View Photos from the PSA Awards 2015

 

 

Photos: Duncan Soar