Institutionalised Deceit: Taking the Lid off Westminster Governance

By Ron Bailey

How does Westminster really work when government does not want to be challenged?

In Institutionalised Deceit, Ron Bailey draws on 40 years of parliamentary campaigning to lift the lid on the hidden pressures, tactics and evasions that shape political decision-making in Britain. This is not a textbook account of Parliament. It is a first-hand story from a campaigner who has worked with MPs across parties, helped steer Private Members' Bills through the House of Commons, and seen close up how good intentions can be blocked, diluted or delayed by the machinery of government.

Bailey shows how Ministers, civil servants, whips and parliamentary procedure can combine to protect the comfort zone of those in power. Yet this is also a practical and hopeful book. It explains how determined citizens, campaigners and backbench MPs can organise, build pressure and force change, even when the odds are against them.

Clear, direct and often startling, this book is for anyone who wants to understand Westminster beyond the speeches, headlines and official explanations. It is both an expos of governance and a guide to democratic persistence.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1807250830
• ISBN13: 9781807250836
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Cambridge Book Publishing
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"