Constitutional reform, New Labour in power and public trust in government

Labour in opposition promised much on constitutional reform and the refound ing of British democracy on more pluralist lines bur ministers have seemed much less committed to this agenda in government. In an autumn 2000 survey, public attitudes rewards enacted constitutional changes (especially devolu tion and human rights) remain strongly supportive and are more liberal on k ey current issues (such as the treatment of asylum seekers) than most polit ical elites suspect. There has been a regrowth of support for electoral ref orm although responses here are still sensitive to the wording used to desc ribe reform proposals. Public trust in government recovered dramatically in the immediate aftermath of the 1997 election. But since mid-1998 this posi tion has decayed once again and is as bad now as in the early 1990s. New fo rms of sleaze and spin issues have damaged Labour's standing and fuelled vo ters' scepticism about government in general. Citizens back more radical me asures to democratise policy-making, ensure freedom of information and regu late political sleaze than Labour has yet introduced. The long-run legitima cy problems of the British polity have not been alleviated.