Principles and Politics in Contemporary Britain

Mark Garnett

Description

This book shows the importance of political ideas in policy-making and demonstrates the extent to which pragmatic considerations preclude the imposition of rigid ideological programmes. It charts the decline of the postwar British 'consensus', the changing face of both the Conservative and Labour parties under the long shadow of Thatcherism, and the growing emergence of single issue policies such as environmentalism and feminism.With an extensive bibliography and suggested seminar and essay topics, Principles and Politics can be used on any course which focuses on contemporary British politics as well as having general appeal to those interested in looking at the contemporary political and ideological debate in the context of wider issues and trends. This second edition is completely revised and updated.

Sujets

• British Isles

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 28 octobre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781845407261
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title page
Principles and Politics in Contemporary Britain
Second Edition
Mark Garnett
imprint-academic.com



Copyright page
2013 digital version by Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
Copyright © Mark Garnett, 1996, 2006
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
No part of any contribution may be reproduced in any form without permission, except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism and discussion.
First edition published by Addison Wesley Longman Ltd, 1996
This edition originally published 2006 in the UK by
Imprint Academic, PO Box 200, Exeter EX5 5YX, UK
This edition originally published 2006 in the USA by Imprint Academic, Philosophy Documentation Center PO Box 7147, Charlottesville, VA 22906-7147, USA



List of Abbreviations
ACAS
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service
AES
Alternative Economic Strategy
ALF
Animal Liberation Front
ASI
Adam Smith Institute
BNP
British National Party
BSE
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
CAP
Common Agricultural Policy
CBI
Confederation of British Industry
CDS
Campaign for Democratic Socialism
CLPD
Campaign for Labour Party Democracy
CND
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
CPRS
Central Policy Review Staff
CPS
Centre for Policy Studies
CRD
Conservative Research Department
CSA
Campaign for a Scottish Assembly
DEA
Department of Economic Affairs
DOE
Department of the Environment
DTI
Department of Trade and Industry
DUP
Democratic Unionist Party
EC
European Community
EC
European Communities
EEC
European Economic Community
EMS
European Monetary System
ERM
Exchange Rate Mechanism
EU
European Union
FOE
Friends of the Earth
GLC
Greater London Council
IEA
Institute of Economic Affairs
IMF
International Monetary Fund
IRA
Irish Republican Army
LCC
Labour Co-ordinating Committee
LSC
Labour Solidarity Campaign
MP
Member of Parliament
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
NF
National Front
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NEB
National Enterprise Board
NEC
National Executive Committee
NEDC
National Economic Development Council
NF
National Front
NHS
National Health Service
NICRA
Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
NUM
National Union of Mineworkers
NUPRG
New Ulster Political Research Group
OMOV
One Member One Vote
PFI
Private Finance Initiative
PLP
Parliamentary Labour Party
RFMC
Rank and File Mobilising Committee
RSPCA
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
SCLV
Socialist Campaign for Labour Victory
SDLP
Social Democratic and Labour Party
SDP
Social Democratic Party
SEA
Single European Act
SHAC
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
SLP
Scottish Labour Party
SNP
Scottish Nationalist Party
SPD
Social Democratic Party (Germany)
SWP
Socialist Workers’ Party
TUC
Trades Union Congress
UK
United Kingdom
UKIP
United Kingdom Independence Party
USA
United States of America
UUP
Ulster Unionist Party
VAT
Value Added Tax
VFS
Victory for Socialism
WLM
Women’s Liberation Movement



Acknowledgements
For this second edition, my chief debts are to Keith Sutherland and Anthony Freeman at Imprint Academic, who have been remarkably resourceful and supportive as ever. I salute their indefatigability. Prior to publication, the whole of the first edition was read with care and patience by Philippa Sherrington. Individual chapters were scrutinized by Ian Gimour, David Marquand, William Wallace and Gerry Taylor. Tony Benn, Michael Foot and Robert Garner were willing to give up their time to answer my questions.
In first edition I acknowledged more general debts, and after more than a decade these should still be recorded. Without the guidance and encouragement of Bernard Crick and Iain Hampsher-Monk, the book would never have been written. Since then, I have followed the practice of most fellow-Britons by accumulating additional debts which cannot easily be repaid. Confining the cluttered field to academic influences and friends, I owe a great deal to John Benyon, Andrew Denham, Andrew Gamble, John Gibbins, Philip Lynch, Michael Oliver, Richard Weight, and Mark Wickham-Jones. James Douglas, Ben Pimlott and my PhD supervisor, Henry Tudor, have passed away but they are certainly not forgotten.
Despite all of these debts, any errors of fact and interpretation in this book are entirely my own responsibility.



Introduction: Principles and Politics
This book has two main purposes. First, it explores the impact of ideology on UK politics, attempting to bring some clarity to a subject which almost invariably generates confusion. The analysis presented here challenges many common assumptions about the ideological allegiances of prominent politicians and the main UK parties. Second, the chapters build a concise survey of key developments in British political history since 1970. While ideas influence political events, it is equally true that events help to shape political thinking. The relationship between the two is complex, but it is impossible to understand either one of them in isolation from the other. Although individual chapters are devoted to specific parties and principles, the structure of the book is chronological as well as thematic. It is designed primarily for students following courses on UK Politics; Contemporary British History; and Ideologies. However, it tackles a topic that is highly relevant to non-students with a general interest in the politics of the UK, and the book has been written with their requirements in mind.
Although a great deal has been written about ideology, and several good books on contemporary British political history are available, few scholars have attempted to write about the recent past from the ideological pe