Justifying New Labour Policy

by Atkins, Judi

• ISBN13: 9780230279117
• ISBN10: 0230279112
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

An original combination of theoretical innovation and a detailed empirical analysis of the ideas, language and policy of New Labour. Politicians often appeal to moral principles and arguments in their efforts to win support for new policy programs. Yet the question of how politicians use moral language has until now been neglected by scholars.

Author Biography

Judi Atkins is Research Officer in the Department of Politics and Cultural Studies at Swansea University, UK. Her research interests include political argumentation and rhetoric, ideology and British politics, and she has published a number of articles in these areas. She is currently working with Alan Finlayson on a Leverhulme Trust-funded project on British political speech.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I: THE CONTEXT OF JUSTIFICATION
The Context of Ideology
The Context of Argumentation
The Context of Hegemonic Competition
Towards an Understanding of the Dynamics of Moral Argument in Politics
PART II: THE CASE OF NEW LABOUR
The Ideology of New Labour
New Labour's Welfare Reforms: The New Deals
Rights and Constitutional Reform: The Human Rights Act of 1998
Community: New Labour's Policies on Anti-Social Behaviour
Foreign Policy: The Iraq War of 2003
Conclusion
Bibliography