The Tories From Winston Churchill to David Cameron

by Heppell, Timothy

• ISBN13: 9781780930398
• ISBN10: 1780930399
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-05-08
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

This book offers a comprehensive and accessible study of the electoral strategies, governing approaches and ideological thought of the British Conservative Party from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. Timothy Heppell integrates a chronological narrative with theoretical evaluation, examining the interplay between the ideology of Conservatism and the political practice of the Conservative Party both in government and in opposition. He considers the ethos of the Party within the context of statecraft theory, looking at the art of winning elections and of governing competently.

The book opens with an examination ofthe triumph and subsequent degeneration of one-nation Conservatism in the 1945 to 1965 period,and closes with an analysis of the party's re-entry into government as a coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2010, and of the developing ideology and approach of the Cameron-led Tory party in government.

Author Biography

Timothy Heppell is Lecturer in British Politics at the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Leeds, UK. He is the author of four previous books including Choosing the Labour Leader: Labour Party Leadership Elections from Wilson to Brown (2010).

Table of Contents

Introduction
Conservatism and the Conservative Party: Ideology and Ethos
Conservative Statecraft: The Politics of Power?
One-Nation Conservatism: Dominance and Degeneration 1945 to 1965
The Failure of Heathite Conservatism 1965 to 1975
The Triumph of Thatcherite Conservatism 1975 to 1990
Post-Thatcherite Decline: The Major Era 1990 to 1997
Open Coffin Conservatism? 1997 to 2005
Modernisation and Renewal: Liberal Conservatism 2005-2010
Modernisation and Coalition: Cameron in Government 2010-
Conclusion
Index