Labour's 1997 victory was widely credited to the party's reinvention of itself as New Labour. This book argues that the transformation of the Labour Party is best understood as the product of Thatcherism, and marks the emergence of a new consensus in British politics.

In May 2005 the Labour Party led by Tony Blair won an unprecedented third term in power. After eight years in government its achievements were many. But there was controversy too, not least the decision to support the United States in the invasion of Iraq. The Blair government promised to be different both at home and abroad. New Labour would move social democratic politics on in the face of a rapidly changing world. It would also take British politics and policy-making beyond Thatcherism. But how successful has it been? In this second edition of the widely praised New Labour: Politics after Thatcherism, Stephen Driver and Luke Martell explore the origins of New Labour and examine in detail the Labour government's record in power. They argue that this record bears the imprint of the reforms to the British state and society made under successive Conservative administrations. At the same time, New Labour has taken British politics and public policy in directions that reflect the party's progressive, liberal and social democratic past. New Labour is post-Thatcherite. The completely revised second edition of New Labour contains: - An accessible and comprehensive account of New Labour politics - Up-to-date policy chapters on economic, social and constitutional affairs - A new chapter on European and foreign policies - An original and critical interpretation of New Labour and the future of social democratic politics in Britain, Europe and other parts of the world The second edition of New Labour will be an invaluable resource for students of politics, sociology and other social sciences, those involved in public policy and public affairs and anyone looking for an accessible guide to New Labour and the Blair government.

This major new work from the well-known team of Heath, Jowell and Curtice explores the emergence of New Labour from the ruins of old Labour's four successive defeats at the hands of the Conservatives. Based on the authoritative British Election Surveys the book explores some of the key questions about contemporary British elections and the social and political factors that decide their outcomes. The book begins with the electoral legacy of Margaret Thatcher. How far had Margaret Thatcher converted the electorate to her vision of a free-market, low tax society? Did her electoral success prove the popularity of her policies? Does any scope remain in Britain for left-wing policies? The Rise of New Labour explores the reasons for the failure of previous attempts by Labour under Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock to win the electorate's backing for left-wing policies and dissects the electoral benefits of Tony Blair's abandonment of socialism. The research shows that policies play a much smaller role in electoral change than is usually supposed, and that the parties may be less constrained than they imagine. The book explores the key assumptions underlying New Labour's diagnosis of the problems the party faced during the eighteen years of Conservative rule. It shows that many of these assumptions were at best half-truths and that much of the conventional wisdom - shared by politicians and commentators - about how voters decide is seriously flawed. The book concludes by putting forward a new model of electoral behaviour which is better able to account for the wide array of research findings.

The Thatcher era was a turbulent and controversial period in British politics. Andrew Gamble's authoritative account - now revised and updated to cover Thatcher's fall and legacy - analyses the ideology, statecraft, and economic and social programme of the Thatcher Government. He explores rival interpretations of Thatcherism and assesses the evidence for claims that the Thatcher Government transformed British politics. A new conclusion considers the Conservative Party after Thatcher. New to this Edition: - Both Thatcher's fall and legacy covered in this text - New conclusion appraising the Conservative party in the wake of Thatcher

This is an introduction to the politics of trade unionism in contemporary Britain, assessing the major changes in legislation, policing and attitudes since 1979 as well as the broader social and economic trends to which these have been a response.

This collection of essays examines New Labour's claim to stand in the vanguard of a new form of progressive politics. By examining the ideology of New Labour, the major policy initiatives of Labour government, and the record and prospects of social democratic and progressive governments in the USA and elsewhere in Europe, the contributors attempt to disentangle the progressive and conservative aspects of New Labour politics and the possibilities for genuine progressive advance in Britain and other advanced capitalist countries.

This book investigates the policies of the Thatcher, Major and Blair governments and their approaches towards concentration of economic and political power. The 1979–2007 British governments have variously been described as liberal or, to use a political insult and a favourite academic label, neoliberal. One of the stated objectives of the Thatcher, Major and Blair governments—albeit with differing focal points—was to disperse power and to empower the individual. This was also a consistent theme of the first generation of neoliberals, who saw monopolies, vested interests and concentration more generally as the ‘great enemy of democracy’. Under Thatcher and Major, Conservatives sought to liberalize the economy and spread ownership through policies like Right to Buy and privatisation. New Labour dispersed political power with its devolution agenda, granted operational independence to the Bank of England and put in place a seemingly robust antitrust framework. All governments during the 1979–2007 period pursued choice in public services. Yet our modern discourse characterises Britain as beset by endemic power concentration, in markets and politics. What went wrong? How did so-called neoliberal governments, which invoked liberty and empowerment, fail to disperse power and allow concentration to continue, recur or arise? The book will be of interest to students and scholars of contemporary British history, political economy and politics, as well as specific areas of study such as Thatcherism and New Labour.