Conservative party history & ideas

Traditional Conservatism

• its origins from the English Civil War

• what are it’s key values

Origins - the English Civil War

• Royalist supporters of the monarchy and CofE resisted greater Parliamentary influence & greater freedom of worship - conservatives want slow change but not large change that may be violent or destabilising 

• Hobbes - lived through English Civil War - argued that if there was not a strong gov to control citizens & prevent dangerous innovation, anarchy will ensue

• MP Edmund Burke - concerned by British support for French Revolution, warned of the negative consequences of rapid change, safest course of action is to respect authority & tradition 

Traditional conservatism 

• Resists the urge for radical change 

• Values property, pragmatism, authoritarianism, tradition, stability

One-nation Conservatism

• why did they criticise traditional conservatism

• what’s Disraeli’s ‘one-nation’ ideology

• Other PM’s in this period

Criticisms of traditional conservatism: 

• Disraeli (Conservative backbencher) - argued traditional conservatism lacked the dynamic to inspire men - need to unite the country in reverence for traditions & institutions that make Britain great 

Disraeli’s ‘one-nation’ ideology

• Stability & prosperity can be achieved through all classes & individuals appreciating their debt to each other & not putting selfish interests above the community - government focus on national interests

• Gave more appeal to the working class & led to Disraeli as prime minister supporting extensive social reforms e.g. Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875: decriminalised work of trade unions and allowed peaceful picketing. Public Health Act 1875: improved sanitation and filthy living conditions in urban areas.

• Success - the main governing party for most of the 20th century 

Other prime ministers in this tradition - Baldwin, Macmillan, Heath

The New Right

• criticisms of one-nation

• ideology of the New Right

• Neo liberalism and Neo conservatism

Criticisms of one-nation conservatism: 

• By the 1970s undermined by large-scale industrial unrest - trade union demands for higher wages challenged the idea Conservatives could unite all sections of society 

• 1975 - Thatcher defeated Heath for party leader - led to ‘New Right principles’ dominating party

Ideology of the New Right’

• Combination of neo-liberalism & neo-conservatism 

Neo-liberal - the economy regulates itself best with as little gov intervention as possible so the gov should create conditions favourable to the free market 

• Keeping taxation to a minimum to provide individual with more financial control 

• Reduce inflation & interest rates to encourage investment 

• Discourage a ‘dependency culture’ by reducing the welfare state 

• Limit the influence of trade unions as they disrupt the free market with excessive pay claims 

Neo-conservatism - closer link to authoritarianism, fear of disorder, and sense of community based on traditional conservatism. Positive role for gov to encourage social stability & security by: 

• Discouraging permissive & alternative lifestyles that threaten the traditional family unit which promotes social harmony 

• Giving gov extensive powers to fight crime & disorder 

• Protecting national interest with a strong defence policy 

• Emphasising the nation state as the ultimate source of citizen security (sceptical of regional organisations e.g. the EU which challenge gov authority)

Policy comparisons: One-Nation and New Right

• economy

Economy:

One-nation:

• Progressive taxation 

• Wanted a mixed economy, Capitalism seen as dangerous to one-nation idea. Nothing privatised and the Heath govt (70-74) even bailed out Rolls Royce.

New Right:

• The government would not put money into the economy but allow a free market – This led to privatisation of most industries e.g. British gas and British telecoms

• No longer put money into national schemes, reduced regulation in business and govt disengaged from the economy

• Right to Buy council houses

Policy comparisons: One-Nation and New Right

• welfare

One-nation:

• Health – NHS is left completely as a nationalised unit in 1951 when Churchill becomes PM.

• Education  - Butler reforms of the 1950s created tripartite system which allowed grammar schools (State, private, grammar), and more funding to state schools

• Disraeli reforms -  Public Health Act 1875

New Right:

• Suspicious of National Services and a belief in choice. Still accepted the NHS, but no funding increases and introduced competitions between hospitals whilst giving tax breaks to those that went private

• Stopped the closure of grammar schools, brought in league tables (neo-liberal idea of competition), and assisted place schemes to help more go to private schools.

Policy comparisons: One-Nation and New Right

• foreign affairs

One-nation:

• Committed to the European project. Join the EEC, later EU, in 1973, and previous PM Harold Macmillan (1957-63) had been trying to join this too. 

• Although the process of de-colonisation continues, e.g Ghana (1957) and Nigeria (1960), traditional attitudes can still be seen through the Suez Crisis of 1956, where Britain and France effectively invade Egypt to gain control of the Suez Canal.

• Begins relationship with USA over Britain obtaining Polaris (Nuclear submarines)

New Right:

• Suspicious of multinational organisations and loss of sovereignty, very nationalistic (but found the single market very attractive!)

• Very anti-communist during Cold War

• Defends the Empire by going to war with Argentina in 1982 over the Falklands islands. 

• Continues relationship with US over new nuclear submarines (Trident)

• Contested legacy on relationship with apartheid South Africa (wanted to trade despite social issues)

Policy comparisons: One-Nation and New Right

• Trade Unions & law and order, social policy

One-nation:

• Believed Trade Unions helped to ensure one-nationism by representing workers and did not reverse any laws that Labour used to empower them.

• Vote against abortion and homosexuality being decriminalised.

New Right:

• Believed Trade Unions ruin the economy and stop business by forcing wages to be higher and slowing down introduction of technologies – passed laws to make it harder to go on strike e.g. 1980 Employment Act intro postal votes for stikes to prevent pressuring; 1984 Trade Union Act made secret ballots a requirement for a strike to be legal; 1988 Employment Act protected workers who refused to strike from being punished

• Thatcher personally seen as defeating the miners strikes and believes market should be stronger than unions

• Belief in tough law and order and moral values being upheld – Section 28 prohibits promotion of homosexuality in public sector (1988), tougher prison sentences, slow to act on AIDS epidemic

Policy comparisons: One-Nation and New Right

• Similarities

Policy comparisons: One-Nation and New Right

• Differences