The Conservative Party

• Pragmatic: doing what works and has been tried and tested
• one nation principles:

  • strong law and order
  • preservation of tradition
  • organic society - rich and poor bound to each other
  • theory of noblesse oblige
  • pragmatic
  • faith in property and home ownership to create order
• ”Noblesse oblige”: privilege entails responsibility
• New right conservatism (Thatcherism) has two different aspects…


  Neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism
• Neo-liberalist principles:

  • the state should disengage from political management
  • free markets
  • trade unions hinder economic development
  • welfare benefits are detrimental and produce a dependency culture
  • high taxation is a disincentive to work and productivity
• Neo-conservative principles:

  • promotion of traditional moral values to ensure a stable society
  • distrust of multinational organisations
  • nationalism, pride and unification = stable society
  • strong law and order
• One nation example - Johnson gov’s commitment to high public spending to level up society, public spending in 2021 was 42% of the economy on par with the 1970s
• New right example - Sunak gov responded to the recession with higher taxes and dramatic cuts in public spending, reminiscent of Thatcher’s “good house keeping” policies in the early 1980s
• One nation example - 2015 ”living wage“ introduced to provide extra support for the least well paid
• One nation example - In 2021 Johnson established a new secretary of state levelling up housing, and communities
• One nation example - Cameron, Truss, Johnson and Sunak all emphasised the conservative party’s commitment to the National health Service
• New right example - universal credit system
• New right example - Johnson govs negotiation of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU demonstrated a New right commitment to sovereign borders
• New right example - Johnson announced in 2020 that £16.5 billion increase in UK defence spending to protect the UK’s interests
• New right example - Truss and Sunak provided strong opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, criticising China for its human rights record and seeking the closest possible ties with the USA
• Thatcherism/New right:

  • reduce state intervention
  • control public spending + tax cuts
  • privatisation of industries
  • legal limits on trade unions
  • tough law and order
  • assertion of British interest abroad
• The conservative party was criticised under Thatcher because of its authoritarianism and lack of commitment to social justice. Was labeled a “nasty party”
• Cameron proved to be extremely progressive; supporting same sex marriage legislation, promoting Big Society and encouraging young people to support their communities
• In 2010 the UK was severely in debt because of the global economic crisis (2007-09), so Cameron and his chancellor cut picnic spending dramatically. ”austerity” programme
• Eurosceptic wing of conservatism (ERG represented) had more influence and forced Cameron to call a referendum on EU membership
• Conservative party positioned as ideologically committed to Brexit and the full restoration of state sovereignty
• Neo-conservatism 


  Anti-permissive (traditional family structure) social policies
• Neo-liberalism

  Revival of free-market capitalism
• One-nation conservatism 


  Conservatism that represents the nation not one group in society, worry about chaos, against liberalism
• One nation conservatism peaked in post war Britain (WW1)
• “one nation” created to bridge the gap between rich and poor through a paternalistic policy. leaders of society should accept responsibility for poorer/ less advantaged
• Johnson demonstrated a strong faith in the enabling state by using public spending as a way of “levelling up” society
• David Cameron was labeled a “liberal conservative”
• Theresa May showed a shift away from Cameron, an end to austerity
• Johnson was more “liberal”, increased spending but brought tough line negotiations with EU
• Liz Truss’s supporters claimed the tax cuts she brought proved the government’s Thatcherite economic credentials but the Truss gov borrowed more instead of increasing indirect taxes to drive down the deficit
• Margaret Thatcher 


  “Iron Lady”
• In the 1970s Britain faced industrial unrest, unemployment and terminal decline
• In December 1978 there was the “winter of discontent” as strikes became frequent over unemployment
• Thatcher and the US president Ronald Reagan shared the same aims, believed in a free market and got along very well
• Thatcher’s main aim was to defeat inflation leading to unemployment rising by 2 million and factories shutting down
• In the summer of 1981 riots occurred, they were worst in liverpool
• Victory in the Falkland islands made Thatcher look heroic and was presented as a national rebirth
• During Thatcher’s time as PM airlines, electricity, water, phones and gas industries were privatised (Biggest = British Gas)
• Defining features of Thatcherism:

  • improving enterprise: free enterprise
  • poll tax (per person not value of house)
  • privatisation: gas, oil, electricity etc
  • limit power of trade unions and industry strikes
  • social policy: traditional lifestyles (nuclear)