Kevin Hickson

The localist turn in British politics and its critics

Localism has become a central feature of British political debate in recent years. This article traces the emergence and development of localism within all the three major UK parties – Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats – and seeks to explain why this transformation has taken place. Localism involves a radical ideological critique of the central state and seeks to replace it with more local forms of political organisation. In particular, this article distinguishes between ‘liberal’ and ‘communitarian’ forms of localism. Finally, this article evaluates the strength of localist claims to both empower individuals and allow for the expression of communal identity, concluding that there are fundamental flaws in localist arguments which allow for the re-emergence of the central state as a key actor.

Blue or Purple? Reflections on the Future of the Labour Party

The purpose of this article is to examine the future ideological direction of the Labour party by analysing two intellectual offerings that have appeared in the post-New Labour era: ‘Blue Labour’ and The Purple Book. First, the article sets out the strategic context of these ideological conversations: Labours defeat in the 2010 general election; the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition; economic austerity resulting from the banking crisis and the global financial crash; and the changing political climate which ostensibly suggests a move from the ‘politics of the state’ to the politics of ‘localism’. Next, the article discusses the main features of ‘Blue’ and ‘Purple’ Labour. Finally, the article provides an explanatory evaluation of the two divergent ‘futures’. The article aids both scholars and students in the ongoing intellectual task of explaining British politics in the post-New Labour era and, more particularly, helps one to understand the ideological future of the Labour party.

The End of New Labour? The Future for the Labour Party

The purpose of this chapter is to assess the impact of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition on the Labour Party. What future is there for the Labour Party? Any conclusions made in this chapter must be tentative for much depends on how long the Coalition lasts. In early December 2010, at the height of the university fees issue, it looked as if the strains of the Coalition were starting to tell, among Liberal Democrats at least. However, for a number of reasons it seems that the Coalition may last. What is perhaps surprising about the Coalition Government is how radical and ideologically unified it has been. Other chapters in the book have addressed this in more detail, but it seems that for the time being at least the so-called Orange Book Liberal Democrats have taken charge of the party and that they share much in common with contemporary Conservatism in terms of a sceptical attitude towards the central state and a strong preference for localism, markets and voluntary activity. David Cameron and Nick Clegg have developed a strong working relationship and neither of the Coalition partners would seek to end the Coalition early for fear of electoral defeat in an ensuing General Election.

Social democratic Euroscepticism: Labour’s neglected tradition

The referendum result of 2016 creates a timely opportunity to reappraise Euroscepticism in British politics. This article examines the Eurosceptic tradition within the Labour Party, specifically its moderate wing. During the referendum campaign, Euroscepticism within the Labour Party was presented as a temporary phenomenon limited to the ‘hard left’ of the Party in the early 1980s. However, this view neglects a much longer tradition of Euroscepticism on the moderate wing of the Labour Party dating back to the earliest post–Second World War attempts to foster European unity. This article seeks to restore that tradition and concludes that it is built on a clear conceptualisation of social democratic ideology.

Which Path for Labour

In 2010, Labour suffered its second-worst defeat at a general election since 1945. New leader Ed Miliband responded by launching a policy review to establish the partys ideological direction. Matt Beech and Kevin Hickson review the strengths and weaknesses of the main contributions to the debate about Labours future.

Lord Coleraine: the neglected prophet of the New Right

This article explores the political thought of Richard Law (Lord Coleraine), who has received much less academic and political attention than many other postwar Conservative intellectuals. It is argued that he made a consistent, if ill-timed, case in favour of traditional conservative principles and free-market economics from 1945 onwards and in so doing anticipated many of the themes of the New Right, which dominated the political thought of the Conservative Party after 1979. Coleraines thesis is then evaluated in light of developments subsequent to his death in 1980 and the tensions between traditional conservative principles and economic liberalism which later became apparent.