102 results
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2. US-UK Relations: The Current Situation and Prospects for the Future.
- Author
-
Dumbrell, John
- Subjects
- *
INTERNATIONAL relations , *PRIME ministers - Abstract
This paper will begin with an assessment of the current state of the US-UK âspecial relationshipâ. It will argue that the âspecialâ nature of the relationship exists in the realms of institutionalised defence co-operation and intelligence sharing. The paper will review other accounts of the âspecialnessâ of the relationship, including cultural arguments. The paper will argue that âspecialâ relations were receding in the 1990s, following the end of the Cold War and the sharpening of the European integration agenda. The relationship was renewed, so the paper will argue, as a result of the commitment of Prime Minister Tony Blair both to the relationship itself, and to the doctrine of liberal internationalism/interventionism.The second part of the paper will look forward to US-UK relations in the post-Blair and post-Bush eras. Developments in Conservative Party thinking on the âspecial relationshipâ will be reviewed, along with prospects for US-UK relations under Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The relationship will also be examined in connection with the likely trajectory of US foreign policy in the next ten or so years. The conclusion will be that âspecialnessâ in the relationship is likely to decline in line with the expectations that attended the close of the Cold War in the early 1990s. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
3. Michael Howard's Effectiveness as Leader of the Opposition.
- Author
-
Barker, Ray
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL opposition , *ELECTIONS ,BRITISH prime ministers - Abstract
This paper examines the circumstances under which Michael Howard became leader of the British Conservative Party in November 2003, and analyzes his effectiveness as Leader of the Opposition through the general election of 5 May 2005. Howard inherited a party bitterly divided over its leadership, its policy direction, and its future. After immediately establishing his credibility as a fearsome debater at the dispatch box in parliamentary debates with Prime Minister Tony Blair, he established a vision for Britain in his "British Dream" speech. While staying true to Conservative principles of fair play, choice, and expanded opportunity, he offered a framework for the policies the Tories would put before the British people at the 2005 general election. Ultimately, the Conservative Party's 2005 Election Manifesto emphasized six themes: 1) More Police, 2) Cleaner Hospitals, 3) Lower Taxes, 4) School Discipline, 5) Controlled Immigration, and 6) Accountability. The main argument of this paper is that those themes were chosen because they represented areas of policy where Howard had provided an effective critique of government policy and had established a realistic alternative. This paper details Howard's effectiveness in holding the Labour Government of Tony Blair to account.After exploring the enormity and dimensions of Howard's task as Leader of the Opposition, this paper concludes that he deserves enormous credit for leading the Conservative Party out of the political wilderness, and that he effectively established a credible alternative to New Labour. While the current leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron, has recently been given much credit for the revival of his party, Michael Howard's contributions should not be underestimated. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
4. The Year in British Politics: Did the Ground Move?
- Author
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Grant, Wyn P.
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL science , *ECONOMIC policy ,BRITISH politics & government - Abstract
This paper reviews the last year in British politics with an emphasis on government, complementing Anthony King’s presentation on politics. It covers the tense relationship between Prime Minister Blair and Chancellor Brown; the Butler Report; the role of the Bank of England in economic policy-making; the effective delivery of public services, especially health; and the role of Britain in the EU. It concludes by suggesting that there is a new upsurge of populist opposition to the political class in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. From Knowledge Economy to Automation Anxiety: A Growth Regime in Crisis?
- Author
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O'Donovan, Nick
- Subjects
- *
INFORMATION economy , *GOVERNMENT policy , *AUTOMATION , *SOCIAL impact , *TECHNOLOGICAL progress - Abstract
In the 1990s, the 'knowledge economy' was hailed as a key driver of future prosperity by progressive policymakers in developed democracies. According to its proponents, in the knowledge economy, companies and countries alike would succeed by cultivating workers' knowledge – as opposed to traditional forms of capital such as plant and machinery. This had radical implications for public policy, implying that education reform and other supply-side interventions could deliver inclusivity as well as prosperity. Today, however, this benevolent vision of the social and economic impacts of technological progress has been superseded by an altogether more dystopian view, associated with automation and the rise of artificial intelligence, as well as transformations in the digital economy and the evolving nature of globalisation. This paper analyses that transition. It charts the key assumptions of the knowledge economy concept, through an intellectual history that focuses on how these ideas manifested themselves in the rhetoric of the UK Government under Tony Blair. It then shows how evolving understandings of the digital economy, technological progress and globalisation challenge these assumptions, and the policy agenda that was premised on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Media, Priming, and Leadership Evaluations in Britain.
- Author
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Stevens, Daniel, Banducci, Susan, Karp, Jeffrey, and Vowles, Jack
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL leadership , *MEDIA effects theory (Communication) , *MASS media influence , *ELECTIONS in mass media , *PARTISANSHIP , *ELECTIONS - Abstract
While priming is often mentioned in studies of media effects in Britain, empirical tests of the mediaâs capacity to prime are lacking. Similarly, despite the recent claim that evaluations of party leaders in Britain are more important to voting behavior than previously thought, little is known about whether or how the media influence those evaluations. In this paper we examine media priming in British elections. Our analysis will demonstrate that there were some strong, dynamic, media effects on perceptions of Tony Blair in 2001 and 2005, both as a direct consequence of the amount of coverage of an issue and via priming. These effects appear stronger than the mediaâs capacity to set the agenda in either election. We will also examine the impact of the tone of coverage of issues on priming effects and explore short-term and cumulative effects of media coverage, in keeping with recent literature. Our findings thus far are at odds with claims that British elections are too short and British newspapers too partisan for there to be media effects beyond partisan reinforcement. Our analysis of the short-term and cumulative effects of media coverage on priming will also provide a unique examination of their influence outside the US. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
7. New Labour's Class Project: Industrial Relations Policy and its Consequences, 1997-2005.
- Author
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Howell, Chris
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL parties , *INDUSTRIAL relations , *LABOR market , *SOCIAL classes , *PRIME ministers - Abstract
This paper examines the class project of New Labour, ten years after first coming to power, through the lens of industrial relations policy. It goal is to identify to what extent a distinctive "Third Way" approach to regulating class relations and the labor market existed during the period when Tony Blair was prime minister. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
8. Blair's War: Institutional and Individual Determinants of the British Choice in Iraq.
- Author
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Dyson, Stephen Benedict and Lawrence, Brianna K.
- Subjects
- *
WAR , *INTERNATIONAL relations , *POWER (Social sciences) , *CONTROL (Psychology) - Abstract
The article presents the conference paper "Blair's War: Institutional and Individual Determinants of the British Choice in Iraq" prepared for presentation at the "46th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association" in Honolulu, Hawaii. The author utilizes the core executive approach in assessing the British central government and emphasizes the specific form it takes in foreign policy matters. It says that British Prime Minister Tony Blair scored very highly in need for power and in terms of his belief in ability to control events.
- Published
- 2005
9. What the papers say.
- Subjects
- *
JOURNALISTS , *JOURNALISM - Abstract
The article discusses several papers written by eminent columnists, that have appeared in different newspapers in Great Britain. Anatole Kaletsky has written a fascinating political analysis of England's government under the headline "Beware the middle-class backlash in Britain." Sketch writer of the newspaper "The Independent," Simon Can has described politician Iain Duncan Smith's efforts as the single worst performance of any parliamentary leader. Columnist Danny Finkelstein in "The Times" has concluded that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had won the battle of the fees.
- Published
- 2002
10. Yes, Prime Minister: Power, Personality, and the Blair Administration's Iraq Decisions.
- Author
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Dyson, Stephen Benedict
- Subjects
- *
PERSONALITY , *LEADERSHIP , *INTERNATIONAL relations ,BRITISH prime ministers - Abstract
This article focuses on the relationship between the personality and leadership style of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the participation of Great Britain in the war in Iraq. The research reemphasizes the importance of individual level factors in theories of foreign policy, as well as offering a comprehensive explanation of a critical episode.
- Published
- 2005
11. Justifications and Motives: The Road to Basra.
- Author
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Coates, David
- Subjects
- *
MILITARY invasion , *COALITIONS , *IRAQ War, 2003-2011 , *MILITARY relations - Abstract
Traces the policy route that took the UK into the coalition of the willing, and UK troops into Basra. Provides a critical assessment of the strength and weaknesses, rationales, and justifications used by the Blair government to join the United States in the invasion of Iraq, despite the nearly universal opposition of other major governments--as well as much of the British electorate and the Labur Party-- to military action without UN endorsement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
12. Blair’s Warlike Humanitarianism.
- Author
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Vickers, Rhiannon
- Subjects
- *
HUMANITARIANISM , *INTERNATIONAL relations , *SEPTEMBER 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 , *COUNTERTERRORISM - Abstract
Traces the rise and decline of New Labour’s efforts to develop and implement an ethical foreign policy from its initial commitments to advance more internationalist and multilateral solutions in an open and inclusive process, through 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, and concluding with the resignation of Robin Cook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
13. What the papers say.
- Author
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Marshall, Michael
- Subjects
- *
NEWSPAPERS , *EXAMINATIONS , *SCHOOL field trips - Abstract
Deals with the issues featured in newspapers in Great Britain in February 2005. Information on how newspapers treated issues concerning a live television appearance of Prime Minister Tony Blair; Condition of the examination system in England; Plan of British Education Secretary Ruth Kelly to promote school trips.
- Published
- 2005
14. What the papers say.
- Author
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Coryton, Demitri
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *NEWSPAPERS , *SCHOOLS , *MUNICIPAL services - Abstract
Presents a summary of newspaper headlines about education in Great Britain as of June 205, 2004. "Daily Mail" headline on the reaction of parents and teachers to the construction of mobile phone masts near Yorkshire schools in England; Consolidation of schools in Scotland, reported in the "Glasgow Herald"; Decision of Prime Minister Tony Blair and Michael Howard, leader of the opposition in the British Parliament, to put public services at the top of their agenda, reported in the "Telegraph" and "Guardian."
- Published
- 2004
15. What the papers say.
- Author
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Hubbard, Ben
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *PARENTS , *TRUTHFULNESS & falsehood - Abstract
Presents updates on education in Great Britain as of November 14, 2003. Revision of the education supplement column of "Guardian"; Story by "The Times" about lying parents entitled "Parents Connive With Children to Lie to Teachers"; Information on the Better London Schools package launched by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
- Published
- 2003
16. What the papers say.
- Subjects
- *
HEADLINES , *BRITISH education system , *TEACHERS' unions , *CLASS size , *TEACHERS' workload , *SCHOOL budgets , *BRITISH schools - Abstract
Presents information on headlines from various newspapers pertaining to issues on education in Great Britain as of 2003. Threat of action by teachers over tests and job cuts; Conflict between teachers' unions and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on class sizes, tests and workload; Failure of the government to fund schools properly.
- Published
- 2003
17. EDUCATION, POWER AND FREEDOM: THIRD WAY GOVERNMENTALITY, CITIZEN-CONSUMERS AND THE SOCIAL MARKET.
- Author
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Peters, Michael A.
- Subjects
- *
SOCIAL marketing , *LEGAL status of social workers , *EDUCATIONAL law & legislation , *INDUSTRIAL relations , *LABOR laws , *CIVIL service - Abstract
This paper traces the emergence and demise of the Third Way using Foucault's thought to investigate the governmentality of Third Way politics in terms of its techniques of governing focusing on the construction of the citizen-consumer, the social market, and the reform of public services, especially in the context of Tony Blair's New Labor administration in the UK. On this basis the paper makes some broad comments about education, power and freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
18. Interpreting the Blair Government's Policy-making on European Monetary Union: An Examination of Public Policy Theories.
- Author
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Luo, Chih-Mei
- Subjects
- *
POLICY analysis , *MONETARY policy ,BRITISH politics & government, 1997-2007 - Abstract
This paper is an investigation of policy-making by the Blair government on the issue of the UK's European Monetary Union (EMU)/Eurozone membership. The Blair government inherited a 'wait and see' policy from its predecessor, and introduced its own variations in the detail of this policy. In particular, five economic tests were invented and placed at the centre of EMU policy-making, in order to depoliticise the political risks during a general election and referendum while also serving the needs of party management. This paper applies four well-known theories of policy-making to the EMU policy case: the broker state pluralist model, instrumental Marxism, the core executive model and rational choice theory. This paper demonstrates that each model possesses a degree of applicability, but argues that instrumental Marxism seems the most appropriate theoretical model among those examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
19. Making teaching a 21st century profession: Tony Blair's big prize.
- Author
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Furlong, John
- Subjects
- *
EDUCATION policy , *BRITISH education system , *TEACHER training , *ECONOMIC policy , *EDUCATIONAL accountability - Abstract
From his very earliest days in office, Tony Blair believed that if he was to achieve his broader educational reforms then the teaching profession itself needed modernising—it had to become a '21st century profession'. This paper charts the background to this aspiration and the complex range of interrelated policies used to achieve that reform. They included: a changed role for initial teacher education; a more differentiated workforce; strategies to 'focus' professionalism (appraisal, standards and CPD); and a redefinition of professional knowledge. Through these policies, the Government hoped to harness teacher professionalism to their broader reform agenda. The paper concludes with a discussion of Tony Blair's legacy in this field both in England and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Speaking to power: Tony Blair, complex multicultures and fragile white English identities.
- Author
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WETHERELL, MARGARET
- Subjects
- *
IDENTITY (Psychology) , *MULTICULTURALISM , *NATIONAL character , *RACIAL identity of white people - Abstract
This paper reflects on one example of knowledge transfer conducted by the ESRC Identities and Social Action Programme which involved briefing Tony Blair for his December 2006 speech on multiculturalism and extremism. Two key themes in the report prepared for Blair and his speech-writer are described - the nature of contemporary complex multicultures and the 'fragility' of white English identities. These are contrasted with themes in Blair's speech which, in general, celebrated (white) British national character and took a traditional 'divided communities' perspective on UK multiculturalism while introducing further measures to encourage 'integration'. The paper describes the dilemmas and challenges faced in formulating a report for this context, in particular issues about developing a narrative in a highly contested field, complicity with power and credentials to speak. It argues, too, that although ostensibly an exceptional opportunity, more mundane acts of knowledge transfer might be more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Still Blair's Party.
- Author
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Guttenplan, D. D.
- Subjects
- *
IRAQ War, 2003-2011 , *ACTIVISTS , *CONFERENCES & conventions ,BRITISH politics & government, 1997-2007 ,EDITORIALS - Abstract
The author comments on British politics and Tony Blair. The first thing I saw when I walked through the labyrinth of security checkpoints at the annual Labour Party Conference here was a young man in a black CBGBs T-shirt and baggy jeans on a big video screen talking about Iraq. This was a conference where no detail of presentation was left to chance, speakers remained relentlessly "on message" and the few outlets for dissent were as carefully choreographed as any Soviet-era festival of unity. One delegate who refused to join in the customary standing ovation following Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech and instead held up a sheet of paper saying I'm Sitting Down for Peace was forcibly removed from the hall by police. The vast majority of the British people never supported going to war in the first place, yet once British troops commenced hostilities even Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader who'd led parliamentary opposition to the war, fell in line behind the government. We can't vote Blair out--his surprise announcement, on the last day of the Labour conference, that he will resign at the end of his next term in office was a superb coup de théâtre, knocking Iraq and Ken Bigley clean off the front pages, as well as a reminder that Blair's power has become personal, no longer a gift of the party.
- Published
- 2004
22. Blair refuses to 'reach for consensus' on White Paper.
- Subjects
- *
EDUCATIONAL change , *EDUCATIONAL innovations , *SCHOOL autonomy - Abstract
This article reports that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has rejected proposed changes to his education reform plans. Blaire warned rebel Member of Parliaments, despite opposition from around 50 Labour Member of Parliaments, that he would not back down on the introduction of Trust Schools and greater school autonomy. The widely trailed alternative paper Shaping the Education Bill: reaching for
- Published
- 2005
23. What the papers say.
- Author
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Hubbard, Ben
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *NEWSPAPERS , *MATHEMATICS education , *TEACHERS - Abstract
Provides an overview of stories concerning British education published in several newspapers including "Daily Telegraph," "Guardian" and "The Economist." Criticism against teachers for their lack of knowledge in English and mathematics; Proposed policy of Prime Minister Tony Blair on university fees; Reason of Professor Lord Skidelsky of Warwick University for failing an A-level Russian paper.
- Published
- 2003
24. Her Majesty's paper clips.
- Author
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Maguire, Kevin
- Subjects
- *
PRIME minister elections ,BRITISH politics & government, 1997-2007 - Abstract
The article provides commentary on British politics. Correspondence between Queen Elizabeth II and member of Parliament Peter "Killa" Kilfoyle is highlighted as well as the possibility that Prime Minster Tony Blair's political secretary, John McFixer might face allegations of political misconduct. Comments made by Phil Collins, Blair's speech writer, regarding the possibility of Gordon Brown becoming the next Prime Minister are critiqued.
- Published
- 2006
25. What the papers say.
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *CABINET officers , *STUDENTS - Abstract
Presents information on several events and issues related to education in Great Britain as of May 13, 2005. Reorganization of the Cabinet members of Prime Minister Tony Blair; Accusation against Prince Harry that he received help from teachers in his exams; Case of a child who was prevented from attending the school because his parents did not fill in the application form properly.
- Published
- 2005
26. What the papers say.
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system ,EDITORIALS - Abstract
Presents updates on education in Great Britain as May 6, 2005. Candidate persuaded by Education Secretary candidate Ruth Kelly to withdraw from the election in Bolton West, England; Views of British Prime Minister Tony Blair on secondary education; Information on an editorial published by "The Times" newspaper regarding education.
- Published
- 2005
27. What the papers say.
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *NEWSPAPERS , *SUICIDE , *SCHOOL bullying - Abstract
Focuses on some reports concerning issues on education in Great Britain that was published by newspapers in the country. Comment of "The Times" writer Daniel Finkelstein on the exchange between Prime Minister Tony Blair and Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith; Overview of the article written by Victoria Summerley at the June 12, 2003 issue of "Independent"; Brief on the story of a 16 year-old student who committed suicide after a lifetime of being bullied.
- Published
- 2003
28. What the papers say.
- Author
-
Hubbard, Ben
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *NEWSPAPERS , *EDUCATIONAL finance , *A-level examinations - Abstract
Focuses on some reports concerning issues on education in Great Britain that was published by newspapers in the country. Observation on the issue on tuition fees in "The Times"; Position taken by Prime Minister Tony Blair on the issue on tuition fees featured in "Independent"; Views on the report of Mike Tomlinson on A-level examinations.
- Published
- 2002
29. What the papers say.
- Subjects
- *
BRITISH education system , *HISTORY , *HIGHER education - Abstract
Presents an update on several issues concerning British education as of July 12, 2002. Controversies regarding the private tuition of the children of British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Observations on the increase in the interest of university students in history courses.
- Published
- 2002
30. Priming Character: Character, Media Influence, and Tony Blair in the 2005 Election in Britain.
- Author
-
Stevens, Daniel, Banducci, Susan, and Karp, Jeffrey
- Subjects
- *
PRACTICAL politics , *PRIME minister elections , *HEADS of state - Abstract
The article focuses on the impact of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the elections of 2005. Blair's competence, responsiveness, and trustworthiness all mattered in 2005, perceptions of trust far outweighed competence and responsiveness in driving evaluations of Blair. Contemporary research into media effects in Britain has challenged the former minimal effects orthodoxy.
- Published
- 2009
31. Waging Wars in Iraq.
- Author
-
Mutimer, David
- Subjects
- *
PRESIDENTIAL messages , *IRAQ War, 2003-2011 , *DESPOTISM - Abstract
The article examines two sets of speeches by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush to find the war-object produced by each. It discusses metaphoric analysis and provides a comparative reading of the key speeches of Blair and Bush leading to the war in Iraq. It states that the most obvious difference of the speeches is the nature of the tyranny that is ranged in opposition to U.S. and British forces.
- Published
- 2005
32. Rearranging the Deckchairs on the Titanic? The impact of postal-voting-on-demand in Britain.
- Author
-
Norris, Pippa
- Subjects
- *
VOTING ,BRITISH politics & government, 1997-2007 ,BRITISH prime ministers - Abstract
The article presents a case study assessing the impact of amending balloting processes in Great Britain. It summarizes British Prime Minister Tony Blair government's program of electoral modernization. To analyze the impact of one initiative, postal-voting-on-demand, on electoral participation and the social composition of the voting population in the 2005 British general election, it drew upon the BES survey evidence.
- Published
- 2005
33. Is Efficiency Compatible with Democracy? New Labour and New Democrat Models of Good Governance.
- Author
-
Needham, Catherine and Nou, Jennifer
- Subjects
- *
PUBLIC administration , *POLITICAL leadership - Abstract
The article examines key themes and limitations of the government reform programs under the leadership of U.S. President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain. The researchers trace the evolution of their reforms programs, recognizing the influence of the new public management agenda of the former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and former U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
- Published
- 2005
34. The Third Way and Liberty.
- Author
-
Dahrendorf, Ralf
- Subjects
- *
SOCIALISM , *PRIME ministers , *PUBLICATIONS , *DEMOCRACY , *SOCIAL systems , *POLITICAL systems - Abstract
The article comments on the paper "Europe: The Third Way—Die Neue Mitte" signed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Social democracy has found new acceptance because it stands not only for social justice but also for economic dynamism and the unleashing of creativity and innovation. In the contrary, the claim by Blair and Schröder in the paper was undermined by the European elections. On the other hand, the Blair-Schröder paper states that they support a market economy and not a market society, was judged as misleading, or perhaps more than a slip of the pen.
- Published
- 1999
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Priming time for Blair? Media priming, Iraq, and leadership evaluations in Britain
- Author
-
Stevens, Daniel, Banducci, Susan, Karp, Jeffrey, and Vowles, Jack
- Subjects
- *
MEDIA effects theory (Communication) , *PRESS & politics , *JOURNALISM & politics , *ELECTIONS , *MASS media & politics , *IRAQ War, 2003-2011 ,BRITISH politics & government, 1997-2007 - Abstract
Priming is often mentioned in studies of media effects in Britain, yet empirical tests of its extent and nature are lacking; most evidence of priming effects is from the United States. Moreover, research on British elections concludes that the media have little impact on the public’s perceptions of issues, including in the 2005 election. In this paper we argue that priming by the British media has been misconceived and thus not studied adequately. We demonstrate that the issue of the war in Iraq was primed by media coverage in 2005, both as a consequence of the volume of coverage of the issue and its tone. The influence of Iraq was not just long-term, via its impact on confidence in the Labour government or Tony Blair’s reputation, but was also affected by media coverage during the campaign. We also demonstrate that the media’s coverage of Iraq in 2005 influenced voters’ evaluations of Blair by polarizing consumers of the same news. Finally, we find slightly more of an impact of the tone of coverage of Iraq in 2005 but it is moderated by the editorial stance of the newspaper—the editorial stance of British newspapers still seems to matter, suggesting that the dealignment of the British press has not eliminated the influence of reading a newspaper that endorses a party, no matter how qualified that endorsement may be. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. New Labour Legacy: Comparing the Labour Governments of Blair and Brown to Labour Governments since 1945.
- Author
-
MULLARD, MAURICE and SWARAY, RAYMOND
- Subjects
- *
PUBLIC finance , *HISTORY of public finance ,BRITISH politics & government, 1945- - Abstract
The election of the Conservative-Liberal coalition in May 2010 provides the opportunity to start to map out the record of the Labour governments between 1997 and 2010. This paper deals with the specific question how the Brown/Blair governments performed on public expenditures when compared to the records of UK Labour governments since 1945. Did the public expenditure record of the 1997 represent a departure from that of previous Labour governments? This is important to ascertain since there are strongly held beliefs that New Labour was not committed to Labour's historic commitments of income redistribution and universal benefits. The analysis that follows is constructed around five major public expenditure programmes that reflect Labour's priorities. These include total expenditure, expenditure on health, education, housing and social security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. A Comparative Analysis of British Elections in 2001 and 2005: Same Outcome, Different Recipe? The Labour Strategy.
- Author
-
Ioannides, Petros
- Subjects
- *
ELECTIONS , *POLITICAL science research , *POLITICAL campaigns ,BRITISH politics & government, 1945- - Abstract
This paper examines the campaign strategies of the Labour Party in Great Britain during the elections of 2001 and 2005. Using comparative analysis, this research investigates the factors that contributed to the election results. Beginning with the issues that the party raised in both campaigns, evaluating the polls before the elections, and counting the leadership of Tony Blair, the author will try to come to a conclusion by comparing the two elections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Realising the potential of new technology? Assessing the legacy of New Labour's ICT agenda 1997-2007.
- Author
-
Selwyn, Neil
- Subjects
- *
EDUCATIONAL technology , *EDUCATION policy , *BRITISH education system , *SOCIAL policy ,BRITISH politics & government, 1997-2007 - Abstract
'Realising the potential of new technology' was one of the central educational themes of New Labour's 1997 election manifesto, with 'information and communications technology' (ICT) established subsequently as a prominent feature of the Blair administration policy portfolio. As such New Labour can claim rightly to have made an unprecedented and sustained political commitment to technology in education, directing over £5 billion of funding towards educational ICT during the 1997 to 2007 period. Yet the fact remains that the New Labour ICT agenda has failed to achieve the much promised technological 'transformation' of the UK education system. With this in mind the present paper develops the argument that New Labour's concern with educational ICT was driven primarily by concerns over enhancing competitiveness in a globalising economy, creating a lifelong learning system fit for a successful knowledge economy and modernising the formal education sector. Thus whilst New Labour's ICT agenda may well have had the short term impact of increasing the physical presence of ICT resources in all education institutions, its longer-term educational legacy was compromised by the wider macro-level issues it purported to address. As such the legacy of this high-profile segment of policy-making should be seen primarily in terms of establishing ICT as an ideological presence in the UK education system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. British National Newspapers and the Blair Government. Part I: The Easy Ride, 1997 - 2001.
- Author
-
Nessheim, RagnhildM. V.
- Subjects
- *
PRESS & politics , *GOVERNMENT & the press , *NEWSPAPERS & society , *PRESS associations , *PUBLIC relations in newspaper publishing , *POLITICAL advertising , *ELECTIONS - Abstract
The article focuses on the issue between British national newspapers and Prime Minister Tony Blair's government in Great Britain. It examines the press/politics relationship since 1997 and shows how eight national dailies presented New Labour in government and the Torries in opposition, in and between general elections. It also addresses several questions in which answers explain the inconsistencies and contradictions that characterize the performance of certain newspapers throughout the period and their alignment at election time. The author then presented his conclusion that neither the mail, nor the more or less half-hearted pro-Blairs papers, nor the telegraphs which alone constituted the "Tory press" in 2001, had an intimation about what happen to Tony Blair in only few years' time.
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. Lessons from the History and Philosophy of Science regarding the Research Assessment Exercise.
- Author
-
GILLIES, DONALD
- Subjects
- *
RESEARCH methodology , *POLITICAL leadership - Abstract
The Research Assessment Exercise (henceforth abbreviated to RAE) was introduced in 1986 by Thatcher, and was continued by Blair. So it has now been running for 21 years. During this time, the rules governing the RAE have changed considerably, and the interval between successive RAEs has also varied. These changes are not of great importance as far as the argument of this paper is concerned. We will concentrate on the main features of the RAE which can be summarised as follows. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2007
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Focus Group Follies? Qualitative Research and British Labour Party Strategy.
- Author
-
Wring, Dominic
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL campaigns , *PUBLIC relations ,BRITISH politics & government - Abstract
Media coverage of the contemporary British Labour party routinely suggests party leaders, notably Tony Blair, have been overly reliant on using focus group as a means of obtaining voter feedback. The paper explores this popular understanding by considering bow and when qualitative forms of opinion research began to play a significant role in developing campaign strategy. Following their incorporation into party planning during the mid-1980s, focus groups provided an increasingly influential (and at the time more discreet) source of data and support for the leadership's Policy Review later that decade. Following the 1992 election defeat selective findings from the party's qualitative research programme became integral to the public relations' initiatives of Labour's self-styled "modernisers," particularly in their largely successful attempt to delegitimise and then marginalise the role of the party's once formidable affiliated anion supporters in internal affairs. Crucially this contributed to a climate that enabled the key moderniser Tony Blair to emerge and win the leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2006
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Cancer and Health Policy: The Postcode Lottery of Care.
- Author
-
Bungay, Hilary
- Subjects
- *
CANCER , *HEALTH policy , *PUBLIC health , *GOVERNMENT policy - Abstract
Cancer is a major cause of death and ill health, accounting for roughly one in four deaths in the UK. Concern with cancer services was expressed in the 1990s when it was reported that the quality of cancer care was patchy and variable, and clinical outcomes varied in different parts of the country. The Calman-Hine Report (1995) produced specific recommendations for the reorganizing and reconfiguring of cancer services, but although the Conservative government, which commissioned the report, endorsed its suggestions no additional funding was provided to implement the proposed changes, and consequently there remained variations in provision across geographical areas and between patients with different cancer types. However, since 1997 the Labour government has targeted cancer, appointing a Cancer Tsar, announcing a package of measures to“fight the war against cancer”, including the publication of a) and with Tony Blair pledging to end the postcode lottery for cancer treatment. This paper explores the concept of the“postcode lottery of cancer care”, why it exists and whether measures taken since the Calman-Hine Report and the Cancer Plan will address it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Third Way Social Governance: Where is the State?
- Author
-
Reddel, Tim
- Subjects
- *
MIXED economy , *SOCIAL policy , *CIVIL society , *LOCALISM (Political science) , *GOVERNMENT policy , *LABOR policy , *POLITICAL planning - Abstract
The 'Third Way' politics of Blair's New Labour government of the United Kingdom has popularised a number of policy reforms centred on a supposedly new discourse of 'devolution', 'inclusion', 'partnerships' and 'community'. These notions reflect a re-emergence of the ideas and values of civil society, participation and localism. Key drivers of this discourse are: new conceptions of citizenship; a retreat from the social state to a politics of community; and a questioning of both 'big-state' interventionist and competitive market approaches to public policy. These trends have resonance in the Australian context. The welfare reform agenda of the Australian Commonwealth government together with community building and engagement initiatives of State governments have been sites for these policy directions. Much of the debate surrounding these policies excludes or minimises the fundamental role of an active state by focusing on an uncritical conception of community. Drawing on the notion of network governance, an alternative framework for re-conceptualising state-community relations and delivering improved community outcomes is posited. The paper concludes by suggesting possible social governance methodologies for actioning this framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2004
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Representing rurality? New Labour and the electoral geography of rural Britain.
- Author
-
Ward, Neil
- Subjects
- *
RURAL development , *POLITICAL parties - Abstract
The first Blair administration faced clamorous criticism from some lobby groups for its handling of rural issues. Yet Labour has presented itself as a ‘one–nation’ party representing both urban and rural areas. This paper examines the basis of recent claims about the parliamentary representation of rural Britain, and analyzes the results of the last two General Elections. It illustrates how the malleability of the category of ‘rural’ allows for contrasting claims about rural representation, and highlights the continuity of party representation among those constituencies located outside the main urban areas in the 1997 and 2001 parliaments, despite regular rural protest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2002
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Is There Space for Organization from Below within the UK Government's Action Zones? A Test of 'Collaborative Planning.'
- Author
-
North, Peter
- Subjects
- *
COMMUNITY organization , *URBAN policy ,BRITISH economic policy - Abstract
Summary. The institutional structure and urban policy preferences of the Blair administration have now emerged from the British government's comprehensive spending review. In a series of recent publications, notably from the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions (DETR) and the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) report Bringing Britain Together, the government places a welcome emphasis on the importance of working with communities and in community economic development. Unfortunately though, these initiatives contrast with a simultaneous commitment to fiscal restraint and work-based labour market policies, which seem to mark continuity. The extent to which the urban policy agenda and institutions are open to influence from community organisations promoting social justice claims that differ from those of government is therefore unclear. This paper uses Healey's 'collaborative planning' approach to explore the potential for the engagement of one such community organisation, Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS), to test the extent to which the new policy institutions are open to influence 'from below'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2000
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Children's Welfare.
- Author
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Blair, Tony
- Subjects
- *
CHILD services , *CHILD welfare , *SOCIAL work with children - Abstract
Presents an excerpt from a speech by Tony Blair, Great Britain Prime Minister, delivered at the launch of the Green Paper, "Every Child Matters" on August 9, 2003 which deals with the needs of disadvantaged children. Programs that address the needs of disadvantaged children in Great Britain; Plans for the reform of children's services in the country; Goals and missions included in the Green Paper.
- Published
- 2003
47. Tony Blair?s Ministers and British Foreign Policy.
- Author
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Oliver, Tim
- Subjects
- *
INTERNATIONAL relations , *CABINET officers - Abstract
Tony Blair has been central to the defining and making of British foreign policy since 1997. Yet he has not been alone in doing so. As Prime Minister with a limited amount of time and support he has not been able to deal with or shape every issue. This paper therefore sets out to explore the contribution to UK foreign policy of certain key individual government cabinet ministers such as the various foreign secretaries, defence secretaries, secretaries of state for international development, trade, and so forth. In particular it examines the role played by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and heir apparent, Gordon Brown, in shaping policy. It will assess what impact these positions have had on British foreign policy since 1997, how they have influenced the outlook of the PM and in turn been shaped by his approach. The paper will set out to demonstrate the limits on the role of the PM in foreign policy; the role played in foreign policy by other parts of British government beyond the key foreign policy actors of the Foreign Office or Ministry of Defence; allow discussion of the changing nature of foreign policy making in the UK; and explore the foreign policy outlook of key individual political players/ministers, some of whom may soon fill the office of Prime Minister. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
48. Britain and the European Union 1997-2006: What Difference has Blair made?
- Author
-
Allen, David
- Subjects
- *
INTERNATIONAL relations , *REPRESENTATIVE government , *INTERNATIONAL obligations ,BRITISH politics & government - Abstract
This paper will examine the record of the three Blair administrations and will cover the period from his first election victory in May 1997 until shortly after the end of the UK Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers in December 2005. It will argue that during this period the UK and the EU have significantly moved towards one another and that the Blair governments have rescued the UK-EU relationship from the appalling state that it had descended into by the end of the long period of Conservative rule. However it will also argue that Tony Blair has failed utterly in his stated objective of creating a domestic consensus for the European policies that his government wishes to pursue. By 2005 the Blair government found itself committed to referenda that it knew that it could not win on both the question of the Constitutional Treaty and the Euro. The paper will examine all aspects of Blair?s EU policy but will include a particular focus on his attempts to resolve Britain?s long standing foreign policy dilemma of reconciling its European (EU) and Transatlantic (US)relations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
49. 'Foreign' Terror? London Bomings, Resistance and the 'Failing State'.
- Author
-
Bulley, Dan
- Subjects
- *
BOMBINGS , *TERRORISM , *RESISTANCE to government , *INTERNATIONAL relations - Abstract
The 7 July terrorist bombings in London can be seen as a confirming the discourse of danger and insecurity presented by Tony Blair and Jack Straw since 9/11. Such warnings have been especially prevalent in the British Government?s foreign policy pronouncements. This paper seeks to show how the move to foreign policy was made in government discussion of the bombings, how an essentially 'domestic' issue was discursively constructed as a matter of 'foreign' policy, and to what end. While the terrorists where largely British born and raised, 'radicalised' in Britain and taught to kill in Britain, the construction of extremist Islam as a 'foreign ideology' was crucial. This is problematic in itself, but the paper is more concerned with its implications for foreign policy. Using Derrida's analysis of the auto-immunitary, 'suicidal' nature of liberal democracy, the paper examines how it undermines a basic tenet of British foreign policy: the importance of failing states as an object of intervention. Rather than failing states being the exception, Derrida's analysis reveals how the London bombings shows failure to be the general rule. The generalising of failure (a democratic state is necessarily always-already failing) undermines the conceptual structure on which British foreign policy discourse is built. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
50. The Legacy of Tony Blair.
- Author
-
Tonge, Jonathan
- Subjects
- *
POLITICAL doctrines , *POLICY sciences , *POLITICAL opposition ,BRITISH prime ministers ,BRITISH politics & government, 2007- - Abstract
This paper examines the legacy of Tony Blair as British PM from 1997-2007 in two respects: what he achieved and how he is perceived. The paper uses five key legacy tests: ideological change; policy impact; impact upon the opposition parties; impact upon the Labour Party and perceptions held by the public. The paper examines why political scientists hold Blair in higher regard than historians; explores the key policy areas in which Blair attempted change and offers a revisionist critique of Blair's key achievements in restructuring the United Kingdom and facilitating peace in Northern Ireland. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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