British Political Parties and Ideology after New Labour

British Party Politics and Ideology after New Labour provides the most comprehensive analysis of contemporary party political ideology in Britain to date, with chapters written by distinguished authors. It begins by debating the Blair legacy and asks if there was a decisive ideological shift away from Thatcherism following the landslide election victory in 1997. It then goes on to examine the major ideological controversies in the three main parties. The idea of the third way is evaluated and current concerns with equality and national identity are discussed in relation to the Labour Party. An assessment of David Cameron's modernization project is conducted in the section on the Conservatives. Recent debates on constitutional reform and the proper relationship between the market and the state are considered in the section on the Liberal Democrats. Finally the book discusses a number of broader issues including the future of public services and the role of social justice in the decades ahead