Hayton, R and McEnhill, L (2015) Cameron’s Conservative Party, social liberalism and social justice. British Politics, 10 (2). 131 - 147. ISSN 1746-918X
Abstract
Social liberalism has consistently been highlighted as arguably the defining feature of David Cameron’s project to modernise the Conservative Party. However, this article challenges the perception that modernisation has fundamentally transformed the position of social liberalism in contemporary conservatism, questioning the extent to which the Conservatives under Cameron have deviated from their socially conservative Thatcherite ideological inheritance. Two key aspects of social liberalism are explored: an inclusive approach to ‘equality issues’, and a commitment to the idea of positive freedom or ‘freedom to’. The extent to which positioning under Cameron’s leadership has reflected these themes is then considered in relation to two flagship ‘modernised’ policy areas. The first is the issue of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, and the second is the party’s approach to poverty and social justice. We suggest that Cameron’s success in transforming Conservative attitudes and policies in a socially liberal direction has been very limited, challenging the widespread characterisation of the Coalition as a fundamentally ‘liberal’ government.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in British Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version British Politics (2015) 10, 131–147, is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/bp.2015.19 |
Keywords: | Conservative Party; modernisation; David Cameron; social liberalism; social justice; conservatism |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Politics & International Studies (POLIS) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 24 Sep 2015 15:29 |
Last Modified: | 07 Nov 2016 17:27 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/bp.2015.19 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan |
Identification Number: | 10.1057/bp.2015.19 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:85297 |