U K P O L I C Y C O N S E N S U S? S O F I A S P E R B E R
U K P O L I C Y C O N S E N S U S? S O F I A S P E R B E R
P olicy consensus implies a common attitude towards social, economic and foreign policy between the major parties. The United Kingdom had arguably seen a policy consensus regarding social issues, such as anti-discrimination laws and diversity, as reflected in the legislation of same-sex marriage under David Cameron’ s Conservative government in 2014, an act that would have been highly unlikely under a Thatcher government. Both the Conservative and Labour parties have undergone modernisation towards centre-ground policy and movement away from the parties’ traditional ideologies. With governments like Tony Blair’ s 1990s New Labour and the Conservative modernisation since 2005, the UK has, up until around 2016, seen a much more centrist political landscape. Major parties have sought to seek support outside of their core demographic, such as the Labour Party seeking more middle-class support and the Conservative Party seeking working-class support, allowing populist ideology to thrive. However, the gradual deterioration of the twoparty system has seen more distinct or even extremist parties achieve electoral success, such as the SNP and the UKIP. Naturally, the 2016 EU Referendum has exposed and exacerbated certain cultural divides within the UK, implying further development and reformation of the UK’ s major political parties, particularly with new leaders such as Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.
From 2005, Conservative Party
Leader David Cameron had led his party in adopting more socially liberal stances, such as an opposition to the death penalty, in contrast to the more willing approach that the Conservatives had taken towards such an issue in their 1979 Manifesto. In this way, Cameron’ s Conservatism can be compared to New Labour, in that it attempts to satisfy the demand for the efficiency of a freemarket as well as the integrities of a socialist state. For example, both Blair’ s New Labour and Cameron’ s Conservatism accepted the economic advantage of free-markets and, arguably,‘ workfare’ approaches to welfare. Nevertheless, the Conservatives have maintained a‘ Thatcherite’ economic policy, or one that prioritises controlling inflation over controlling unemployment. Despite Theresa May’ s pledge to put the Conservative Party“ at the service of working people”, originally a title claimed by Labour, May has suggested that employers should be allowed to overlook the national minimum wage“ for a limited period in extreme economic circumstances”. May has, consequently, begun to recalibrate the Tories towards a more traditional social conservatism and nationalism, particularly amidst the ramifications of the EU Referendum. This implies a much less socially liberal outlook than first presented, and in this way one can conclude that, though the Conservatives have promoted a more populist and liberal platform, their policies maintain a more‘ Thatcherite’ and‘ rolling back the state’ attitude that largely contrasts
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