3. Arguing
2020 ◽
pp. 37-53
Keyword(s):
Post War
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‘Arguing: the politics of ideas’ characterizes Britain’s political culture as one of institutionalized adversarialism. Arguments from the ‘left’ and ‘right’ are framed by debates and the media in terms of ‘for’ and ‘against’. Three political periods have changed the character of British politics—those of Attlee, Thatcher, and Blair, which respectively saw a post-war rebuilding, a move away from the state and towards market capitalism, and Labour’s move away from public ownership towards a broad ‘third way’. David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ was derailed by austerity politics and the results of the 2016 referendum, seen as a victory for the outsiders that left the insiders struggling to respond.