The Conservative Party and the nation : Union, England and Europe / Arthur Aughey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Aughey, Arthur, author.

Series:

New perspectives on the right.

New perspectives on the right

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conservative Party (Great Britain).

Great Britain.

Great Britain--Politics and government--2007-.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 189 pages) : digital file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2018.

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

data file

Summary:

This book re-examines the claim of the Conservative Party to be the 'national party' and in its politics to express the enduring 'national interest'. It explores the historical character of the Conservative Party, in particular the significance of the nation in its self-understanding. It addresses the political culture of the modern party, one which proclaims a Unionist vocation but rests mainly on English support, and considers how the Englishness of the party is reconciled with the politics of British statecraft. It considers the constitutional challenges which the Conservative Party faces in managing a changing Union, in negotiating a changing Europe and in defining a changing national interest. The book is essential reading not only for students and scholars of the Conservative Party but also for those who want to make sense of the transformations taking place in modern British politics.

"This book re-examines the claim that the Conservative Party is the national party and that its politics express the enduring national interest. Historically one could argue for the existence of a coherent Conservative nation, but recently the identification of the party with the nation has diminished. This is because the idea of the nation has become contested in British politics such that political expectations based on the apparent certainties of the past have become disordered. The Conservative Party and the nation explores these ideological shifts in three related areas. The first concerns the historical character of the Conservative Party, in particular the significance of the nation in its self-understanding and the manner in which its traditional political commitments continue to shape the patterns of contemporary Conservatism. The second addresses the political culture of the modern party, one which proclaims a Unionist vocation yet one which rests mainly on English support, and considers how the Englishness of the Conservative Party is reconciled with the high politics of British statecraft. The third reflects on the constitutional challenge which Conservatives face in managing a changing Union, in negotiating a changing Europe and in defining a changing national interest. This book is essential reading not only for students and scholars of the Conservative Party but also for those who want to make sense of the transformations taking place in modern British politics." --Back cover.

Contents:

Prelude

1 Conservatism and the party

2 Conservatism and the nation

3 Conservative nation revisited

4 Conservatives: class and nation

5 Conservatives and the British question

6 Conservatives and the English question

7 Conservatives and the European question

Postscript: Conservatism confounded

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-184) and index.

Description based on print record.

ISBN:

9781526101389

1526101386

OCLC:

1030632272