Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- About the author
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- One Conservatism, the ‘modern’ Conservative Party and the welfare state
- Two From war to peace: the Conservatives and the welfare state in the 1940s
- Three Towards a One Nation Conservative welfare state? The Conservatives and the welfare state, 1950-64
- Four The Heath ‘interregnum’: modern technocratic Conservatism and the welfare state, 1965-74
- Five The Conservative (counter-) revolution: neo-liberal Conservatism and the welfare state, 1974-97
- Six Progressive neo-liberal Conservatism and the welfare state, 2005-15
- Epilogue The Conservative Party and the welfare state: clear blue water?
- Postscript
- Appendix: Selected ministerial posts in Conservative and Conservative-led governments, 1940-2015
- Notes
- References
- Index
One - Conservatism, the ‘modern’ Conservative Party and the welfare state
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 March 2022
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- About the author
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- One Conservatism, the ‘modern’ Conservative Party and the welfare state
- Two From war to peace: the Conservatives and the welfare state in the 1940s
- Three Towards a One Nation Conservative welfare state? The Conservatives and the welfare state, 1950-64
- Four The Heath ‘interregnum’: modern technocratic Conservatism and the welfare state, 1965-74
- Five The Conservative (counter-) revolution: neo-liberal Conservatism and the welfare state, 1974-97
- Six Progressive neo-liberal Conservatism and the welfare state, 2005-15
- Epilogue The Conservative Party and the welfare state: clear blue water?
- Postscript
- Appendix: Selected ministerial posts in Conservative and Conservative-led governments, 1940-2015
- Notes
- References
- Index
Summary
In this chapter, an attempt will be made to explore some of the values and ideas that have come to define conservatism. The discussion will have an Anglo-centric focus, although many of these themes will have broader applicability. This will be followed by a review of the influential strands of conservatism that have been embraced by the modern Conservative Party and their impact on thinking about the welfare state. The chapter concludes with a short contextual overview of the party's approach to state welfare in the early decades of the 20th century.
Conservatism
In his book on conservatism, Roger Scruton (2001) captures the elusive nature of this doctrine, arguing that it rarely announces
itself in maxims, formulae or aims. Its essence is inarticulate, and its expression, when compelled, sceptical. But it is capable of expression, and in times of crisis, forced either by political necessity, or by the clamour for doctrine, conservatism does its best, though not always with any confidence that the words it finds will match the instinct that required them. (p 1)
At root, the notion of conservatism is most closely associated with a desire to protect or preserve an established or familiar way of living. While this represents a useful starting position, it begs the question of what is to be protected and for what purpose? As Heywood (2007) notes, ‘if conservatism were to consist of no more than a knee-jerk defence of the status quo, it would be merely a political attitude rather than an ideology. In fact, many people or groups can be considered “conservative” in the sense that they resist change, but certainly cannot be said to subscribe to a conservative political creed’ (p 68).
It is important to note that many self-professed conservatives, including those who are members or supporters of the Conservative Party, would regard themselves as having non-ideological inclinations and dispositions that develop slowly and are ‘honed by maturity and experience of life’ (Ball, 2013, p 2). Their attitudes towards economic and social issues are formed on the basis of common sense and pragmatism rather than a premeditated ideological stance. From this perspective, then, conservatism is portrayed as pragmatic, moderate, and protective of an existing social order that has stood the test of time.
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- Clear Blue Water?The Conservative Party and the Welfare State since 1940, pp. 1 - 18Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2015