Liberal Conservatism: Ideological Coherence?

Abstract

Many commentators were startled by the formation of the coalition government in May 2010. Surprise was followed by the expectation that a process of ideological compromise would ensue as the Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaderships sought to agree with a common policy platform. In respects, this is indeed what has occurred during their first 15 months of government. However, the task of tracing the ideological character of the coalition is much more complicated than just looking for ways in which the difference has (or has not) been split between competing sets of ideas, or merely highlighting those areas in which the coalition partners share a common vision. For it is clear that both parties are themselves, as ever, ‘coalitions’ of actors with often distinct ideas. Also, in recent years it has arguably become particularly difficult to draw clear ideological dividing-lines between the main political parties. The coalition follows an extended period in office for a Labour government which made a virtue of its ‘post-ideological’ character. Insofar as the Blair administration had a guiding philosophy this was ‘the third way’, which sought to explicitly transcend traditional ideological dividing-lines, and combine a commitment to a ‘dynamic market economy’ with a pledge to pursue ‘social justice’ (Giddens, 1998; Blair, 1998).