Abstract
This chapter has two parts. Part one explores the misfit between constitutional theory and political practice in the UK. It argues that a historic fusion of constitutional pressures that emerged in the 1980s and ‘90’s created the political space for the emergence of a New Constitutionalism under the Blair government. For analytical purposes these pressures may be distinguished between structural and political factors. The former are changes in global forces, national statecraft (the principles of governing) and the nature of domestic governance (the process of governing). The latter are the political manifestations of these broader structural changes. The purpose here is to present a map of the myriad of constitutional pressures that emerged in the 1980s and ‘90’s. These will be discussed at greater length in relation to particular processes of constitutional reform in Part II of the book.
We on the centre-left must try to put ourselves at the forefront of those who are trying to manage social change in the global economy. The old left resisted that change. The new right did not want to manage it. We have to manage that change to produce social solidarity and prosperity.
Tony Blair, 1998.
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Notes
This argument was developed in collaboration with Philip Cerny and I have drawn on some of his ideas in the development of this chapter. See P. Cerny and M. Evans, ‘New Labour, Globalization and the Competition State(’, Harvard Papers, 60, Center for European Studies (Harvard: Harvard University, 2000) and M. Evans and P. Cerny, ‘Globalization and Social Policy’ in N. Ellison and C. Pierson (eds), Developments in British Social Policy 2 (London: Palgrave, 2003), pp. 19–40.
For an alternative account see A. Callinicos, Against the Third Way (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001).
See P. Cerny, ‘International Finance and the Erosion of State Capacity’ in P. Gummett (ed.), Globalization and Public Policy (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 1996), pp. 83–104.
See W. Hutton, Stake-holding and its Critics (London: Institute of Economic Affairs Health and Welfare Unit, 1997) for a more developed presentation of the concept of stake-holding.
D. Beetham, (ed.), Defining and Measuring Democracy (London: Sage, 1994), provides the classic example of this development.
J. Davies, The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Political Democracy (York: Department of Politics. University of York 2001) D. 53.
D. Smith’s, The Rise and Full of Monetarism (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987) provides an interview of the disastrous effects of monetarism
See R. Jowell, J. Curtice, L. Brook and K. Thomson (eds), British Social Attitude: The Thirteenth Report (Aldershot Dartmouth 1996)
See D. Oliver, Government in the United Kingdom (Milton Keynes: Open University Press. 1992) D. 21.
For a discussion of these issues see J. Buller, M. Evans and O. James (eds), ‘Understanding the Europeanisation of Public Policy(’, special edition of Public Policy and Administration, Vol. 17 (2002), 2, pp. 146.
R. Landrech, ‘Europeanization of Domestic Politics and Institutions: the Case of France(’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 32 (1994), D. 70.
For a thorough discussion of the issues involved see S. Weir and D. Beetham, Political Power and Democratic Control in Britain (London: Routledge, 1999).
J. Campbell’s, Edward Heath (London: Jonathan Cape, 1993) presents an excellent discussion of the fall of the Heath administration at the hands of organized labour.
For example, the Community Charge and Child Support policy. On the former see D. Butler, A. Adonis and T. Travers, Failure in British Government. The Politics of the Poll Tax, (Oxford: OUP, 1994), and on the latter see J. Lewis, ‘Women, Men and the Family’ in A. Seldon (ed.) The Blair Effect (London: Little Brown, 2001), pp. 489–506.
Postmaterialism is a concept that refers to the transformation of value priorities in western democracies from materialist to postmaterialist values. It is argued that a relationship exists between this culture shift and the emergence of new social and political movements. See R. Inglehart, Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Societies (Princeton: Princetnn I Inivercitv Precc 19901
See M. Evans, ‘Political Participation(’, in P. Dunleavy et al (eds), Developments in British Politics 5 (London: Macmillan, 1997) and H. Margetts, ‘Political Participation and Protest(’, in Developments in British Politics 6 (London: Macmillan. 2000).
See C. Lindlom, Politics and Markets (London: Basic Books, 1977), for a full discussion.
S. Strange. Casino Canitalism (Oxford: Blackwell. 1986).
Neil Gordon Kinnock (1942- ): Labour MP for Bedwellty, 1970–83 and Islwyn, 1983–95; member of the Commons public expenditure, nationalised industries, and European legislation select committees, 1970–9; parliamentary private secretary to the employment secretary, 1974–5; Labour’s chief education spokesman, 1979; joined shadow cabinet 1980; member of Labour’s national executive committee 1978–94; Labour party leader 1983–1992; European commissioner for Transport 1 995–9; vice-president of the European Commission, 1999- .
T. Jones. Remakin the Labour Partv (London: Routledee_ 19961)
L. Panitch and C. Leys, The End of Parliamentary Socialism. From New Left to New Labour (London: Verso. 1997). ch. 11.
John Smith (1938–94): Labour MP for Lanarkshire North, 1970–83 and Monklands East, 1983–94; Secretary of State for Trade, 1978–9; shadow Chancellor, 1989–92; and, leader of the Labour Party, 1992–4.
See J. Geekie and R. Levy, ‘Devolution and the Tartanization of the Labour Party(’, Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 42 (1989), 3, pp. 399–411.
Peter Mandelson (1953- ): Labour MP for Hartlepool, 1992- ; author of The Blair Revolution (with Roger Liddle), 1996; 1997 Election Campaign Manager, 1996–7; Minister without Portfolio, 1998; Secretary of State for the Department of Trade and Industry, 1998; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 1999–2000. Mandelson has been forced to resign from ministerial posts twice since 1997. In 1999 he resigned when it was revealed that he had borrowed and failed to register a loan from fellow cabinet minister Geof frey Robinson. After a short cooling of f period he was reinstated as Northern Ireland Secretary. However, he was forced to resign once again in 2000 after being falsely accused of exchanging British passports in return for party donations. He remains a Labour backbencher.
Gordon Brown (1951- ): Labour MP for Dunfermline East, 1983-; Opposition Spokesman on Trade and Industry 1985–7; Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury 1987–9; Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary 1989–92; Shadow Chancellor 1992–7; Chancellor of the Exchequer 1997- .
See W. Bonefeld and P. Burnham, ‘The Politics of Counter Inflationary Credibility in Britain, 1990–94(’, Review of Radical Political Economics, Vol. 30. (1998). 1. nn. 32–52.
C. Leadbeater. Living on Thin Air (London. 2000).
J R. Macdonald, Syndicalism (London, 1912), pp. 68–9. See Chapter Five for a biography of Macdonald.
A. Giddens, The Third Way: the Renewal of Social Democracy (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1998), p. vii.
See also: A. Giddens, Runaway World (London: Prof ile Books, 1999); A. Giddens, The Third Way and Its Critics (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000); A. Giddens, Where Now for New Labour? (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002); A. Giddens (ed.), The Global Third Way Debate (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001); and, A. Callinicos, Against the Third Way (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001).
For the most compelling critique see A. Callinicos, Against the Third Way (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001). For a supporting perspective see J. Isaac, ‘Intellectuals, Marxism and Politics(’, New Left Review 11, 2 (2000), p. 11. For his response see, Third Way and Its Critics (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000). On the influence of Giddens on the global debate see A. Giddens (ed.), The Global Third Way Debate (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2001).
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For example, compare R. McKenzie and D. Lee, Quicksilver Capital: fHow the Rapid Movement of Wealth Has Changed the World (New York: Free Press, 1991), with R. Reich, The Work of Nations: Preparing Ourselves for 21 st Century Capitalism (New York: Knopf, 1991).
For example, compare P. Hirst and G. Thompson, Globalization In Question? The International Economy and the Possibilities of Governance (Oxford. Polity Press, 1996) with G. Garrett, Partisan Politics in the Global Economy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998).
See P. Cerny, The Changing Architecture of Politics: Structure, Agency and the Future of the State (London and Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1990) and P. Cerny and M. Evans, ‘New Labour, Globalization and the Competition State(’, Harvard Papers, 60, Center for European Studies (Harvard: Harvard University, 2000).
See: B. Jessop et al, Marxism and Democracy (London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1980); and, J. Dearlove, ‘Bringing the Constitution Back In: Political Science and the State(’, Political Studies, 37 (1989), 3, pp. 521–39.
See David Marquand, The Unprincipled Society (London: Cape, 1988) and Will Hutton, The State We’re In (London: Cape, 1995), for two perspectives on this theme.
M. Smith and D. Richards provide a rigorous discussion of the theory and practice of governance in the UK in Governance and Public Policy in the UK (Oxford• Oxford University Press 20011 chs 2 and 10
See S. Vogel, Freer Markets, More Ru1es: Regulatory Reform in Advanced Industrial Countries (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. 1996).
See S. Hall, ‘Authoritarian Populism: A Reply(’, New Left Review, 151 (1985), pp. 115–24 and B. Jessop et al., Thatcherism: A Tale of Two Nations (London: Polity, 1988).
A term coined by W.J.M. Mackenzie in Explorations in Government (London: Macmillan, 1975, p. 275).
Francis Fukuyama, The End of History and the Last Man (New York: Free Press, 1992).
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Evans, M. (2003). The Rise of the Competition State. In: Constitution-Making and the Labour Party. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230502260_3
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