Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

All Outputs (38)

Conservative Party Ideology in the Age of Brexit (2023)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2023). Conservative Party Ideology in the Age of Brexit. In M. Beech, & S. Lee (Eds.), Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit (11-24). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (part of Springer Nature). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21464-6_2

This essay asserts that the Age of Brexit was one of sharp ideological conflict in the Conservative Party and yet, despite such tumult, the Conservative Party demonstrated its ideological breadth by surviving schism and thriving, by winning a third s... Read More about Conservative Party Ideology in the Age of Brexit.

Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit (2023)
Book
Beech, M., & Lee, S. (Eds.). (2023). Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21464-6

This book provides the first evaluation of the three Conservative administrations which have been affected, shaped and largely determined by the age of Brexit.It breaks new ground by collectively analysing the Cameron, May and Johnson administrations... Read More about Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit.

Brexit and the Labour Party: Europe, cosmopolitanism and the narrowing of traditions (2021)
Journal Article
Beech, M. (2021). Brexit and the Labour Party: Europe, cosmopolitanism and the narrowing of traditions. British Politics, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41293-021-00168-6

The phenomenon of Brexit is reordering British politics. Its effects have led to political and cultural shock, disruption and rifts. This article explores how the phenomenon of Brexit has decentered the Labour Party’s ideational traditions. The artic... Read More about Brexit and the Labour Party: Europe, cosmopolitanism and the narrowing of traditions.

Divided by values: Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party and England's 'North-South Divide' (2020)
Journal Article
Beech, M., & Hickson, K. (2020). Divided by values: Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party and England's 'North-South Divide'. Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique, 24(2),

This article explores the sociocultural divide in England exposed by Brexit. The metaphors of ‘North’ and ‘South’ are used to explain this, where the former is seen as more culturally conservative and the latter as more cosmopolitan. We examine the... Read More about Divided by values: Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party and England's 'North-South Divide'.

Brexit and the decentred state (2020)
Journal Article
Beech, M. (2020). Brexit and the decentred state. Public policy and administration, Article 095207672090500. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952076720905008

The aim of this article is to examine Brexit through the lens of decentred theory as articulated by Bevir (2013) in A Theory of Governance. Decentered theory regards the British state as neither a monolith (as per modernist social science) nor a myt... Read More about Brexit and the decentred state.

The place of human rights in the foreign policy of Cameron's Conservatives: Sceptics or enthusiasts? (2019)
Journal Article
Beech, M., & Munce, P. (2019). The place of human rights in the foreign policy of Cameron's Conservatives: Sceptics or enthusiasts?. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 21(1), 116-131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148118819066

The purpose of this article is to explain the place of human rights in the foreign policy thinking of David Cameron’s Conservatives (2005–2016). The article asks three interrelated questions: First, what role has human rights come to acquire in inter... Read More about The place of human rights in the foreign policy of Cameron's Conservatives: Sceptics or enthusiasts?.

The Progressives (2018)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2018). The Progressives. In M. Beech, K. Hickson, & R. Plant (Eds.), The Struggle for Labour's Soul: Understanding Labour's Political Thought Since 1945 (67-79). (2nd edition). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315170848-6

The chapter on New Labour in the first edition of this volume was finished in 2003. Tony Blair resigned in 2007 and Gordon Brown left office in 2010. This chapter seeks not to cover previous ground but to take the long view. By that I mean to explain... Read More about The Progressives.

The struggle for Labour's soul: Understanding Labour's political thought since 1945 (2018)
Book
Beech, M., Hickson, K., & Plant, R. (Eds.). (2018). The struggle for Labour's soul: Understanding Labour's political thought since 1945. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315170848

The election of the most left-wing Labour Party Leader since 1945, followed by the Party's third consecutive general election defeat and the ongoing cultural divisions around Brexit present an ideal opportunity for a thorough re-evaluation of the sta... Read More about The struggle for Labour's soul: Understanding Labour's political thought since 1945.

Neoliberalism, New Labour and the Welfare State (2017)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2017). Neoliberalism, New Labour and the Welfare State. In R. E. Backhouse, B. W. Bateman, T. Nishizawa, & D. Plehwe (Eds.), Liberalism and the Welfare State: Economists & arguments for the Welfare State (118-130). Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780190676681.003.0007

This chapter argues that the New Labour governments (1997–2010) were not a political project wholly based on neoliberal assumptions, as the “majority view” in the scholarship asserts. In the area of welfare policy New Labour adopted a modified social... Read More about Neoliberalism, New Labour and the Welfare State.

Labour parties ideas transfer and ideological positioning : Australia and Britain compared (2016)
Journal Article
Edwards, B. M., & Beech, M. (2016). Labour parties ideas transfer and ideological positioning : Australia and Britain compared. Policy studies : the journal of the Policy Studies Institute, 37(5), 486-498. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2016.1188914

As part of this special issue examining policy transfer between the Labour Parties in Australia and Britain, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between the two on ideological positioning. In the 1990s there was substantial ideas transfer fr... Read More about Labour parties ideas transfer and ideological positioning : Australia and Britain compared.

The Ideology of the Coalition: More Liberal than Conservative (2015)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2015). The Ideology of the Coalition: More Liberal than Conservative. In M. Beech, & S. Lee (Eds.), The Conservative-Liberal Coalition (1-15). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461377_1

For those who study British politics from a contemporary history or political science perspective the role of ideology is notable. British party ideology is diverse, fluid and contains contradictory strands. At certain times a particular expression d... Read More about The Ideology of the Coalition: More Liberal than Conservative.

The Coalition: A Transformative Government? (2015)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2015). The Coalition: A Transformative Government?. In M. Beech, & S. Lee (Eds.), The Conservative-Liberal Coalition : Examining the Cameron-Clegg Government (259-269). London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461377_17

Paul Addison concludes his famous study of British politics during the Second World War by stating, ‘Such was Mr Attlee’s consensus, the new dispensation which began after Dunkirk in 1940, and until recent years seemed to be the natural order of Brit... Read More about The Coalition: A Transformative Government?.

The Conservative-Liberal Coalition: Examining the Cameron-Clegg Government (2015)
Book
Beech, M., & Lee, S. (2015). M. Beech, & S. Lee (Eds.). The Conservative-Liberal Coalition: Examining the Cameron-Clegg Government. Bassingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461377

This book offers a unique full term analysis of the Cameron-Clegg Government. From austerity to gay marriage, the Scottish referendum to combating IS, it brings together expert academic voices to provide rigorous yet readable insights on the key area... Read More about The Conservative-Liberal Coalition: Examining the Cameron-Clegg Government.

Blue and purple Labour challenges to the welfare state: How should 'statist' social democrats respond? (2014)
Journal Article
Beech, M., & Page, R. M. (2015). Blue and purple Labour challenges to the welfare state: How should 'statist' social democrats respond?. Social policy and society : a journal of the Social Policy Association, 14(3), 341-356. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1474746414000463

This article explores two influential strands of thinking about the welfare state, Blue Labour and Purple Labour, that have emerged following New Labour's defeat at the 2010 General Election. It is argued that although both of these new approaches ra... Read More about Blue and purple Labour challenges to the welfare state: How should 'statist' social democrats respond?.

Humanitarian intervention and foreign policy in the Conservative-led coalition (2013)
Journal Article
Beech, M., & Oliver, T. (2014). Humanitarian intervention and foreign policy in the Conservative-led coalition. Parliamentary affairs, 67(1), 102-118. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gst024

This paper examines the role of humanitarian intervention as a tool of foreign policy in the Conservative-led Coalition. The first section of the paper provides historical context and assesses the traditional approaches to humanitarian intervention a... Read More about Humanitarian intervention and foreign policy in the Conservative-led coalition.

Blue or purple? Reflections on the future of the Labour Party (2012)
Journal Article
Beech, M., & Hickson, K. (2014). Blue or purple? Reflections on the future of the Labour Party. Political Studies Review, 12(1), 75-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00288.x

The purpose of this article is to examine the future ideological direction of the Labour party by analysing two intellectual offerings that have appeared in the post-New Labour era: ‘Blue Labour’ and The Purple Book. First, the article sets out the s... Read More about Blue or purple? Reflections on the future of the Labour Party.

The British welfare state and its discontents (2012)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2012). The British welfare state and its discontents. In J. Connelly, & J. Hayward (Eds.), The Withering of the Welfare State: Regression (86-100). London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230349230_6

At the heart of British politics is the welfare state. As a political idea it is contested, and as a framework of public services and entitlements it is complex. Friedrich Hayek commented upon the imprecision of the term ‘welfare state’: ‘Unlike soci... Read More about The British welfare state and its discontents.

The Left and Englishness (2012)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2012). The Left and Englishness. In These Englands : a conversation on national identity (137-154). Manchester: Manchester University Press