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.

The General Elections: 2015, 2017, 2019 (2023)
Book Chapter
Fear, C. (2023). The General Elections: 2015, 2017, 2019. In M. Beech, & S. Lee (Eds.), Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit (47-64). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (part of Springer Nature). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21464-6_4

This chapter explains the backgrounds, the strategies, and the performance of the Conservatives’ three general election campaigns in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Special attention is given to voting patterns and statistics, which (I argue) reveal more about... Read More about The General Elections: 2015, 2017, 2019.

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.

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.

The British Labour Party: Back to the wilderness (2017)
Book Chapter
Manwaring, R., & Beech, M. (2017). The British Labour Party: Back to the wilderness. In R. Manwaring, & P. Kennedy (Eds.), Why the left loses: The decline of the Centre-Left in comparative perspective (25-38). Bristol: Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt22p7khr.8

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.

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.

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. These Englands : a conversation on national identity (137-154). Manchester: Manchester University Press

A social democratic narrative of British democracy (2011)
Journal Article
Beech, M. (2012). A social democratic narrative of British democracy. Policy studies : the journal of the Policy Studies Institute, 33(2), 133-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2011.601205

This article argues that social democracy as a political ideology has much to contribute to a narrative of British democracy. Democracy is the central tenet of social democracy and this distinguishes it from Marxist socialism. However, despite the La... Read More about A social democratic narrative of British democracy.

A tale of two liberalisms (2011)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2011). A tale of two liberalisms. In S. Lee, & M. Beech (Eds.), The Cameron-Clegg Government: Coalition Politics in an Age of Austerity (267-279). London: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230305014

The Conservative-Liberal Government represents a new period in British politics. The Coalition brought to an end 13 years of New Labour rule and reintroduced the idea of inter-party cooperation in government. The United Kingdom has not experienced su... Read More about A tale of two liberalisms.

The Cameron-Clegg Government: Coalition Politics in an Age of Austerity (2011)
Book
Beech, M., & Lee, S. (2011). The Cameron-Clegg Government: Coalition Politics in an Age of Austerity. Palgrave Macmillan

The Brown Government: A Policy Evaluation (2009)
Book
Beech, M., & Lee, S. (2009). The Brown Government: A Policy Evaluation. Routledge

The Brown Government provides an interim evaluation of Gordon Brown's Labour administration through identifying continuities and discontinuities with the Blair governments from 1997. By focusing on key ideas and areas of public policy it presents an... Read More about The Brown Government: A Policy Evaluation.

Conclusion: A Cameronite United Kingdom? (2009)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2009). Conclusion: A Cameronite United Kingdom?. The Conservatives under David Cameron: Built to Last? (208 - 214). Palgrave Macmillan

Cameron and Conservative Ideology (2009)
Book Chapter
Beech, M. (2009). Cameron and Conservative Ideology. The Conservatives under David Cameron: Built to Last? (18 - 30). Palgrave Macmillan

The Conservatives under David Cameron: Built to Last? (2009)
Book
Beech, M., & Lee, S. (2009). The Conservatives under David Cameron: Built to Last?. Palgrave Macmillan

Drawing upon the expertise of a team of established researchers, The Conservatives under David Cameron provides a detailed analysis and evaluation of the ideas, policies and electoral strategy developed during the tenure of David Cameron as Conservat... Read More about The Conservatives under David Cameron: Built to Last?.