Consensus Politics from Attlee to Thatcher

by Dennis Kavanagh, Peter Morris

British politics from the end of the Second World War until the rise of Thatcherism was characterized by the practice of consensus. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher proclaimed, "it must be a conviction government" - a view incompatible with consensus as a style of governing - and set about challenging the shared assumptions of the previous three decades. Margaret Thatcher's departure from office and the arrival of her successor, John Major, have had a profound impact on the way Britain is governed - and in this new edition of Consensus Politics, the authors examines the legacy of Thatcherite "conviction politics" and assess the state of consensus in Britain's government today. This chronicle of the rise and fall of the post-war consensus in five key policy areas - the mixed economy, full employment, trade unions, welfare and foreign policy - remains a superb introduction to one of the major debates of recent political history.

137 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1989

Reviews

[Tom C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic detail and well argued thesis that balanced analysis with summary well. Readable and broadly unobjectionable.