ROSE AND CROWN. Malene Djursaa Charlotte Werther. Ideas and Identities in British Politics and Society. Third Edition HANDELSHØJSKOLENS FORLAG

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1 ROSE AND CROWN Ideas and Identities in British Politics and Society Malene Djursaa Charlotte Werther Third Edition HANDELSHØJSKOLENS FORLAG

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3 Malene Djursaa and Charlotte Werther Rose and Crown Ideas and Identities in British Politics and Society Third Edition Handelshøjskolens Forlag 2011

4 Rose and Crown Ideas and Identities in British Politics and Society 3rd edition, 1st printing 2011 by Handelshøjskolens Forlag All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form and by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Cover Design: Bo Helsted Cover photo: The Rose and Crown, 10 St. Michael s Street, St. Albans, Hertfordshire Print: Narayana Press, Gylling Binding: Damm s Forlagsbogbinderi, Randers Printed in Denmark 2011 ISBN Handelshøjskolens Forlag 17, Lyngbyvej P.O. Box 2702 DK-2100 København Phone: + 45: Fax: forlag@djoef.dk

5 Sundays would be a lie-in, a leisurely breakfast, English style, with baked beans, bacon and bangers on burnt toast, then meeting friends at the Rose and Crown and watching The Crownsmen leaping around with bells on their legs, practising Morris-dancing. After closing time, liquid lunch was followed by a more solid one of overcooked roast and two similarly mistreated veg, and more relaxed sociability. That Britain still exists, in pockets, for some, some of the time. For most, however, the pace of modern Britain is as fast and fiercely competitive as anywhere in the world we know and the food has got much better. Crown in the title stands for the institutional framework of government, and Rose for the human element in politics and society, the dreams and ideals which are the driving forces in politics and civilian life in Britain. Understanding these dreams and ideals on their own terms is the main ambition of this book. As this third edition goes to press, the New Labour era has ended and a highly unusual coalition government consisting of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats has started work. Books on politics and society can never be quite up to date. For the sequel on where Britain is heading, we ask our readers to use the companion website on Copenhagen, December 2010 V

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7 Contents 1 The British and the English What unites Britishness Four nations Northern Ireland Wales or Cymru Scotland England Core-periphery and North-South Multi-ethnic Britain Cool Britannia? Britain in the 21st century References and further reading Political ideas Political ideologies vs. political parties Fringe parties The right-wing spectrum Right-wing single-issue parties Extreme right wing Northern Irish unionism The Conservative Party The Tory tradition Consensus Tories The neo-liberal tradition Margaret Thatcher Thatcher s heirs The Conservative Party today The left-wing spectrum Left-wing single-issue parties Regional parties Extreme left wing The Labour Party Old Labour Consensus revisionists Leftward lurch The long haul New Labour The third way The Labour Party today The Liberal Democrats The Social Democratic Party the SDP The Alliance The LibDem programme The Liberal Democratic Party today Conclusion References and further reading VII