The Progressive Century: The Future of the Centre-Left in Britain

by N. Lawson (Editor), N. Sherlock (Editor)

Overview

Can Labour and the Liberal Democrats redefine politics to make the 21st Century a progressive century? Can the centre-left find a common cause to tackle the alienation from politics, the globalisation of power, the need to modernise public services and the will to face up to the environmental challenges? Will the centre-left unite to change the voting system and win the case for Britain entering the single currency? Will the centre-left give real priority to family life and the tackling of discrimination against women? These are some of the questions that are tackled in this topical and controversial book, which brings together leading politicians, journalists, academics and thinkers. Contributors include Robin Cook, Menzies Campbell, Lord Ashdown, Harriet Harman, Ruth Kelly, Peter Mandelson, Don MacIntyre, Steve Richards, Anna Coote, Polly Toynbee, Matthew Taylor, Kirsty Milne, Don Foster and Chris Huhne.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780333949610
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	06/18/2001
Edition description:	2001
Pages:	241
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.03(d)
Lexile:	1350L (what's this?)

About the Author

RT. HON. SIR PADDY ASHDOWN KBE Member of Parliament MING CAMPBELL Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence PHILIP COLLINS Director, Social Market Foundation ROBIN COOK Foreign Secretary ANNA COOTE Director, Public Health Programme, King's Fund, London DAVID COWLING Political Analyst PHILIP DODD Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts DON FOSTER Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Bath PAM GIDDY Director of Charter 88 OLLY GRENDER Public Affairs Consultant HARRIET HARMAN Labour Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham CHRIS HUHNE Member of the European Parliament WILL HUTTON Chief Executive Officer, Industrial Society RUTH KELLY Member of Parliament for Bolton West ROGER LEVETT Director of CAG Consultants RUTH LISTER CBE Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University CALUM MACDONALD Labour Member of Parliament for the Western Isles DONALD MACINTYRE Chief Political Commentator, the Independent DAVID MARQUAND Principal, Mansfield College, Oxford KIRSTY MILNE Political Commentator for the Scotsman MARK OATEN Member of Parliament and PPS to Charles Kennedy ANDREW PAKES Director, New Politics Network KATE PARMINTER Director of CPRE GREG POWER Director, Hansard Society's Parliament and Government Programme STEVE RICHARDS Chief Political Commentator at the Independent PETER RIDDELL Political Columnist and Commentator, The Times MICHAEL RUSTIN Professor of Sociology, University of East London ANDREW STEVENS Labour's Political Assistant, London Borough of Lewisham DAVE SULLIVAN Mayor for Lewisham MATTHEW TAYLOR Director, Institute for Public Policy Research POLLY TOYNBEE Columnist on the Guardian and Radio Times STEPHEN TWIGG Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate TONY WRIGHT Labour Member of Parliament for Cannock Chase

Table of Contents

Foreword by Roy Jenkins Introduction: The Progressive Century: Ours to Make; N.Lawson & N.Sherlock PART I: THE CASE AND THE PROSPECTS FOR PROGRESSIVE POLITICS Liberalism and Social Democracy; T.Wright The Threat of the Right; S.Twigg & A.Pakes Do Two Tribes Have to War?; D.MacIntyre Blair's Progressive Paradox; S.Richards Is There a Progressive Electorate?; D.Cowling PART II: GIVING GOVERNMENT LEGITIMACY: NEW STRUCTURES AND CULTURE FOR A NEW CENTURY The Second Wave of Constitutional Reform; P.Giddy The Sociological Foundations of Pluralist Politics; M.Rustin Politics with a Purpose: Reforming the House of Commons; P.Riddell & G.Power A Third Sector as Well as a Third Way; O.Grender & K.Parminter Scotland: An Experiment in New Politics; K.Milne Progressive Councils: The Case for Collaborative Local Politics; D.Sullivan & A.Stevens PART III: THE ISSUES FOR THE NEW CENTURY Progressive Economics: Trust the People; C.Huhne The Globalisation of Power; Lord Ashdown Socialising Markets; P.Collins Making Society Just; D.Foster Sustaining Development; R.Levett Feminism Finds a Foothold in the Centre-Left; H.Harman Family Policy: Opening Up Choice; R.Kelly More Health, Less Service; A.Coote Europe and the New Politics; R.Cook & M.Campbell PART IV: ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION - Will Hutton, Polly Toynbee, Mark Oaten, Matthew Taylor, Ruth Lister, Philip Dodd, Calum Macdonald & David Marquand Endpiece by Peter Mandelson Index

Editorial Reviews

'The progressive forces in Britain have so far completely failed to articulate the kind of clear interlocking set of ideas which underpinned that Thatcherite revolution of the 1980's. This book, full of new ideas and new thinking, provides the first serious attempt to make good that deficiency.' - Lord Ashdown

'Winning a second term will be an historic achievement for Labour. But what matters to the people is what we do with that second term and beyond. This book provides a valuable starting point in getting that right.' - Patricia Hewitt MP

'This book will make all of us on the centre-left think hard about how we can forge strong progressive politics for Britain. New ideas are at the heart of this and policies to promote choice for families are rightly given prominence in the new politics that The Progressive Century promotes.' - Ruth Kelly MP

'All credit to the editors, Neal Lawson and Neil Sherlock, for this enterprising and useful book...full of thought-provoking essays.' - Stephen Pollard, New Statesman

From the Publisher