Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Convergence on Crisis? Comparing Labour and Conservative Party Framing of the Economic Crisis in Britain, 2008-14
AU - English, Patrick
AU - Grasso, Maria T.
AU - Buraczynska, Barbara
AU - Karampampas, Sotirios
AU - Temple, Luke
PY - 2016/6/14
Y1 - 2016/6/14
N2 - Since the 1980s, Britain's two largest political parties have been converging ever closer on the political spectrum, in line with a Downsian model of two party majoritarian systems. While both Labour and the Conservatives have been moving toward consensus, we investigate the extent to which the recent financial crisis, understood as a critical juncture, interrupted this movement. Using a “fuzzy set” ideal type analysis with claims‐making data, we assess whether or not we can detect any signs of this consensus breaking down as a result of the crisis and the events which followed. Our results show that despite this most critical event, consensus was maintained as we found both parties adopting very similar framing and narrating strategies on the economic crisis in their public discourse. The study concludes that the shared discursive framing and narrating between both parties on the crisis demonstrates a continued Thatcherite, neoliberal consensus in British politics.
AB - Since the 1980s, Britain's two largest political parties have been converging ever closer on the political spectrum, in line with a Downsian model of two party majoritarian systems. While both Labour and the Conservatives have been moving toward consensus, we investigate the extent to which the recent financial crisis, understood as a critical juncture, interrupted this movement. Using a “fuzzy set” ideal type analysis with claims‐making data, we assess whether or not we can detect any signs of this consensus breaking down as a result of the crisis and the events which followed. Our results show that despite this most critical event, consensus was maintained as we found both parties adopting very similar framing and narrating strategies on the economic crisis in their public discourse. The study concludes that the shared discursive framing and narrating between both parties on the crisis demonstrates a continued Thatcherite, neoliberal consensus in British politics.
KW - Great Britain
KW - United Kingdom
KW - Labour Party
KW - Conservative Party
KW - Convergence
KW - New Labour
KW - Party Politics
KW - Economic Crisis
KW - Great Recession
KW - Fuzzy Set Analysis
KW - Ideal Type Analysis
KW - Political Change
KW - Neoliberalism
KW - Neo‐Liberalism
KW - Comparative Political Analysis
KW - Framing
U2 - 10.1111/polp.12160
DO - 10.1111/polp.12160
M3 - Journal article
VL - 44
SP - 577
EP - 603
JO - Politics and Policy
JF - Politics and Policy
SN - 1555-5623
IS - 3
ER -