Timothy Heppell

Andrew S. Crines

Peter Dorey

This book examines the political oratory, rhetoric and persona of Margaret Thatcher as a means of understanding her justifications for ‘Thatcherism’. The main arenas for consideration are set piece speeches to conference, media engagements, and Parliamentary orations. Thatcher’s rhetorical style is analysed through the lens of the Aristotelian modes of persuasion (ethos, pathos, logos). Furthermore, the classical methods of oratorical engagement (deliberative, epidictic, judicial) are employed to consider her style of delivery. The authors place her styles of communication into their respective political contexts over a series of noteworthy issues, such as industrial relations, foreign policy, economic reform, and party management. By doing so, this distinctive book shines new light on Thatcher and her political career.

The Political Rhetoric and Oratory of Margaret Thatcher

Andrew S. Roe-Crines

This book explores the political and intellectual significance of Edward Heath’s leadership of the Conservative Party. It contains a series of original and distinctive chapters that feature extensive archival materials and original insights from leading political scientists and historians. The volume contributes significantly to our understanding of Conservative Party politics, leadership, and conservatism more broadly.

Policies and Politics Under Prime Minister Edward Heath

Political journalists often refer to Leader of the Opposition as the hardest job in politics, and yet despite this opposition studies has been largely neglected by political academics. To address this gap, this edited book brings together a team of leading British Politics experts to evaluate the performance of each Leader of the Opposition in the post-war era. Each Leader of the Opposition from Churchill to Cameron is assessed in terms of their proficiency as public communicators; their effectiveness in constructing viable public policy platforms; their abilities in party management and their emotional intelligence or how they coped with the demands of the role. Through these evaluations conclusions are drawn on how Leaders of the Opposition are increasingly less experienced when acquiring the position and how in the era of valence politics expectations of them as Leader are higher and tolerance of failure is lower.

From Churchill to Cameron

Leaders of the Opposition

David Cameron was leader of the Conservative Party (2005-16) and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2010-16). His legacy may be one of the most significant of any post-war British prime minister. But did he have a distinctive political strategy, and if so how should we characterise it? This book provides a new and distinctive interpretation of ‘Cameronism’, focusing on the twin themes of modernisation and manipulation. Heppell identifies three core aspects of Cameron’s modernisation strategy: his attempts to detoxify the image of the Conservative Party; his efforts to delegitimise the Labour Party by blaming it for the financial crisis and austerity; and Cameron’s use of the ‘Big Society’ narrative as a means of reducing the perceived responsibilities of the state. Manipulation is explored in relation to the Coalition Government and the exploitation of the Liberal Democrats, on policies such as austerity, tuition fees and electoral reform. Finally, the book examines Cameronism in relation to current challenges to the existing political order: Brexit, Scottish independence, and the rise of populism. This timely book is essential reading to those interested in British party politics and Prime Ministerial leadership.

Timothy Heppell

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