British political philosophy
One-nation conservatism
, also known as
one-nationism
or
Tory democracy
, is a
paternalistic
form of British
political conservatism
. It advocates the preservation of established institutions and traditional principles within a
political democracy
, in combination with
social
and
economic
programmes designed to benefit the ordinary person.
[1]
According to this political philosophy, society should be allowed to develop in an
organic
way, rather than being engineered. It argues that members of society have obligations towards each other and particularly emphasises
paternalism
, meaning that those who are privileged and wealthy should pass on their benefits.
It argues that this elite should work to reconcile the interests of all
social classes
, including labour and management, rather than identifying the good of society solely with the interests of the
business
class.
The describing phrase 'one-nation Tory' originated with
Benjamin Disraeli
(1804?1881), who served as the chief
Conservative
spokesman and became
Prime Minister
in February 1868.
He devised it to appeal to working-class people, who he hoped would see it as a way to improve their lives via factory and health acts as well as greater protection for workers.
[5]
The ideology featured heavily during
Disraeli's two terms in government
, during which considerable social reforms were passed by the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Conservative Party moved away from paternalism in favour of
free market
capitalism
. In the first half of the 20th century, fears of extremism saw a revival of one-nation Conservatism. The Conservative Party continued to espouse the philosophy throughout the
post-war consensus
from 1945. One-nation thinking influenced their tolerance of the
Labour government
's
Keynesian
intervention in the economy, formation of a
welfare state
and the
National Health Service
. Thanks to
Iain Macleod
,
Edward Heath
and
Enoch Powell
, special attention after 1950 was paid to one-nation conservatism that promised support for the poorer and working class elements in the Party coalition.
[6]
Later years saw the rise of the
New Right
, espoused by leaders such as
Margaret Thatcher
. This strand of conservatism rejected one-nation thinking and attributed the country's social and economic troubles to the welfare state and Keynesian policies.
In the 21st century, leaders of the Conservative Party have publicly favoured a one-nation approach. For instance,
David Cameron
, who led the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016, named Disraeli as his favourite Conservative and some commentators and MPs
[
which?
]
have suggested that Cameron's ideology contained an element of one-nationism.
[8]
[9]
Other commentators have questioned the degree to which Cameron and his coalition embodied one-nation conservatism, instead locating them in the intellectual tradition of
Thatcherism
.
[10]
[11]
In 2016, Cameron's successor,
Theresa May
, referred to herself as a one-nation conservative in her first speech as Prime Minister and outlined her focus on one-nation principles.
[12]
May's successor,
Boris Johnson
, made similar assertions.
[13]
[14]
Political philosophy
[
edit
]
One-nation conservatism was conceived by the
Conservative
British Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli
,
who outlines his political philosophy in two of his novels:
Coningsby
(1844), and
Sybil
(1845).
Disraeli's conservatism proposed a paternalistic society with the social classes intact, but with the working class receiving support from the establishment. He emphasised the importance of social obligation rather than individualism.
The phrase was coined because Disraeli feared a Britain divided into two nations, one of the rich and one of the poor, as a result of increased industrialisation and inequality.
One-nation conservatism was his solution to this division, namely a system of measures to improve the lives of the people, provide social support and protect the working classes.
Disraeli justified his ideas by his belief in an
organic society
in which the different classes have natural obligations to one another.
He saw society as naturally hierarchical and emphasised the obligations of those at the top to those below. This was a continuation of the feudal concept of
noblesse oblige
, which asserted that the aristocracy had an obligation to be generous and honourable. To Disraeli, this implied that government should be paternalistic.
Unlike the
New Right
of the late 20th century, one-nation conservatism identifies its approach as pragmatic and non-ideological. Its proponents would say that it accepts the need for flexible policies and as such one-nation conservatives have often sought compromise with their ideological opponents for the sake of social stability.
Disraeli justified his views pragmatically by arguing that should the ruling class become indifferent to the suffering of the people, society would become unstable and social revolution would become a possibility.
History
[
edit
]
One-nation conservatism has its origins in the repercussions of the
Industrial Revolution
, which had caused widespread
inequality
, poverty and social discontent in Britain.
Tory politicians such as
Richard Oastler
,
Michael Thomas Sadler
and
Lord Shaftesbury
combined their elitist responsibility and a strong humanitarian element with their involvement in the
Factory Acts
.
They were critical of individualism and
classical economics
,
they also disliked the 1834
New Poor Law
and believed in the role of the state in guaranteeing decent housing, working conditions, wages and treatment of the poor.
Disraeli adopted one-nation conservatism for both ethical and electoral reasons. Before he became
leader of the Conservative Party
, he persuaded his cabinet colleagues to introduce the
Reform Act 1867
which enfranchised much of the skilled male working-class. Disraeli argued that the party needed to pursue social reforms if it were to have electoral success with this new constituency. He felt that one-nationism would both improve the conditions of the poor and portray the
Liberal Party
as selfish individualists.
While in government, Disraeli presided over a series of social reforms which supported his one-nation politics and aimed to create a benevolent hierarchy.
He appointed a Royal Commission to assess the state of law between employers and employees. As a result,
Richard Cross
was moved to pass the
Employers and Workmen Act 1875
. This act made both sides of industry equal before the law and the breach of contract became a
civil offence
, rather than criminal.
Cross also passed the
Conspiracy, and Protection of Property Act
in the same year which enshrined the worker's right to strike by ensuring that acts carried out by a workers' group could not be indicted as conspiracy.
By the end of the 19th century, the Conservatives had moved away from their one-nation ideology and were increasingly supportive of unrestricted capitalism and free enterprise.
During the
interwar period
between 1919 and 1939, public fear of
Bolshevism
restored the Conservative Party to one-nationism. It defined itself as the party of national unity and began to support moderate reform. As the effects of the
Great Depression
were felt in Britain, the party was drawn to even greater levels of
state intervention
.
Conservative prime ministers
Neville Chamberlain
and
Stanley Baldwin
pursued an interventionist, one-nation approach which won support because of its wide electoral appeal.
Throughout the
post-war consensus
of the 1950s and 1960s, the Conservative Party continued to be dominated by one-nation conservatives whose ideas were inspired by Disraeli.
The philosophy was updated and developed by the new conservatism movement led by
Rab Butler
.
New conservatism attempted to distinguish itself from the
socialism
of
Anthony Crosland
by concentrating welfare on those in need and encouraging people to help themselves, rather than foster dependency on the state.
Until the mid-1970s, the Conservative Party was mostly controlled by one-nation conservatives.
The rise of the New Right in conservative politics led to a critique of one-nation conservatism. The
New Right
thinkers contended that
Keynesianism
and the
welfare state
had damaged the economy and society. The
Winter of Discontent
of 1978?1979 in which trades unions took industrial action with a wide impact on daily life was portrayed by the New Right as illustrative of the over-extension of the state. Figures such as
Margaret Thatcher
believed that to reverse the national decline it was necessary to revive old values of individualism and challenge the
dependency culture
which they felt had been created by the welfare state.
One-nation conservatives such as
Edward Heath
continued to criticise Thatcher's premiership during the
early 1980s recession
, but they lost influence after the party won the
1983 general election
.
[29]
The Conservative Party's
2010 general election
manifesto contained a section on "One World Conservatism", including a commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on well-targeted aid.
[30]
In 2006, Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP)
Andrew Tyrie
published a pamphlet which claimed that party leader
David Cameron
was following the one-nationist path of Disraeli.
[31]
Phillip Blond
, a British political theorist who has had past connections with the Conservative Party,
[32]
has proposed a renewed version of one-nation conservatism.
[33]
Theresa May promoted "One Nation" ideas during her
successful bid for the Tory leadership
in 2016. Previously in 2002 she had highlighted that the party was known as the "Nasty Party".
[34]
Also in 2010, the then London Mayor and prominent Conservative (and later prime minister)
Boris Johnson
explained his political philosophy as such:
I'm a one-nation Tory. There is a duty on the part of the rich to the poor and to the needy, but you are not going to help people express that duty and satisfy it if you punish them fiscally so viciously that they leave this city and this country. I want London to be a competitive, dynamic place to come to work.
[35]
In 2019, a
One Nation Conservative
caucus
was formed in
Parliament
.
[36]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Tory Democracy"
.
Dictionary
. Merriam-Webster
. Retrieved
21 December
2017
.
- ^
"FAQ: What is One Nation conservatism?"
.
Politics for A level
. 12 October 2009.
- ^
Walsha, Robert (2003). "The one nation group and one nation Conservatism, 1950?2002".
Contemporary British History
.
17
(2): 69?120.
- ^
Daponte-Smith, Noah (2 June 2015).
"Is David Cameron Really A One-Nation Conservative?"
.
Forbes
. Retrieved
29 February
2016
.
- ^
Kelly, Richard (February 2008), "Conservatism under Cameron: The new 'third way'
",
Politics Review
- ^
McEnhill, Libby.
"David Cameron and welfare: a change of rhetoric should not be mistaken for a change of ideology"
(PDF)
.
LSE Blogs
. Retrieved
20 March
2015
.
- ^
Griffiths, Simon (19 July 2012).
"Cameron's "Progressive Conservatism" is largely cosmetic and without substance"
.
LSE Blogs
. Retrieved
20 March
2015
.
- ^
"Theresa May vows to be 'one nation' prime minister"
.
BBC News
. 13 July 2016
. Retrieved
14 July
2016
.
- ^
Brogan, Benedict (29 April 2010).
"Boris Johnson interview: My advice to David Cameron? I've made savings, so can you"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. London.
Archived
from the original on 22 December 2016
. Retrieved
26 May
2019
.
- ^
Parker, George (21 December 2014). "Boris Johnson aims to win back voters as 'One Nation Tory'
".
Financial Times
. London.
- ^
Campbell, John (2010).
Pistols at Dawn: Two Hundred Years of Political Rivalry from Pitt and Fox to Blair and Brown
. London: Vintage. pp. 335?336.
ISBN
978-1-84595-091-0
.
OCLC
489636152
.
- ^
"Invitation to Join the Government of Great Britain"
(PDF)
.
The Conservative Party
. 2010
. Retrieved
20 July
2012
.
- ^
Wilson, Graeme (28 December 2006).
"Cameron 'heir to Disraeli as a One Nation Tory'
"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. London.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
20 July
2012
.
- ^
Harris, John (8 August 2009).
"Phillip Blond: The man who wrote Cameron's mood music"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
10 August
2012
.
- ^
Blond, Phillip (28 February 2009).
"Rise of the red Tories"
.
Prospect
. Retrieved
20 July
2012
.
- ^
"Full text: Theresa May's conference speech"
.
The Guardian
. 7 October 2002.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
15 November
2023
.
- ^
Brogan, Benedict
(29 April 2010),
"Boris Johnson interview"
,
The Daily Telegraph
,
My advice to David Cameron: I have made savings, so can you
.
- ^
"Tory MPs launch rival campaign groups"
.
BBC News
. 20 May 2019
. Retrieved
4 April
2020
.
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[
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]
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.
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