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2018 | Book

The Rhetoric of Coalition Bargaining Read chapter Read first chapter

Conflict, Co-operation and the Rhetoric of Coalition Government

Author: Dr. Judi Atkins

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK

Book Series : Rhetoric, Politics and Society

Part of: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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About this book

Through a rhetorical analysis, this book explores how the parties in a coalition government create a united public front while preserving their distinct identities. After proposing an original framework based on the ‘new rhetoric’ of Kenneth Burke, the author charts the path from the inconclusive outcome of the 2010 UK general election and the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition to the dissolution of the partnership in the run-up to May 2015. In doing so, she sheds valuable light on the parties’ use of rhetoric to manage the competing dynamics of unity and distinctiveness in the areas of higher education, constitutional reform, the European Union and foreign policy. This unique and highly-accessible analysis will be of interest to a wide audience, including scholars and students of rhetoric, British politics and coalition studies.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. The Rhetoric of Coalition Bargaining
Abstract
The core contention of this volume is that rhetoric is key to managing the competing dynamics of unity and distinctiveness that permeate coalition bargaining. It proceeds from the premise that coalition politics is an ongoing negotiation dialogue which takes place under conditions of ambiguity. Taking Kenneth Burke’s rhetoric of identification as its starting point, the chapter lays the theoretical groundwork for this approach. Next, it distinguishes three forms of identification and division at work within coalition bargaining, namely: ideological, which is concerned with values; instrumental, which is founded on political expediency; and interpersonal, which focuses on the relations between individuals or groups. The chapter concludes by outlining the aims and structure of the book.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 2. The Formation of the Coalition
Abstract
This chapter examines the strategies of unity and distinctiveness employed by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats during the bargaining stage and shortly after the formation of the Coalition. The first section outlines the parties’ manifesto pledges in the areas of higher education, constitutional reform, Europe and foreign policy. In doing so it highlights the points of overlap and division, and considers how these were resolved in the Coalition’s Programme for Government. The chapter then analyses the rhetoric of senior Coalition politicians, showing that they mobilized the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility to foster ideological identification. The partners also appealed to the ‘national interest’ to quell intra-party dissent, and they employed identification through antithesis to unite their audience against the ‘fiscally irresponsible’ Labour Party.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 3. Higher Education Policy
Abstract
Higher education funding was difficult for the Liberal Democrats, due to their pre-election pledge to oppose any increase in tuition fees. In seeking to justify their change of position, the Party used interpersonal identification to foster understanding and win back trust. While this reflected their consensual approach to politics, it perhaps was perceived as ingratiating by the public. The parliamentary debate on the reforms was dominated by ideological appeals to different conceptions of fairness, which were virtually absent from Vince Cable and David Willetts’s speeches to the university sector. Instead, both relied on instrumental identification, invoking the interests of students, the universities and the nation. This strategy proved effective in the main, though the sector’s predefined interests occasionally took precedence over other considerations.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 4. Constitutional Reform
Abstract
Following intense negotiations, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats agreed to equalize constituency boundaries and hold a referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV). The chapter examines the parliamentary debate on these reforms, showing that both sides employed different definitions of ‘fairness’ to foster ideological identification. This concept also dominated Cameron’s case against AV in a bitter referendum campaign, and the ensuing friction between the leaders was manifested in a dispute over House of Lords reform. The analysis reveals that this conflict stemmed from the parties’ different interpretations of the Coalition Agreement, which were shaped by their perceived interests. Consequently, Liberal Democrats could justify their decision to back the postponement of the boundary review, which angered the Conservatives but allowed the junior partner to reassert its distinctiveness.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 5. The European Union
Abstract
When the Eurosceptic Conservatives and the pro-European Liberal Democrats entered into coalition, their constructive approach to Europe took commentators by surprise. An analysis of the leaders’ speeches demonstrates that they were instrumentally identified on the belief that membership of a reformed EU was in Britain’s national interest. In 2013, Cameron adopted a harder Eurosceptic position and emphasized the differences between Britain and Europe. He thus limited the possibility of ideological identification, leaving appeals to the national interest as his only rhetorical option. The chapter then examines two parliamentary debates, revealing that Eurosceptic Conservatives used the concept of parliamentary sovereignty to differentiate themselves ideologically from the Coalition’s position. This strategy proved highly effective in rallying backbench support for the EU (Referendum) Bill.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 6. Foreign Policy
Abstract
This chapter examines the Coalition’s case for humanitarian intervention in Libya (2011) and Syria (2013). It shows that, in both parliamentary debates, Cameron and Clegg employed identification through antithesis to distinguish their approach from the 2003 Iraq war. Buttressing this strategy were appeals for ideological and instrumental identification, which, respectively, were founded on the principle of humanitarian intervention and conceptions of the ‘national interest’. While MPs overwhelmingly supported the mission in Libya, they refused to back military action against Syria. Here, the Coalition’s case for intervention resembled that of Blair in several important respects, notably the bypassing of the UN. This prevented the partners from creating a clear contrast between Iraq and Syria, and so undermined their efforts to foster identification through antithesis.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 7. Coalition Termination: The 2015 General Election Campaign
Abstract
This chapter argues that the Liberal Democrats struggled to differentiate themselves in the run-up to the 2015 general election. The campaign was dominated by the economy, and Cameron used the storyline of the deficit to remind the public of how far the country had come since 2010. He also sought to foster instrumental identification by appealing to the individual and the national interest. The Liberal Democrats based their campaign on the concept of fairness, which had served them well in 2010 but lacked conviction after five years of austerity. As they could no longer be a ‘party of protest’, the Liberal Democrats sought to demonstrate governing competence through a strategy of equidistance. This decision cost them their electoral distinctiveness, and so further diminished their appeal.
Judi Atkins
Chapter 8. The Legacy of the Coalition and Its Lessons for the Future
Abstract
This concluding chapter summarizes the main findings of the book. It then examines the strategies of identification and division employed by the post-2015 Cameron government in the policy areas of higher education and Europe. Of particular concern are the case for introducing a Teaching Excellence Framework and the debate that took place during the 2016 referendum campaign over whether Britain should leave or remain in the EU. Next, the chapter discusses the rhetoric of identification employed by the Conservative minority government and the Democratic Unionist Party following their confidence and supply agreement in the aftermath of the inconclusive 2017 general election. After identifying lessons for future multi-party governments in the UK, it finally considers some productive avenues for further research on coalition politics.
Judi Atkins
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
Conflict, Co-operation and the Rhetoric of Coalition Government
Author
Dr. Judi Atkins
Copyright Year
2018
Electronic ISBN
978-1-137-31796-4
Print ISBN
978-0-230-35967-3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-31796-4