123 School Work

Has there ever been a Consensus in post war British Politics

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  Juan Cumia
  
  SSSCPL1052
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After the socialist reforms developed in Britain during and after the Second World War many believe that a political 'consensus' to govern Britain was agreed between both the Labour and Conservative parties which lasted from Churchill's coalition government of the war years to Mrs Thatcher's premiership. However, without an official pronunciation or signed agreement from either of the parties involved, the following paper discusses whether there ever was a 'consensus' or was it simply just a myth?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Introduction
  
  'Consensus' as stated in the dictionary means," General agreement, the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned or group solidarity in sentiment and belief". However, what is a political 'consensus'? A good definition of the term was giving by Robert Blake, 1972 "Consensus politics involved the imposition of a set of parameters which bounded the set of policy options regarded by senior politicians and civil servants as administratively practicable, economically affordable, and politically acceptable". In political terms, two very different versions can be distinguished. Firstly there is the 'consensus' that is brought publicly by consensual parties, where the parameters are agreed in front of the electorate. An example of this is the consensus that took place in Spain between 1976-1979 in which all the mayor parties (including communist and socialist parties, both still illegal at the time) after General Franco's death, agreed by a 'consensus' the parameters needed to reform the obsolete dictator's institution of "Las Cortes" from an undemocratic assembly to a democratic parliament. Endless meetings between the main party leaders were followed by media and public with passion, and were a very public affair. Secondly is the 'consensus' that supposedly occurs behind the electorate eyes and without any officially signed compromise or verbal agreement...