POLI20532 Course Outline 1112 - School of Social Sciences

Martin J. Smith
POLI20532: Course Guide 2011-12
‘From Big Government to Big Society: Changing
the State–Society Balance’, Parliamentary Affairs,
63, 4 (2010), 818-833
10.5 Exam preparation
It may be too soon to reach a verdict on the longevity of the present coalition, the possible
prospects for electoral reform or future alignments between (and within) the three main
parties. However, on the basis of the course it is possible to offer some historical perspective
on this latest phase of British party politics. Crucially, this is a story of the recovery of the
political centre, following its near extinction in the early post-war period. One can in theory
imagine at least three possible roles for the Liberal Democrats should the system of multiparty
politics persist, or be consolidated by a measure of electoral reform. Doubtless favoured
by many Lib Dems themselves is the role of the pivot party, manoeuvring between potential
allies and coalition partners to their left and right. Another possibility, periodically revisited
in recent decades, is that of a centre-left realignment of British politics and the healing of the
inter-war breach between Liberals and the ascendant Labour Party. More immediately
striking is the inter-war example of anti-socialist majority governments in which the Liberals
became largely subsumed within the dominant Conservative elements – at the cost of internal
divisions and a resurgence of extra-parliamentary politics. Experiences in local government
and in Scotland and Wales provide further insight into the current prospects of a long-term
political realignment in Britain. If you do attempt this question, it is particularly important to
demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of materials discussed in the course and of
how these can help illuminate the politics of the coalition. Answers that show no such
evidence of detailed reading will be marked accordingly.
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