Rhetoric and Party Politics — Looking Beyond the Leader

Abstract

In recent history parties are perceived to have become less ideological. In the place of grand visions parties are increasingly seen to be preoccupied with electoral victory, focusing not on ideas but on aligning their messages with the views of swing voters. And yet ideology remains a pivotal component of politics, with parties continuing to debate, contest and advance ideational visions for society. While seemingly incommensurate these two trends are reconcilable — although parties continue to be ideological, their public image often emphasises competence and pragmatism, suppressing the ideological indicators by which party identity can be discerned. In seeking to monitor party ideology it therefore becomes necessary to direct attention to party rhetoric and the ‘partisan agendas and desires’ it contains (Fish, 1989, p. 474).