Conflict, Co-operation and the Rhetoric of Coalition Government

Abstract

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 Europe 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.#xE000. Intro; Acknowledgements; Contents; Chapter 1: The Rhetoric of Coalition Bargaining; Dialogue, Rhetoric and Identification; Ideological Identification and Division; Instrumental Identification and Division; Interpersonal Identification and Division; The Structure of the Book; References; Chapter 2: The Formation of the Coalition; Higher Education; Constitutional Reform; Europe; Foreign Policy; The Coalitionâ#x80;#x99;s Narrative of Unity; Ideological Identification and Shared Values; Instrumental Identification and the â#x80;#x98;National Interestâ#x80;#x99. Identification Through Antithesis: The Storyline of the DeficitConclusion; References; Chapter 3: Higher Education Policy; The Browne Report and the Coalitionâ#x80;#x99;s Response; The Parliamentary Debate on Higher Education Funding, 2010; Cable and Willetts Address the University Sector; Cleggâ#x80;#x99;s Public Apology, September 2012; Conclusion; References; Chapter 4: Constitutional Reform; The Debate on the PVSC Bill, 2010; Inter-Party Division and the 2011 AV Referendum Campaign; The Conflict Over House of Lords Reform, Summer 2012. The Commons Debate on the Amendment to the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, 2013Conclusion; References; Chapter 5: The European Union; Rhetoric, Narratives and Identification; Inter-Party Identification: The Leaders; Coalition MPs and the EU; The European Union Bill 2010â#x80;#x93;11; The European Union (Referendum) Bill 2013â#x80;#x93;14; Conclusion; References; Chapter 6: Foreign Policy; The Arab Spring and the Coalition Leadershipâ#x80;#x99;s Case for Intervention in Libya; The Commons Debate on UNSC Resolution 1973, 2011. Cameron and Cleggâ#x80;#x99;s Case for Action Against Syria in 2013The Commons Debate on Syria and the Use of Chemical Weapons, 2013; Conclusion; References; Chapter 7: Coalition Termination: The 2015 General Election Campaign; The Conservative Party Manifesto; The Liberal Democrat Manifesto; The Party Leadersâ#x80;#x99; Manifesto Launch Speeches; The Televised Debates; Conclusion; References; Chapter 8: The Legacy of the Coalition and Its Lessons for the Future; The Coalitionâ#x80;#x99;s Rhetoric of Identification and Division; The Legacy of the Coalition. Higher Education Policy in England, 2015â#x80;#x93;16The 2016 Referendum on Britainâ#x80;#x99;s Membership of the EU; The Conservative-DUP Minority Government; Lessons for a Future Multi-party Government; Areas for Further Research; References; Index.