Conservative thinkers

Garnett, Mark; Hickson, Kevin

doi:10.7765/9781847792990

“…65 Others have suggested that it offered the type of reflationary alternative to Thatcherite economics which was later advocated by such wets as Gilmour. 66 There was, however, more to Changing Gear and the 'Blue Chips' than these lines of arguments suggested.…”

Section: Changing Gearmentioning

confidence: 99%

Touching from a Distance: The Younger Generation of One Nation Conservatives and Thatcherism

Evans¹

2014

Parliamentary History

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It is argued here that the younger generation of One Nation Conservatives made a concerted effort to conform to the requirements of the free market agenda of the Thatcher governments during the 1980s. This served to distinguish them from the older generation of wets who had preceded them in the cabinet and who had been more inclined to engage in coded criticism of that agenda. The younger One Nation Conservatives knew that they had to conform if they wanted to hold office and the problems which Britain faced gave them a structural, as well as a personal, motive for conformity. Their willingness to conform made them important members of the second and third Thatcher governments. They provided a renewed radical impetus to government policy in the mid and late 1980s, which culminated in the introduction of the community charge or poll tax, and they possessed the communication skills needed to promote those policies in public. The efforts which the younger generation of One Nation Conservatives made to conform in the sphere of domestic economic policy were undone, after Thatcher had been replaced by Major in November 1990, by the issue on which they retained their distinctiveness: Europe. Their continued expression of pro‐European views became a problem for them after Thatcher had recoiled from the prospect of economic and monetary union in the late 1980s, because it proved to those on the right of the Conservative Party that they were not really ‘one of us’ at all.

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“…75 Arthur's republicanism is confirmed by his 1945 article, quoted above, which reveals him to be no lover of royalty as well as a supporter of Swaraj for India. 76 The elder Harmel did, indeed, in one way or another learn socialism and (Irish) nationalism in Connolly's orbit. The revived Socialist Party of Ireland (with which evidence connects him) was certainly a brainchild of James Connolly.…”

Section: Arthur Harmel and The Irish Socialistsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Still another was the manuscripts he was happy to loan. 76 The philosopher William Sweet believes that Lord's "deliberate practical orientation would have influenced the students… who came to be leaders in the Union of South Africa". 77 Harmel represents this group.…”

Section: Subjects…mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…75 Ibid., 30; quoted in ibid., 60. 76 Harris, "Reminiscences," l; Dingemans, "Late Professor Lord," lvi. 77 80 Ibid., 69f, 72.…”

Section: Subjects…mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The only one he wrote under his name was published in October 1938. 76 The year had started with the resignation in February of Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden who opposed the appeasement of Italy. 77 The following month, Hitler annexed Austria, which Harry Pollitt described as "the first fruit of the infamous Chamberlain policy… Tomorrow it will be Czechoslovakia and then France."…”

Section: In and Out Of The Dw Officementioning

confidence: 99%

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Michael Harmel (1915-1974): A South African Communist and His Discourse

Oralek¹

0

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<p>This thesis explores the life and work of a South African journalist, editor, and activist Michael Alan Harmel (1915–1974), a political mentor and friend of Nelson Mandela. A resolute believer in racial equality and Marxism-Leninism, Harmel devoted his life to fighting, with “the pen” as well as “the sword”, segregation and apartheid, and promoting an alliance of communists with the African National Congress as a stepping stone to socialism in South Africa. Part 1, after tracing his Jewish-Lithuanian and Irish family roots, follows Harmel from his birth to 1940 when, having joined the Communist Party of South Africa, he got married and was elected secretary of the District Committee in Johannesburg. The focus is on factors germane to the formation of his political identity. The narrative section is accompanied by an analytical sketch. This, using tools of close literary interpretation, catalogues Harmel’s core beliefs as they inscribed themselves in his journalism, histories, a sci-fi novel, party memoranda, and private correspondence. The objective is to delineate his ideological outlook, put to the test the assessment of Harmel—undeniably a skilled publicist—as a “creative thinker” and “theorist”, and determine his actual contribution to the liberation discourse.</p>

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Michael Harmel (1915-1974): A South African Communist and His Discourse

Oralek¹

0

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<p>This thesis explores the life and work of a South African journalist, editor, and activist Michael Alan Harmel (1915–1974), a political mentor and friend of Nelson Mandela. A resolute believer in racial equality and Marxism-Leninism, Harmel devoted his life to fighting, with “the pen” as well as “the sword”, segregation and apartheid, and promoting an alliance of communists with the African National Congress as a stepping stone to socialism in South Africa. Part 1, after tracing his Jewish-Lithuanian and Irish family roots, follows Harmel from his birth to 1940 when, having joined the Communist Party of South Africa, he got married and was elected secretary of the District Committee in Johannesburg. The focus is on factors germane to the formation of his political identity. The narrative section is accompanied by an analytical sketch. This, using tools of close literary interpretation, catalogues Harmel’s core beliefs as they inscribed themselves in his journalism, histories, a sci-fi novel, party memoranda, and private correspondence. The objective is to delineate his ideological outlook, put to the test the assessment of Harmel—undeniably a skilled publicist—as a “creative thinker” and “theorist”, and determine his actual contribution to the liberation discourse.</p>

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Conservative thinkers

Cited by 4 publications

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Touching from a Distance: The Younger Generation of One Nation Conservatives and Thatcherism

Touching from a Distance: The Younger Generation of One Nation Conservatives and Thatcherism

Michael Harmel (1915-1974): A South African Communist and His Discourse

Michael Harmel (1915-1974): A South African Communist and His Discourse

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