Skip to main content

Rhetoric and Morality — How the Coalition Justifies Welfare Policy

  • Chapter
Rhetoric in British Politics and Society

Part of the book series: Rhetoric, Politics and Society Series ((RPS))

  • 665 Accesses

Abstract

At the time of its formation, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government elevated reducing the deficit in the public finances above all other concerns. The Coalition Agreement signed by both parties in the wake of the 2010 general election argued that this was ‘the most urgent issue facing Britain’ (HM Government, 2010, p. 15). In the subsequent emergency budget, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, outlined his desire to eliminate the structural deficit within one parliament, and to do so largely through spending cuts rather than tax increases. This commitment had severe implications for all aspects of government expenditure, but none more so than welfare. The Department for Work and Pensions had a larger budget than any other government department (£151.6 billion in 2010–2011), and Osborne argued that cuts to welfare were required to help ease the pain of deficit reduction in other areas. In light of this, Hayton (2012a, p. 137) identified Coalition welfare policy as being driven by three main pressures. These are the overriding imperative identified by the politicians involved to reduce the deficit in the public finances; an ideological commitment to reduce the size and role of the state in relation to the wider economy and society; and the internal dynamics of the Coalition, namely the need to negotiate positions acceptable to both parties.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, D. (2011) ‘Speech to Liberal Democrat Conference’, http://www.libdems.org.uk/latest_news_detail.aspx?title=Danny_Alexander%E2%80%99s_speech_to_Liberal_Democrat_Autumn_Conference&pPK=51f77b4b-aa68-4d07-bb94-1911d8 da2b34, date accessed 16 July 2013.

  • Atkins, J. (2011) Justifying New Labour Policy (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Atkins, J. and Finlayson, A. (2013) ‘“... A 40-Year-Old Black Man Made the Point to Me”: Everyday Knowledge and the Performance of Leadership in Contemporary British Politics’, Political Studies, 61(1), 161–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BBC News (2013) ‘Jobseeker’s Allowance Changes Planned for Unemployed’, 26 June, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23058853, date accessed 9 August 2013.

  • Beech, M. (2011) ‘A Tale of Two Liberalisms’, in S. Lee and M. Beech (eds), The Cameron-Clegg Government: Coalition Politics in an Age of Austerity (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Blair, T. (1999) ‘Beveridge Revisited: A Welfare State for the 21st Century’, in R. Walker (ed.), Ending Child Poverty: Popular Welfare for the 21st Century? (Bristol: The Policy Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, D. (2011) ‘Building a Bigger, Stronger Society’, http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2011/05/David_Cameron_Building_a_bigger_stronger_society. aspx, date accessed 17 March 2012.

  • Cameron, D. (2012) ‘Building a Better Future’, http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2011/03/David_Cameron_Building_a_better_future.aspx, date accessed 17 March 2012.

  • Charteris-Black, J. (2011) Politicians and Rhetoric, 2nd Edn (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Clegg, N. (2010a) ‘Speech at Launch of Welfare White Paper’, http://www.dpm.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/speech-launch-welfare-white-paper, date accessed 19 March 2012.

  • Clegg, N. (2010b) ‘Final Prime Ministerial Debate’, BBC1, 29 April.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crines, A. (2013) ‘The Rhetoric of the Coalition? Governing in the National Interest?’ Representation, 49(2), 207–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deacon, A. (2003) ‘“Levelling the playing field, activating the players”: New Labour and “the cycle of disadvantage”’, Policy and Politics, 31(2), 123–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Department for Social Security (DSS) (1998) New Ambitions for Our Country: A New Contract for Welfare, Cm3805 (London: The Stationary Office).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorey, P., Garnett, M., and Denham, A. (2011) From Crisis to Coalition: The Conservative Party, 1997–2010 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Driver, S. and Martell, L. (2002) Blair’s Britain (London: Polity Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan Smith, I. (2010) ‘Our Contract with the Country for 21st Century Welfare’, http://www.conservatives.com/News/Speeches/2010/10/Iain_Duncan_Smith_ Our_contract_with_the_country_for_21st_Century_Welfare.aspx, date accessed 17 March 2012.

  • Duncan Smith, I. (2011) ‘Restoring Fairness to the Welfare System’, http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2011/10/Restoring_fairness_to_the_welfare_system.aspx, date accessed 17 March 2012.

  • Duncan Smith, I. (2012) ‘Reforming Welfare, Transforming Lives’, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/reforming-welfare-transforming-lives, date accessed 16 July 2013.

  • Fairclough, N. (2000) New Labour, New Language? (London: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, D. (2013) ‘Direct Payments System’, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/direct-payments-system, date accessed 15 July 2013.

  • Grayling, C. (2010) ‘A Fair Approach to Welfare: Capita Welfare Reform Conference’, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/a-fair-approach-to-welfare-capita-welfare-reform-conference, date accessed 15 July 2013.

  • Hansard (Commons), 17 February 2011, column 1215–1226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansard (Commons), 1 February 2012, column 877–902.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansard (Commons), 5 November 2012, column 586–587.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansard (Commons), 8 January 2013, column 188–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansard (Commons), 1 July 2013, column 598–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansard (Commons), 10 July 2013, column 398–446.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardman, I. (2012) ‘Coffee House Interview: Chris Skidmore on Britannia Unchained, “lazy” Brits, and How the Government should be Unpopular’, The Spectator, 21 September, http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2012/09/coffee-house-interview-chris-skidmore-on-britannia-unchained-lazy-brits-and-how-the-government-should-be-unpopular/, date accessed 12 August 2013.

  • Hardman, I. (2013) ‘Spending Review: The Dividing Lines’, The Spectator, 26 June, http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/06/spending-review-the-dividing-lines/, date accessed 12 August 2013.

  • Hayton, R. (2012a) ‘Fixing Broken Britain?’ in T. Heppell and D. Seawright (eds), Cameron and the Conservatives: The Transition to Coalition Government (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayton, R. (2012b) Reconstructing Conservatism? The Conservative Party in Opposition, 1997–2010 (Manchester: Manchester University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hayton, R. (2014) ‘Conservative Party Statecraft and the Politics of Coalition’, Parliamentary Affairs, 67(1), 6–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HM Government (2010) The Coalition: Our Programme for Government (London: Cabinet Office).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoban, M. (2012) ‘Tackling Youth Unemployment’, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/tackling-youth-unemployment, date accessed 15 July 2013.

  • Hughes, S. (2011) ‘We have Started so we’ll Finish: Coalition “is practical agreement”’, http://simonhughes.org.uk/en/article/2011/482891/hughes-we-have-started-so-we-ll-finish-coalition-is-practical-agreement, date accessed 21 March 2012.

  • Lakin, M. (2013) ‘The Ideology of the Coalition: More “Muscular” than “Liberal”?’ British Politics, 8(4), 476–490. ‘

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letwin, S. (1992) The Anatomy of Thatcherism (London: Fontana).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lister, R. (2001) ‘Doing Good by Stealth: The Politics of Poverty and Inequality Under New Labour’, New Economy, 8(2), 65–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, P. and Laws, D. (2004) The Orange Book: Reclaiming Liberalism (London: Profile Books).

    Google Scholar 

  • Miliband, E. (2013) ‘A One Nation Plan for Social Reform’, speech at Newham Dockside, 6 June, http://labourlist.org/2013/06/full-text-ed-miliband-speech-a-one-nation-plan-for-social-security-reform/, date accessed 8 August 2013.

  • Osborne, G. (2010) ‘Budget 2010: Full Text of George Osborne’s Statement’, 22 July, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/budget/7846849/Budget-2010-Full-text-of-George-Osbornes-statement.html, date accessed 21 March 2012.

  • Osborne, G. (2012) ‘Autumn Statement 2012: Chancellor’s Statement’, https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/autumn-statement-2012-chancellors-statement, date accessed 13 January 2013.

  • Osborne, G. (2013) ‘Spending Review 2013: George Osborne’s Speech in Full’, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/spending-review/10143782/Spending-Review-2013-George-Osbornes-speech-in-full.html, date accessed 27 June 2013.

  • Reitan, E.A. (2003) The Thatcher Revolution: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair and the Transformation of Modern Britain (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, T. (2013) ‘Mark Hoban: Benefits Cap may be too High Outside London’, Daily Telegraph, 16 July, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10183788/Mark-Hoban-benefits-cap-may-be-too-high-outside-London.html, accessed 13 August 2013.

  • Stuart, M. (2011) ‘The Formation of the Coalition’, in S. Lee and M. Beech (eds), The Cameron-Clegg Government: Coalition Politics in an Age of Austerity (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, S. (2011) ‘SteveWebb’s Speech to Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference’, http://www.libdems.org.uk/speeches_detail.aspx?title=Steve_Webb%E2%80%99s_speech_to_Liberal_Democrat_Autumn_Conference&pPK=061d76b7-8f51-43f6-b6fd-9d1b197822ab, date accessed 15 July 2013.

  • Webb, S. (2013) ‘Steve Webb’s Speech to Conference’, http://www.libdemvoice.org/steve-webbs-speech-to-conference-33608.html, date accessed 15 July 2013.

  • Whittaker, M. (2012) Resolution Foundation Analysis of the 2012 Autumn Statement (London: Resolution Foundation).

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, Z. (2013) ‘Skivers v Strivers: The Argument that Pollutes People’s Minds’, The Guardian, 9 January, http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jan/09/skivers-v-strivers-argument-pollutes, accessed 19 September.

  • YouGov (2012) ‘Survey Results: Benefit Cap Proposal’, http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/hh5s3uvxu7/YG-Archives-MaxBenefits-200112.pdf, date accessed 12 August 2013.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2014 Richard Hayton and Libby McEnhill

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hayton, R., McEnhill, L. (2014). Rhetoric and Morality — How the Coalition Justifies Welfare Policy. In: Atkins, J., Finlayson, A., Martin, J., Turnbull, N. (eds) Rhetoric in British Politics and Society. Rhetoric, Politics and Society Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137325532_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics