British Politics Review Journal of the British Politics Society, Norway Volume 5 | No. 4| Autumn 2010 Britain back to austerity Upon whose shoulders? CONTRIBUTORS Helen Goodman • David Kynaston • Siv Jensen • Simon Lee Jane Waldfogel • Nick Sitter • Daniel Clegg • Harry Cheesman • Chris White British Politics Review Editorial Volume 5 | No. 4 | Autumn 2010 Austerity and a new regime ISSN 1890-4505 “Severe self-discipline or self-restraint; moral strictness, rigorous abstinence, asceticism”. British Politics Review is a quarterly Thus reads the lexical definition of austerity according to Oxford English newsletter issued by the British Politics Dictionary. On the collective level, Britain has seen such times before, particularly Society, Norway. With contributions during the Second World War and in its immediate aftermath. Yet, the asceticism from academic and journalistic sour- that is now demanded does not come as the result of war, but marks the end of a ces, the British Politics Review is aimed long era where low inflation and steady growth had become almost the natural at everyone with a general interest in order of things. political developments in Britain. The position that cuts in public spending were inevitable was one that was British Politics Society, Norway is shared by all three leading parties at this year’s General Election. Following politically neutral and has no col- the rapid increase in the public deficit from 2008 to 2010, fundamental changes lective agenda apart from raising the would have to be made. Yet, disagreement over the scale and speed of cuts was interest and knowledge of British evident and has grown since then. How should the burden be distributed, politics among the informed Norwe- socially and geographically, to restore the health of public finances? What gian public. mandate – politically and morally – can the coalition government draw upon in its programme for deficit reduction? Editorial team Øivind Bratberg [Editor] Ideological disputes have abounded since the longer-term consequences Kristin M. Haugevik [Associate Editor] for the public sector and the welfare system became known in October’s Atle L. Wold Comprehensive Spending Review. Critical voices among economists claim that Jannike Elmblom Berger the risk of renewed recession will increase with the cuts. Others point to the danger of Britons taking to the streets and a return to the social conflict of the Postal address Thatcher era. Deficit reduction, they argue, is a smokescreen for an ideological P.O. Box 6 Blindern programme, challenging the public welfare system rebuilt under Labour’s 13 N-0313 Oslo, Norway years in government. Email Meanwhile, the grave economic challenges facing Britain could also be seen to [email protected] open new opportunites. A few weeks ago, the Ministry of Defence presented its Strategic Defence and Security Review announcing severe cuts in equipment, Website personnel and military capability. Shortly after, Prime Minister David Cameron www.britishpoliticssociety.no and French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed an unprecedented bilateral treaty ensuring cooperation between Britain in France in precisely these areas. A Print “pooling of sovereignty”, as the euphemism goes, is easier to accomplish in dire Reprosentralen, Oslo, Norway times. Here, austerity could be seen to entail a new climate of cooperation. Cover photo Cool-headed analysis of the present political debate in Britain is hard to come by. Prime Minister David Cameron tal- In the present issue of British Politics Review, we have sought to balance political king to workers at GE Aviation in contributions with a broader set of academic analyses. The articles cover different Cardiff, 17 May 2010. aspects of the present crisis, the path that led to it and the consequences it will Crown copyright © The Prime Minister’s Office [Published under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCom- have. mercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic Licence]. Øivind Bratberg and Kristin M. Haugevik, Editors Manuscripts Within a relatively broad framework, What next for Britain´s war British Politics Review welcomes arti- Contents on poverty? cles on British politics and society, Jane Waldfogel p. 8 preferably related to the thematic A change for the better area set for each issue (announced in Siv Jensen p. 3 Defending the realm from an empty purse? the previous issue and on our web- Strategic choices in the Defence Review site). Please contact the editors at The Coalition´s welfare policies: Chris White p. 9 a threat to Beveridge? [email protected] Helen Goodman p. 4 The illogical extension of a model: UK labour market policy and the crisis Austerity was hard to sell in the 40s. Daniel Clegg p. 10 Subscriptions Today it is harder still 100 NOK pr year David Kynaston p. 5 Making coalition politics work in Please contact us at mail@britishpoli- a harsh fiscal climate ticssociety.no or visit our website. The path to austerity Nick Sitter p. 11 Simon Lee pp. 6-7 Cameron and Osborne: radical policies in soft wrapping Harry Cheesman p. 12 2 British Politics Review Volume 5 | No. 4 | Autumn 2010 A change for the better By Siv Jensen, Fremskrittspartiet (the Progress Party) Siv Jensen is global income has increased by more than ideas have consistently failed. However, the 50 per cent, and hundreds of millions only problem is that the financial crisis was Leader of Frem- of people have left poverty behind. The not a proof of the failure of the free market skrittspartiet policies of Thatcher helped break up the and capitalism. Rather, it was the result and chairs its Soviet Empire and reverse socialism in of too much and wrong regulation and of parliamen- the West, and it did not stop there. One of politicians that just could not keep their tary group. The the most important moves, I believe, was hands off. libertarian- her reform on housing policy in Britain. It conservative was ingenious in being simple and market The failure of multiculturalism. As oriented. The policy of denationalisation the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Progress Party or privatisation as part of the remedy for Merkel recently said: Multiculturalism is the second Britain’s poor economic performance was has failed. David Cameron has said that largest party in Norway and the another important and tough move from the “state multiculturalism is a wrong-headed leading opposition party. Jensen Thatcher administration. History has shown doctrine that has had disastrous results.” has been elected member of the that individuals can make a difference and I agree with Merkel and Cameron on this. Storting since 1997, representing she surely did. I have to admit that alongside But let us be clear: A multiethnic society the district of Oslo. She is is mem- Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher has is a great thing, a multicultural one is not. inspired me more than any political leader. I believe that some principles are more ber of the Standing Committee on Earlier this autumn I had the honour of important than others. I will not accept Foreign Affairs and Defence and meeting with her in London. That was a any compromise on these principles, and member of the Enlarged Foreign Af- moment I will never forget. that is why it is so important to establish fairs Committee. clearly what the idea of multiculturalism Power to the people. In 1971 John Lennon is all about. It is about compromising After having led the Conservative Party to released the song “Power to the people”, on certain values and principles that we their best election result since 1992, David allegedly as a follow up to an interview he cannot compromise on. I believe in a multi- Cameron was appointed as Britain’s new gave to the Trotskyite magazine the Red Pole. ethnic society, but I do not believe in a Prime Minister on 11 May 2010. I was excited I find both the song title and the song itself to multi-cultural society. Multiculturalism to see Cameron succeed in leading his party be excellent, although Lennon himself was has failed. As already said, the individual to victory in the elections. A Conservative seen as belonging to the political left. To me has certain rights. I believe these rights victory in Britain was of course a boost to a politics is all about giving power back to the go above characteristics such as ethnicity, party struggling to get a change of political people, and that means reducing the power gender, sexual preferences, and religious direction here in Norway as well. It is both that now belongs to politicians or bureaucrats. beliefs. Relativism with regard to basic important and interesting for me to follow Inspired by the ideas of classical liberalism, human rights is a dangerous path that can the steps that Cameron’s new Coalition the Progress Party wants to transfer political lead to serious consequences. A successful Government are now taking. After the and economic power from the government integration policy is not about allowing end of the cold war we witnessed the to the people. Limited government is about parallel societies, but the opposite. dismantling of “hard socialism” in Europe, respect. Respect for the decisions made by now we witness the dismantling of “soft the people. After the financial crisis hit us, Goodbye nanny state, you won`t be missed. socialism” in Europe. Apart from the shift we heard that capitalism had gone bankrupt Britain`s new leader has characterised what in UK we should note the new or continuing and that what we needed now was more is about to happen in Britain under his centre-right victories in Denmark, Sweden, regulations and more government control. I leadership as “a shift in power from state Germany and the Netherlands. can fully understand that old leftists would to society”. Cameron has also promised to like to rewrite history because their own take on the bureaucratic burdens facing Many remember how the Conservative entrepreneurs, and the new Secretary of Party in the UK was portrayed as the State for Education, Michael Gove`s plans “nasty party”.