Book review: Socialist register: the question of strategy

"Socialist Register: The Question of Strategy." Leo Panitch, Gregory Albo and Vivek Chibber (eds.). Merlin Press. October 2012. --- How have the occupations of public squares around the world changed the political scene? And what are the most useful forms of political organization in the new conjuncture? The Question of Strategy seeks to answer questions plaguing the left, with contributions from a selection of radical writers and thinkers. Though it aims to challenge and interrogate, this is not a book that will influence political debates because it has disconnected itself from those arguments, concludes Andrew Crines

Book review: Justifying New Labour policy

"Justifying New Labour Policy." Judi Atkins. Palgrave Macmillan. April 2011. --- Justifying New Labour Policy presents a detailed empirical analysis of the ideas, language and policy of New Labour. Politicians often appeal to moral principles and arguments in their efforts to win support for new policy programmes. Yet the question of how politicians use moral language has so far been neglected by scholars, and Judi Atkins aims to fill this gap, with chapters on welfare reform, the Iraq war, and ASBOs. Reviewed by Andrew Crines

The Conservatives in coalition: "how the Tories are opposing Miliband’s Labour Party"

Andrew Crines looks at the Conservative rhetoric aimed at undermining Labour and argues that the appraisal of Ed Miliband as an unworthy foe may have laid the foundations for a degree of destructive complacency amongst the Tories

Book review: political rhetoric: ‘a mildly dirty word’ because of its association with deception, or a linguistic tool with which to draw out the truth?

In Political Writing, Adam Garfinkle demonstrates how political rhetoric can be communicated through blogs, speeches, and reports, it provides a valuable assessment and guide on how a message can be conveyed in a convincing and insightful manner. Andrew S. Crines finds that it provides an insightful introduction to rhetorical theory, the character of political elites, and the intellectual heritage of rhetoric. Political Writing: A Guide to the Essentials. Adam Garfinkle. M.E. Sharpe. May 2012

Remoulding Welfare Britain: The Philosophy of the Big Society in Cameron’s Britain

Since the election of David Cameron as Conservative Party Leader there has been renewed interest in the functions and philosophies underpinning the responsibilities of the state. In 2008 David Cameron advanced the argument that Britain was ‘broken’. During the subsequent 2010 election campaign he put forward a remedy seeking to ‘fix’ Britain. David Cameron’s perception is that some social dynamics of our society are living without a comparable sense of social responsibility, seemingly devoid of any form of self control. Cameron’s narrative was in part enhanced by the several days of rioting in 2011. The subsequent rhetoric of the senior Coalition partner was given rocket boosters in selling this argument to the electorate, and that only the solutions offered by the Big Society could tackle this divide in Britain’s society

Jeremy Corbyn’s rhetoric is effective because his style of engagement contrasts so markedly with the other candidates

Jeremy Corbyn, the veteran left-wing MP for Islington North, has shaken up the Labour leadership race, and now enjoys frontrunner status despite holding a rather different political outlook from the majority of his colleagues on the Labour benches in Parliament. But what lies behind his success? Rhetorical expert Andrew Crines argues that Corbyn’s success is in part rooted in the different kind of communication that he has used, which differs from mainstream politics in general and his rivals for the leadership in particular

So MPs have backed the Article 50 bill – what happens now?

On 1 February, MPs voted to allow Theresa May to trigger Article 50 and begin the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Andrew Crines states that the vote has strengthened the government’s position, but with the EU likely to drive an extremely hard bargain, the arguments from the referendum will now have to be put aside if the UK is to secure a favourable deal

George Galloway’s style of communication explained

Andrew Scott Crines uses an analytical framework to dissect what makes George Galloway’s style of political communication so effective. Galloway mainly uses emotional rhetoric and has a dramatic/performative style of delivery. Moreover, his style is packaged to appeal to a specific audience whilst repelling the more deliberative mainstream