Editing One-nation conservatism

{{Short description|British political philosophy}}
{{redirect|One Nation Conservatives|the parliamentary Conservative caucus|One Nation Conservatives (caucus)}}
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{{use British English|date=May 2015}}
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{{one-nation conservatism}}
{{Conservatism UK|Ideologies}}
'''One-nation conservatism''', also known as '''one-nationism''' or '''Tory democracy''', is a form of British [[Conservatism|political conservatism]] and a variant of [[paternalistic conservatism]]. It advocates the "preservation of established institutions and traditional principles within a [[Liberal democracy|political democracy]], in combination with [[social policy|social]] and [[Free market|economic]] programmes designed to benefit the ordinary person".<ref>{{cite web |work=Dictionary |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tory%20Democracy |title=Tory Democracy |access-date=21 December 2017 |publisher=Merriam-Webster }}</ref> According to this political philosophy, society should be allowed to develop in an [[Organic society|organic]] way, rather than being engineered. It argues that members of society have obligations towards each other and particularly emphasises [[paternalism]], meaning that those who are privileged and wealthy should pass on their benefits.{{sfn|Vincent|2009|p=64}} It argues that this elite should work to reconcile the interests of all [[social class]]es, including labour and management, rather than identifying the good of society solely with the interests of the [[business]] class.{{sfn|Lind|1997|p=45|ps=: "[...] what in Britain is called 'one-nation conservatism' – a political philosophy that sees the purpose of the political elite as reconciling the interests of all classes, labor as well as management, instead of identifying the good of society with the business class."}}

The descriptive phrase 'one-nation Tory' originated with [[Benjamin Disraeli]] (1804–1881), who served as the chief [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] spokesman and became [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] in February 1868.{{Sfn |Blake|1966|pp= 487–89}} He devised it to appeal to working-class people, who he hoped would see it as a way to improve their lives via factory and health acts as well as greater protection for workers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://politicsforalevel.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/faq-what-is-one-nation-conservatism/ |title=FAQ: What is One Nation conservatism? |date=12 October 2009 |work=Politics for A level }}</ref> The ideology featured heavily during [[Premierships of Benjamin Disraeli|Disraeli's two terms in government]], during which considerable social reforms were passed by the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Conservative Party moved away from paternalism in favour of [[free market]] [[capitalism]]. In the first half of the 20th century, fears of extremism saw a revival of one-nation Conservatism. The Conservative Party continued to espouse the philosophy throughout the [[post-war consensus]] from 1945. One-nation thinking influenced their tolerance of the [[Attlee ministry|Labour government]]'s [[keynesian economics|Keynesian]] intervention in the economy, formation of a [[Welfare state in the United Kingdom|welfare state]] and the [[National Health Service]]. Thanks to [[Iain Macleod]], [[Edward Heath]] and [[Enoch Powell]], special attention after 1950 was paid to one-nation conservatism that promised support for the poorer and working class elements in the Party coalition.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Robert |last=Walsha |title=The one nation group and one nation Conservatism, 1950–2002 |journal=Contemporary British History |volume=17 |number=2 |date=2003 |pages=69–120}}</ref>

Later years saw the rise of the [[New Right]], espoused by leaders such as [[Margaret Thatcher]]. This strand of conservatism rejected one-nation thinking and attributed the country's social and economic troubles to the welfare state and Keynesian policies.{{sfn|Vincent|2009|p=66}} In the 21st century, leaders of the Conservative Party revived the one-nation approach including [[David Cameron]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Daponte-Smith |first=Noah |title=Is David Cameron Really A One-Nation Conservative? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahdapontesmith/2015/06/02/is-david-cameron-really-a-one-nation-conservative/#4f0831b24009 |access-date=29 February 2016 |work=[[Forbes]] |date=2 June 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Conservatism under Cameron: The new 'third way' |last=Kelly |first=Richard |work=Politics Review |date=February 2008}}</ref> [[Theresa May]]<ref name="Theresa May vows to be 'one nation' prime minister">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36788782 |title=Theresa May vows to be 'one nation' prime minister |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |date=13 July 2016 |access-date=14 July 2016 }}</ref> and [[Boris Johnson]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Brogan |first=Benedict |date=29 April 2010 |title=Boris Johnson interview: My advice to David Cameron? I've made savings, so can you |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7653636/Boris-Johnson-interview-My-advice-to-David-Cameron-Ive-made-savings-so-can-you.html |access-date=26 May 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222211904/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7653636/Boris-Johnson-interview-My-advice-to-David-Cameron-Ive-made-savings-so-can-you.html |archive-date=22 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Parker |first=George |title=Boris Johnson aims to win back voters as 'One Nation Tory' |work=[[Financial Times]] |location=London |date=21 December 2014 }}</ref> - although Johnson's position as a one-nation conservative has been heavily disputed.<ref> {{cite news |title=Boris Johnson - one nation Conservative or populist? |url=https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/boris-johnson-one-nation-conservative-or-populist}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Politics on the Edge |last=Stewart |first=Rory}}</ref>

== Political philosophy ==
One-nation conservatism was conceived by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Benjamin Disraeli]],{{sfn|Dorey|1995|pp= 16–17}} who outlines his political philosophy in two of his novels: ''[[Coningsby (novel)|Coningsby]]'' (1844), and ''[[Sybil (novel)|Sybil]]'' (1845).{{sfn |Heywood|2007|pp=82–83}}{{sfn|Arnold|2004|p=96}} Disraeli's conservatism proposed a paternalistic society with the social classes intact, but with the working class receiving support from the establishment. He emphasised the importance of social obligation rather than individualism.{{sfn|Dorey|1995|pp= 16–17}} The phrase was coined because Disraeli feared a Britain divided into two nations, one of the rich and one of the poor, as a result of increased industrialisation and inequality.{{sfn|Heywood|2007|pp=82–83}} One-nation conservatism was his solution to this division, namely a system of measures to improve the lives of the people, provide social support and protect the working classes.{{Sfn |Dorey|1995|pp=16–17}}

Disraeli justified his ideas by his belief in an [[organicism|organic society]] in which the different classes have natural obligations to one another.{{sfn|Dorey|1995|pp=16–17}} He saw society as naturally hierarchical and emphasised the obligations of those at the top to those below. This was a continuation of the feudal concept of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', which asserted that the aristocracy had an obligation to be generous and honourable. To Disraeli, this implied that government should be paternalistic.{{Sfn |Heywood|2007|pp= 82–83}} Unlike the [[New Right]] of the late 20th century, one-nation conservatism identifies its approach as pragmatic and non-ideological. Its proponents would say that it accepts the need for flexible policies and as such one-nation conservatives have often sought compromise with their ideological opponents for the sake of social stability.{{sfn|Bloor|2012|pp= 41–42}} Disraeli justified his views pragmatically by arguing that should the ruling class become indifferent to the suffering of the people, society would become unstable and social revolution would become a possibility.{{sfn|Dorey|1995|pp= 16–17}}

== History ==
[[File:Benjamin Disraeli by Cornelius Jabez Hughes, 1878.jpg|thumb|[[Benjamin Disraeli]], the architect of one-nation conservatism]]
One-nation conservatism has its origins in the repercussions of the [[Industrial Revolution]], which had caused widespread [[Economic inequality|inequality]], poverty and social discontent in Britain.{{sfn|Heywood|2007|pp=82-83}} Tory politicians such as [[Richard Oastler]], [[Michael Thomas Sadler]] and [[Lord Shaftesbury]] combined their elitist responsibility and a strong humanitarian element with their involvement in the [[Factory Acts]].{{sfn|Vincent|2009|p=64}} They were critical of individualism and [[classical economics]],{{sfn|Vincent|2009|p=64}} they also disliked the 1834 [[Poor Law Amendment Act 1834|New Poor Law]] and believed in the role of the state in guaranteeing decent housing, working conditions, wages and treatment of the poor.{{sfn|Vincent|2009|p=64}}

Disraeli adopted one-nation conservatism for both ethical and electoral reasons. Before he became [[Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|leader of the Conservative Party]], he persuaded his cabinet colleagues to introduce the [[Reform Act 1867]] which enfranchised much of the skilled male working-class. Disraeli argued that the party needed to pursue social reforms if it were to have electoral success with this new constituency. He felt that one-nationism would both improve the conditions of the poor and portray the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] as selfish individualists.{{sfn |Dorey|1995|p=17}}

While in government, Disraeli presided over a series of social reforms which supported his one-nation politics and aimed to create a benevolent hierarchy.{{sfn |Axford|Browning|Huggins|2002|p=265}} He appointed a Royal Commission to assess the state of law between employers and employees. As a result, [[R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross|Richard Cross]] was moved to pass the [[Employers and Workmen Act 1875]]. This act made both sides of industry equal before the law and the breach of contract became a [[civil law (common law)|civil offence]], rather than criminal.{{Sfn |Dorey|1995|p=18}} Cross also passed the [[Conspiracy, and Protection of Property Act 1875|Conspiracy, and Protection of Property Act]] in the same year which enshrined the worker's right to strike by ensuring that acts carried out by a workers' group could not be indicted as conspiracy.{{sfn|Dorey|1995|pp=18–19}}

By the end of the 19th century, the Conservatives had moved away from their one-nation ideology and were increasingly supportive of unrestricted capitalism and free enterprise.{{sfn|Adams|1998|p=75}} During the [[interwar period]] between 1919 and 1939, public fear of [[Bolshevism]] restored the Conservative Party to one-nationism. It defined itself as the party of national unity and began to support moderate reform. As the effects of the [[Great Depression]] were felt in Britain, the party was drawn to even greater levels of [[Economic interventionism|state intervention]].{{sfn|Adams|1998|p=77}} Conservative prime ministers [[Neville Chamberlain]] and [[Stanley Baldwin]] pursued an interventionist, one-nation approach which won support because of its wide electoral appeal.{{sfn|Axford|Browning|Huggins|2002|p= 265}} Throughout the [[post-war consensus]] of the 1950s and 1960s, the Conservative Party continued to be dominated by one-nation conservatives whose ideas were inspired by Disraeli.{{Sfn |Dorey|2009|p= 169}} The philosophy was updated and developed by the new conservatism movement led by [[Rab Butler]].{{Sfn |Adams|1998|p=77}} New conservatism attempted to distinguish itself from the [[Labour revisionism|socialism]] of [[Anthony Crosland]] by concentrating welfare on those in need and encouraging people to help themselves, rather than foster dependency on the state.{{Sfn |Adams|1998|p=78}}

Until the mid-1970s, the Conservative Party was mostly controlled by one-nation conservatives.{{Sfn |Evans|2004|p=43}} The rise of the New Right in conservative politics led to a critique of one-nation conservatism. The [[New Right]] thinkers contended that [[Keynesian economics|Keynesianism]] and the [[welfare state]] had damaged the economy and society. The [[Winter of Discontent]] of 1978–1979 in which trades unions took industrial action with a wide impact on daily life was portrayed by the New Right as illustrative of the over-extension of the state. Figures such as [[Margaret Thatcher]] believed that to reverse the national decline it was necessary to revive old values of individualism and challenge the [[Welfare dependency|dependency culture]] which they felt had been created by the welfare state.{{Sfn |Heppell|Seawright|2012|p= 138}} One-nation conservatives such as [[Edward Heath]] continued to criticise Thatcher's premiership during the [[early 1980s recession]], but they lost influence after the party won the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Campbell |first=John |url=https://archive.org/details/pistolsatdawntwo0000camp/13960/t6wx5mm07 |title=Pistols at Dawn: Two Hundred Years of Political Rivalry from Pitt and Fox to Blair and Brown |date=2010 |publisher=Vintage |isbn=978-1-84595-091-0 |location=London |pages=335–336 |oclc=489636152}}</ref>

The Conservative Party's [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]] manifesto contained a section on "One World Conservatism", including a commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on well-targeted aid.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.conservatives.s3.amazonaws.com/manifesto/cpmanifesto2010_lowres.pdf |title=Invitation to Join the Government of Great Britain |publisher=[[Conservative Party (UK)|The Conservative Party]] |year=2010 |access-date=20 July 2012}}</ref> In 2006, Conservative [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) [[Andrew Tyrie]] published a pamphlet which claimed that party leader [[David Cameron]] was following the one-nationist path of Disraeli.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1537995/Cameron-heir-to-Disraeli-as-a-One-Nation-Tory.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1537995/Cameron-heir-to-Disraeli-as-a-One-Nation-Tory.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Cameron 'heir to Disraeli as a One Nation Tory' |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=28 December 2006 |access-date=20 July 2012 |last=Wilson |first=Graeme |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Phillip Blond]], a British political theorist who has had past connections with the Conservative Party,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/aug/08/phillip-blond-conservatives-david-cameron |title=Phillip Blond: The man who wrote Cameron's mood music |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=8 August 2009 |access-date=10 August 2012 |last=Harris |first=John |location=London}}</ref> has proposed a renewed version of one-nation conservatism.<ref name="Blond">{{cite web |url=http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/riseoftheredtories/ |title=Rise of the red Tories |last=Blond |first=Phillip |date=28 February 2009 |work=Prospect |access-date=20 July 2012}}</ref>

Theresa May promoted "One Nation" ideas during her [[2016 Conservative Party leadership election|successful bid for the Tory leadership]] in 2016. Previously in 2002 she had highlighted that the party was known as the "Nasty Party".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-10-07 |title=Full text: Theresa May's conference speech |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/oct/07/conservatives2002.conservatives1 |access-date=2023-11-15 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Also in 2010, the then London Mayor and prominent Conservative (and later prime minister) [[Boris Johnson]] explained his political philosophy as such:
{{blockquote|I'm a one-nation Tory. There is a duty on the part of the rich to the poor and to the needy, but you are not going to help people express that duty and satisfy it if you punish them fiscally so viciously that they leave this city and this country. I want London to be a competitive, dynamic place to come to work.<ref>{{citation |first=Benedict |last=Brogan |author-link=Benedict Brogan |title=Boris Johnson interview |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7653636/Boris-Johnson-interview-My-advice-to-David-Cameron-Ive-made-savings-so-can-you.html |quote=My advice to David Cameron: I have made savings, so can you |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=29 April 2010}}.</ref>}}In 2019, a [[One Nation Conservatives (caucus)|One Nation Conservative]] [[caucus]] was formed in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48335109 |title=Tory MPs launch rival campaign groups |date=20 May 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=4 April 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Contemporary British one-nation conservative think tanks include [[Bright Blue (organisation)|Bright Blue]], [[Onward (think tank)|Onward]], [[Centre for Policy Studies]], and the [[Centre for Social Justice]].

== See also ==
* [[Big Society]]
* [[Blue Labour]]
* [[Christian democracy]]
* [[Class collaboration]]
* [[Gaullism]] 
* ''[[Noblesse oblige]]''
* [[One Nation Labour]]
* [[Red Tory]]
* [[Wets and dries]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Adams |first=Ian |title=Ideology and Politics in Britain Today |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0719050565}}
* {{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Dana |author-link=Dana Arnold |title=Cultural Identities and the Aesthetics of Britishness |year=2004 |publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] |isbn=978-0719067693}}
* {{cite book |last1=Axford |first1=Barrie |last2=Browning |first2=Gary |last3=Huggins |first3=Richard |title=Politics: An Introduction |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0415251815}}
* {{DisraeliRef}}
* {{cite book |last=Bloor |first=Kevin |title=The Definitive Guide to Political Ideologies |publisher=AuthorHouse |year=2012 |isbn=978-1449067618}}
* {{cite journal |last=Bochel |first=Hugh |title=One Nation Conservatism and social policy, 1951–64 |journal=Journal of Poverty and Social Justice |volume=18 |number=2 |date=2010 |pages=123–134 |doi=10.1332/175982710X513795 |url=http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2973/1/One_Nation_100323.pdf}}
*{{cite journal |last=Bridgen |first=P. |year=2000 |title=The One Nation Idea and State Welfare: The Conservatives and Pensions in the 1950s |journal=Contemporary British History |volume=14 |issue=3|pages=83–104|doi=10.1080/13619460008581595 }}
* {{cite book |last=Dorey |first=Peter |title=The Conservative Party and the Trade Unions |publisher=Psychology Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0415064873}}
* {{cite book |last=Dorey |first=Peter |title=British Conservatism and Trade Unionism, 1945–1964 |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0754666592}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Dorey |first1=Peter |last2=Garnett |first2=Mark |title='The weaker-willed, the craven-hearted': the decline of One Nation Conservatism. |journal=Global Discourse |volume=5 |number=1 |date=2015 |pages=69–91|doi=10.1080/23269995.2014.914823 }}
* {{cite book |last=Evans |first=Eric |title=Thatcher and Thatcherism |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0415270137}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=Stephen. |title=The not so odd couple: Margaret Thatcher and one nation Conservatism |journal=Contemporary British History |volume=23 |number=1 |date=2009 |pages=101–121|doi=10.1080/13619460801990120 |s2cid=143943408 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Heppell |first1=Timothy |last2=Seawright |first2=David |title=Cameron and the Conservatives: The Transition to Coalition Government |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2012 |isbn=9780230314108}}
* {{cite book |last=Heywood |first=Andrew |title=Political Ideologies |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0230521803}}
* {{cite book |last=Lind |first=Michael |year=1997 |title=Up from Conservatism |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-684-83186-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/upfromconservati00mich}}
* {{cite book |last=Vincent |first=Andrew |year=2009 |title=Modern Political Ideologies |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=978-1-444-31105-1}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Walsha |first1=Robert |title=The one nation group and one nation Conservatism, 1950–2002 |journal=Contemporary British History |volume=17 |number=2 |date=2003 |pages=69–120}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Walsha |first1=Robert |date=2000 |title=The One Nation Group: A Tory approach to backbench politics or organization, 1950–55 |journal=Twentieth Century British History |volume=11 |number=2 |pages=183–214|doi=10.1093/tcbh/11.2.183 }}
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