Disjunctive Prime Ministerial Leadership in British Politics

'The extent to which prime ministers make the political weather or succumb to it has always puzzled political leadership scholars. Confronting such a question, this book presents meaningful comparisons of the circumstances and challenges of prime ministerial leadership, within a framework of disjunctive leadership. Byrne, Randall and Theakston expertly utilise Skowronek's classic political time approach during three critical junctures in modern British politics. Crucially they argue for a deeper understanding of the role of prime ministerial agency within this "rhythm of time". A fascinating, comparative evaluation of the exercise of prime ministerial power.'

-Mark Bennister, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Lincoln, UK

'This book could hardly be more timely or judicious in its attempt to help us understand how effective prime ministerial leadership can be practiced during times of crisis. The authors deserve enormous praise for presenting us with analternative and highly distinctive take on contemporary British political history which focusses on the successes and failures of disjunctive prime ministers. Through applying the concept of political time to a detailed and scholarly analysis of prime ministerial performance, the authors present us with a range of exciting new insights into the character of successful leadership and the dynamics that have helped shape the evolution of British politics. This is a must-read for students and scholars with a broad interest in UK politics.'

-Peter Kerr, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Birmingham, UK

This book illustrates the cyclical pattern in the kinds of dilemmas that confront political leaders and, in particular, disjunctive political leaders affiliated with vulnerable political regimes. The volume covers three major episodes in disjunction: the interwar crisis between 1923 and 1940, afflicting Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald and Neville Chamberlain;the collapse of Keynesian welfarism between 1970 and 1979, dealt with by Edward Heath, Harold Wilson and James Callaghan; and the ongoing crisis of neoliberalism beginning in 2008, affecting Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May. Based on this series of case studies of disjunctive prime ministers, the authors conclude that effective disjunctive leadership is premised on judicious use of the prime ministerial toolkit in terms of deciding whether, when and where to act, effective diagnostic and choice framing, and the ability to manage both crises and regimes.

Christopher Byrne is Lecturer in Politics in the School of Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett University, UK.

Nick Randall is Senior Lecturer in British Politics at Newcastle University, UK.

Kevin Theakston is Professor of British Government in the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds, UK.

Auteur

Christopher Byrne is Lecturer in Politics in the School of Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett University, UK. His work has been published in several edited collections and in the journals British Politics, Parliamentary Affairs, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, and Policy & Politics. He is also the author of Neoliberalisms in British Politics (2018).

Nick Randall is Senior Lecturer in British Politics at Newcastle University, UK. His work has been published in several edited collections and in journals including British Politics, Political Quarterly, and Parliamentary Affairs.

Kevin Theakston is Professor of British Government in the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds, UK. He has published ten books including Winston Churchill and the British Constitution (2004), After Number Ten: Former Prime Ministers in British Politics (2010) and William Armstrong and British Policy Making (2018).

Résumé

This book illustrates the cyclical pattern in the kinds of dilemmas that confront political leaders and, in particular, disjunctive political leaders affiliated with vulnerable political regimes. The volume covers three major episodes in disjunction: the interwar crisis between 1923 and 1940, afflicting Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald and Neville Chamberlain; the collapse of Keynesian welfarism between 1970 and 1979, dealt with by Edward Heath, Harold Wilson and James Callaghan; and the ongoing crisis of neoliberalism beginning in 2008, affecting Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May. Based on this series of case studies of disjunctive prime ministers, the authors conclude that effective disjunctive leadership is premised on judicious use of the prime ministerial toolkit in terms of deciding whether, when and where to act, effective diagnostic and choice framing, and the ability to manage both crises and regimes.

Contenu
1.Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1Introduction1.2Prime ministerial agency in political time1.2.1Framing political problems1.2.2Whether to act1.2.3When to act1.2.4Where to act1.2.5How to act1.2.6How to justify decisions
2.Chapter 2 Disjunctive Leadership in Interwar Britain: Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald, and Neville Chamberlain2.1The Interwar regime2.2Vulnerabilities of the interwar regime2.3Baldwin's first term2.4MacDonald's first term2.5Baldwin's second term, 1924-292.6MacDonald's premierships, 1929-352.7Baldwin's final term2.8Chamberlain's premiership2.9Baldwin, Macdonald, Chamberlain and the interwar regime2.10Conclusion
3.Chapter 3 The collapse of Keynesian Welfarism 1970-79: Heath, Wilson, Callaghan3.1The Keynesian welfare state regime3.2Regime Vulnerability 1970-793.3Edward Heath's technocratic modernization3.4Harold Wilson: 'a problem shelved is a problem solved'3.5James Callaghan's pragmatic stabilisation and crisis-management3.6Conclusion
4.Chapter 4 The collapse of the neoliberal consensus 2008-19: Brown, Cameron, May4.1Introduction4.2The neoliberal regime4.3Vulnerabilities in the neoliberal regime4.4Gordon Brown and the financial crisis: a Fourth Way?4.5Cameron: Blairism after the crash?4.6Theresa May, Brexit and Corbynism: an impossible leadership situation?4.7Conclusion
5.Chapter 5 Conclusion: Evaluating Disjunctive Prime Ministerial Leadership5.1Introduction5.2Refining Skowronek's account of political time5.3The agency of disjunctive prime ministers5.3.1Framing political problems5.3.2Whether to act5.3.3When to act5.3.4Where to act5.3.5How to act5.3.6How to justify decisions5.3.7Evaluating disjunctive prime ministerial leadership5.3.8Conclusion