Introduction: left, right and straight ahead

If political orientations are to be divided into either ‘left’ or ‘right’, then I find the title of my paper – which was chosen for me by the editors – entirely acceptable. I should, however, start by reminding readers of the complexities underlying this simple classification. For both generically and in relation to welfare specifically, there are commonalities and overlaps between ‘left’ and ‘right’, ferocious factional divisions within both ‘left’ and ‘right’, and instances of important welfare analysts and welfare policy makers who belong to neither ‘left’ nor ‘right’ as conventionally understood.

For example, if the ‘right’ is presumed to be antithetical to state welfare, how is it that Bismarck – a nationalist conservative – is a key founding father of the modern welfare state? Again, if the ‘left’ is presumed to be broadly favourable to state welfare, why is it that in conditions of ‘actually existing socialism’ in the Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc, welfare provision was in general meagre, arbitrary and meanly administered? And again, if British Conservatism is assumed to be a part of the ‘right’, how are we to explain Conservative leaderships including strong supporters of state welfare (such as Neville Chamberlain, R.A. Butler and Kenneth Clarke), fundamental sceptics (such as Lord Salisbury and Margaret Thatcher), and ambivalent pragmatists (such as Stanley Baldwin, Harold Macmillan and John Major)?

These complexities given, this chapter is written from a perspective that I would prefer to call Thatcherite. From this perspective, I defend the welfare policy of Margaret Thatcher’s administration (1979-90) as a fundamental and courageous break with past orthodoxy. I support, with some reservations, the record of John Major’s (1990-97) as a brave attempt at implementing Thatcherite concepts. And I welcome the efforts of Tony Blair’s governments since 1997 to slough off the cocoon of socialist ideology and collectivist vested interests that stand in the way of continuing welfare reform.

Overall I view the moves over the past 25 years away from the ‘welfare state’ and towards a ‘welfare society’ as beneficent and, bit by bit, at least partially successful.