Matt Beech
Biographic Data
| ID | 4128810 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matt Beech |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matt |
| FAMILY NAME | Beech |
| SIGNATURE | BEECH M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Hull |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9733-8080 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 20 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 19 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Interpreting UK legislatures
The purpose of this special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies is to explain and understand the era of profound change that has affected, and continues to impact, UK legislatures. This is an era of special change, wrought by the phenomena of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and forms of nationalism. The significance of these collected papers lies in the application of interpretive, decentred theory (Bevir, 2013; Bevir & Rhodes, 2003, 2010)…
Why the beliefs of parliamentarians matter
In this article, we argue, following the interpretive approach, that parliamentarians’ beliefs, and the intellectual traditions on which they draw matter. Parliamentary behaviour and legislative practice is the contingent product of the historically discernible beliefs, values, and assumptions of legislators and officials. We argue more particularly that decentred theory can explain change, including transformational phenomena such as Brexit and …
Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit
This book provides the first evaluation of the three Conservative administrations since 2015 and in the age of Brexit.
Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit
Interpreting Brexit
Interpreting Brexit
Brexit and the decentred state
The aim of this article is to examine Brexit through the lens of decentred theory. Decentred theory regards the British state as neither a monolith (as per modernist social science) nor a myth (as per post-modern theory) but rather as a repository of norms, customs, practices and thought acquired by elite actors, professionals and policy networks. The central thesis of the article is that the idea of the decentred state, as an explanation of stat…
Brexit and the Labour Party
Divided by Values
This article explores the sociocultural divide in England exposed by Brexit. The metaphors of ‘North’ and ‘South’ are used to explain this, where the former is seen as more culturally conservative and the latter as more cosmopolitan. We examine the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn and show how its values have shifted away from its Northern heartlands. The article uses a range of data including by-elections, local and general election results and …
The place of human rights in the foreign policy of Cameron’s conservatives
The purpose of this article is to explain the place of human rights in the foreign policy thinking of David Cameron’s Conservatives (2005–2016). The article asks three interrelated questions: First, what role has human rights come to acquire in international political discourse? Second, did the Conservative Party’s view on the place of human rights result in a change to their approach to foreign policy on humanitarian intervention? Third, to what…
Labour parties, ideas transfer and ideological positioning
As part of this special issue examining policy transfer between the Labour parties in Australia and Britain, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between the two on ideological positioning. In the 1990s there was substantial ideas transfer from the Australian Hawke–Keating government to Blair ‘New Labour’ in Britain, as both parties made a lunge towards the economic centre. This paper analyses how the inheritors of that shift, the Rudd/Gi…
Blue and Purple Labour Challenges to the Welfare State
This article explores two influential strands of thinking about the welfare state, Blue Labour and Purple Labour, that have emerged following New Labour's defeat at the 2010 General Election. It is argued that although both of these new approaches raise some important issues about the relational and associational dimensions of social welfare as well as diversity and pluralism, those committed to universal and egalitarian goals should not abandon …
Blue or Purple? Reflections on the Future of the Labour Party
The purpose of this article is to examine the future ideological direction of the Labour party by analysing two intellectual offerings that have appeared in the post-New Labour era: ‘Blue Labour’ and The Purple Book. First, the article sets out the strategic context of these ideological conversations: Labour's defeat in the 2010 general election; the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition; economic austerity resulting from the b…
State of the discipline
A social democratic narrative of British democracy
This article argues that social democracy as a political ideology has much to contribute to a narrative of British democracy. Democracy is the central tenet of social democracy and this distinguishes it from Marxist socialism. However, despite the Labour Party in Britain emanating from a rich tradition of democratic politics, Labour elites have often been reluctant democratisers. Firstly, this article evaluates the ideological role of democracy i…
British Conservatism and Foreign Policy
This article contributes to a debate on prospective Conservative foreign policy initiated by Klaus Dodds and Stuart Elden in this journal. The central argument is that Cameron's global view is being shaped by the traditions and ideas associated with Liberalism as well as Conservatism. Elite interviews with former Conservative foreign secretaries help illustrate the role played by Conservative assumptions between 1979 and 1997. The article examine…
Change, Compromise and Coalition
Tim Bale, The Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2010, 446 pp., £25.00, ISBN 978-0-7456-4857-6 (hbk) David Seawright, The British Conservative Party and One Nati
A puzzle of ideas and policy
This article argues that Gordon Brown as prime minister is a puzzle of ideas and policy. This observation is most notably supported by his failure to espouse an ideological narrative for his government. Brown the intellectually literate Labour leader has not constructed his idea of the ‘good society’. This in turn has had a negative impact upon the effectiveness of his leadership and the unity of his government. The article highlights the implica…
The Brown government
The prospects for Brown's social democracy
No New Vision
This article argues that the Labour Party has no new vision for British social democracy. New Labour in Government is intellectually tired and lacks ideological vision. Gordon Brown's leadership is managerial and lacking robust ideological content. These problems exist in a period of severe recession and whereby the Conservatives under David Cameron are in the ascendancy. The argument in this article asserts that revisionism is required in the La…
Ten Years of New Labour
Evaluates the Blair government from 1997-2007 conducting high quality research into aspects of British politics with particular emphasis on parties, policies and ideologies. With contributions from ke
British Conservatism and Foreign Policy
This article contributes to a debate on prospective Conservative foreign policy initiated by Klaus Dodds and Stuart Elden in this journal. The central argument is that Cameron's global view is being shaped by the traditions and ideas associated with Liberalism as well as Conservatism. Elite interviews with former Conservative foreign secretaries help illustrate the role played by Conservative assumptions between 1979 and 1997. The article examine…
Blue or Purple? Reflections on the Future of the Labour Party
The purpose of this article is to examine the future ideological direction of the Labour party by analysing two intellectual offerings that have appeared in the post-New Labour era: ‘Blue Labour’ and The Purple Book. First, the article sets out the strategic context of these ideological conversations: Labour's defeat in the 2010 general election; the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition; economic austerity resulting from the b…
The place of human rights in the foreign policy of Cameron’s conservatives
The purpose of this article is to explain the place of human rights in the foreign policy thinking of David Cameron’s Conservatives (2005–2016). The article asks three interrelated questions: First, what role has human rights come to acquire in international political discourse? Second, did the Conservative Party’s view on the place of human rights result in a change to their approach to foreign policy on humanitarian intervention? Third, to what…
Labour parties, ideas transfer and ideological positioning
As part of this special issue examining policy transfer between the Labour parties in Australia and Britain, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between the two on ideological positioning. In the 1990s there was substantial ideas transfer from the Australian Hawke–Keating government to Blair ‘New Labour’ in Britain, as both parties made a lunge towards the economic centre. This paper analyses how the inheritors of that shift, the Rudd/Gi…
A social democratic narrative of British democracy
This article argues that social democracy as a political ideology has much to contribute to a narrative of British democracy. Democracy is the central tenet of social democracy and this distinguishes it from Marxist socialism. However, despite the Labour Party in Britain emanating from a rich tradition of democratic politics, Labour elites have often been reluctant democratisers. Firstly, this article evaluates the ideological role of democracy i…
Ten Years of New Labour
Evaluates the Blair government from 1997-2007 conducting high quality research into aspects of British politics with particular emphasis on parties, policies and ideologies. With contributions from ke
A puzzle of ideas and policy
This article argues that Gordon Brown as prime minister is a puzzle of ideas and policy. This observation is most notably supported by his failure to espouse an ideological narrative for his government. Brown the intellectually literate Labour leader has not constructed his idea of the ‘good society’. This in turn has had a negative impact upon the effectiveness of his leadership and the unity of his government. The article highlights the implica…
The Brown government
The prospects for Brown's social democracy
No New Vision
This article argues that the Labour Party has no new vision for British social democracy. New Labour in Government is intellectually tired and lacks ideological vision. Gordon Brown's leadership is managerial and lacking robust ideological content. These problems exist in a period of severe recession and whereby the Conservatives under David Cameron are in the ascendancy. The argument in this article asserts that revisionism is required in the La…
Change, Compromise and Coalition
Tim Bale, The Conservative Party: From Thatcher to Cameron, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2010, 446 pp., £25.00, ISBN 978-0-7456-4857-6 (hbk) David Seawright, The British Conservative Party and One Nati
British Conservatism and Foreign Policy
This article contributes to a debate on prospective Conservative foreign policy initiated by Klaus Dodds and Stuart Elden in this journal. The central argument is that Cameron's global view is being shaped by the traditions and ideas associated with Liberalism as well as Conservatism. Elite interviews with former Conservative foreign secretaries help illustrate the role played by Conservative assumptions between 1979 and 1997. The article examine…
State of the discipline
A social democratic narrative of British democracy
This article argues that social democracy as a political ideology has much to contribute to a narrative of British democracy. Democracy is the central tenet of social democracy and this distinguishes it from Marxist socialism. However, despite the Labour Party in Britain emanating from a rich tradition of democratic politics, Labour elites have often been reluctant democratisers. Firstly, this article evaluates the ideological role of democracy i…
Blue and Purple Labour Challenges to the Welfare State
This article explores two influential strands of thinking about the welfare state, Blue Labour and Purple Labour, that have emerged following New Labour's defeat at the 2010 General Election. It is argued that although both of these new approaches raise some important issues about the relational and associational dimensions of social welfare as well as diversity and pluralism, those committed to universal and egalitarian goals should not abandon …
Blue or Purple? Reflections on the Future of the Labour Party
The purpose of this article is to examine the future ideological direction of the Labour party by analysing two intellectual offerings that have appeared in the post-New Labour era: ‘Blue Labour’ and The Purple Book. First, the article sets out the strategic context of these ideological conversations: Labour's defeat in the 2010 general election; the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition; economic austerity resulting from the b…
Labour parties, ideas transfer and ideological positioning
As part of this special issue examining policy transfer between the Labour parties in Australia and Britain, this paper seeks to explore the relationship between the two on ideological positioning. In the 1990s there was substantial ideas transfer from the Australian Hawke–Keating government to Blair ‘New Labour’ in Britain, as both parties made a lunge towards the economic centre. This paper analyses how the inheritors of that shift, the Rudd/Gi…
The place of human rights in the foreign policy of Cameron’s conservatives
The purpose of this article is to explain the place of human rights in the foreign policy thinking of David Cameron’s Conservatives (2005–2016). The article asks three interrelated questions: First, what role has human rights come to acquire in international political discourse? Second, did the Conservative Party’s view on the place of human rights result in a change to their approach to foreign policy on humanitarian intervention? Third, to what…
Divided by Values
This article explores the sociocultural divide in England exposed by Brexit. The metaphors of ‘North’ and ‘South’ are used to explain this, where the former is seen as more culturally conservative and the latter as more cosmopolitan. We examine the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn and show how its values have shifted away from its Northern heartlands. The article uses a range of data including by-elections, local and general election results and …
Brexit and the Labour Party
Interpreting Brexit
Interpreting Brexit
Brexit and the decentred state
The aim of this article is to examine Brexit through the lens of decentred theory. Decentred theory regards the British state as neither a monolith (as per modernist social science) nor a myth (as per post-modern theory) but rather as a repository of norms, customs, practices and thought acquired by elite actors, professionals and policy networks. The central thesis of the article is that the idea of the decentred state, as an explanation of stat…
Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit
This book provides the first evaluation of the three Conservative administrations since 2015 and in the age of Brexit.
Conservative Governments in the Age of Brexit
Interpreting UK legislatures
The purpose of this special issue of the Journal of Legislative Studies is to explain and understand the era of profound change that has affected, and continues to impact, UK legislatures. This is an era of special change, wrought by the phenomena of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and forms of nationalism. The significance of these collected papers lies in the application of interpretive, decentred theory (Bevir, 2013; Bevir & Rhodes, 2003, 2010)…
Why the beliefs of parliamentarians matter
In this article, we argue, following the interpretive approach, that parliamentarians’ beliefs, and the intellectual traditions on which they draw matter. Parliamentary behaviour and legislative practice is the contingent product of the historically discernible beliefs, values, and assumptions of legislators and officials. We argue more particularly that decentred theory can explain change, including transformational phenomena such as Brexit and …
Political science (19 works) · Political and Economic history of UK and US (17 works) · Law (16 works) · Politics (15 works) · Law (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Political economy (13 works) · Social Policy and Reform Studies (9 works) · Economics (8 works) · Ideology (7 works)