New Labour

Essay by nackeshiaUniversity, Bachelor'sC+, January 2004

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New Labour

Governments are usually judged on their political performances, drive and energy, and how successful their ministers are in driving forward their legislative agenda and Manifesto promises. Furthermore, government departments normally analyse how far they have gone in meeting the values set out, and in particular, whether they have fostered a dynamic economy, a just society, an open democracy, and a healthy environment.

Democratic socialism is seen as a range of ideologies with a central belief in social justice equality and collectivism. It is distinguished from revolutionary socialism in that democratic socialists tend to believe in the historical inevitability of socialist revolution, or the desirability of working towards such a revolution. They hope to use such a process to induce socialist features into capitalism and thus mitigate its worst and most exploitative features. Most western European socialist parties ceased to espouse revolution and made their peace with the capitalist environment within which they have to operate.

This assignment will attempt to look at the policies of New Labour and answer the Question 'what do New Labour's social policies owe to democratic socialist principles?' The essay will first look in-depth at what is democratic socialism and how it is linked with the New Labour Party. Secondly, the essay will attempt to look at the links and differences that still exist between both the Old Labour and the New Labour Party, and how these differences have affected the performance of the New Labour party. Finally, the essay will try to answer the above question. In order to accomplish this the essay will look at different theorist views and examine in-depth the new labour policies which deliver their manifesto promises and the changes that the third way under the influences of New Labour has bought.

The Labour Party is more often than...