The Triumph of Post-Democratic Values: Blairism and British Political Culture in the Eyes of Peter Oborne
Keywords:
Peter Oborne, British politics, modern British conservatism, post-democracyAbstract
The following article deals with the work of distinguished British conservative journalist and public intellectual Peter Oborne (b. 1957). In his published oeuvre, Oborne has been particularly concerned with the political culture during the administration of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (1997-2007). This article analyses Oborne’s books and focuses on his major themes: his koncept of the British “Political Class” as well as the deterioration of standard British institutions, the rise of the media, the widespread mendacity of British politicians and, finally, the triumph of “post-democratic” values characterized by a slow demise of the British electorate in relation to the political process. The article discusses wider contexts of contemporary British conservatism and assesses Oborne’s contribution to the debate about the perspectives of British political identity and its cultural and democratic traditions.
References
Crouch Colin. Coping With Post-Democracy. Fabian Society. 2000. Accessed on May 15, 2015. http://www.fabians.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/PostDemocracy.pdf
Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde. Staat, Gesellschaft, Freiheit: Studien zur Staatstheorie und zum Verfassungsrecht. Frankfurt a. M: Suhrkamp, 1976.
Hitchens, Peter. The Cameron Delusion. London: Continuum, 2010.
Hitchens, Peter. The Abolition of Britain. London: Quartet Books, 1999.
Jajtner, Tomáš. “Rage, Delusion and Abolitionism: British Society in the Eyes of Peter Hitchens.” American and British Studies Annual 5 (2012), 69-82.
Jajtner, Tomáš. “A Memorial Address to a Passing Civilisation. Roger Scruton’s Elegy for England.” American and British Studies Annual 7 (2014), 119-132.
Judge, David. Representation: Theory and Practice in Britain. Routledge, London, 1999.
Leach, Robert. Political Ideology in Britain. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.
Mosca, Gaetano. The Ruling Class. Transl. by Hannah D. Kahn. New York: McGraw Hill Company, 1939.
Oborne, Peter, Walters, Simon. Alastair Campbell. London: Aurum, 2004.
Oborne, Peter. A moral duty to act there. London: Centre for Policy Studies, 2003.
Oborne, Peter. Basil D’Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy: The Untold Story. London: Time Warner, 2005.
Oborne, Peter, Norman, Jesse. Churchill’s Legacy: The Conservative Case for the Human Rights Act. London: Liberty, 2009.
Oborne, Peter, Weaver, Frances. Guilty Men. London: Centre for Policy Studies, 2011.
Oborne, Peter. The Rise of Political Lying. London: Free Press, 2005.
Oborne, Peter. The Triumph of the Political Class. London: Simon and Schuster, 2007.
Oborne, Peter. The Use and Abuse of Terror: The Construction of a False Narrative on Domestic Terror Threat. London: Centre for Policy Studies, 2006.
Oborne, Peter. Wounded Tiger: The History of Cricket in Pakistan. London: Simon and Schuster, 2014.
Obelkevich, John, Catteral, Peter. Understanding Post-War British Society. London: Routledge, 1994.
Owen, Amos. “Shortlists announced for Orwell Prize for political writing.” 26 March 2009. Accessed May 15, 2015. http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/node/43424.
Paxman, Jeremy. Friends in High Places: Who Runs Britain? London: Penguin, 1991.
Sampson, Anthony. Who Runs This Place? The Anatomy of Britain in the 21st Century. London: John Murray, 2005.
Scruton, Roger. England: an Elegy. Pimlico: London, 2001.
Tynan, Daniel. “GOP Voter Vault Shipped Overseas,” 2004. Accessed May 15, 2015. http://www.pcworld.com/article/117930/article.html.
