To What Extent Have the Conservative Party Adopted One Nation Policies in Government?

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To what extent have the conservative party adopted One Nation policies in government? Thatcherism s an ideological agenda that was originally associated with the ideas and values of Margret Thatcher and the policies of her government. Thatcherism was split into two, Neo-liberalism and Neo-conservatism. Neo- liberalism is an updated version of classical liberalism. Its ‘central pillars’ are the free market and the self - sufficient individual. On the other hand Neo-conservatism is a form of authoritarian conservatism that calls for a restoration of order, authority and discipline in society as well as encouraging Capitalism. In contrast, with Thatcherism, One Nation conservatism is based around several core features which include paternalism, pragmatism and consensus and you would think that the coalition would be bound to represent these values however Cameron said that the conservative party would defend Civil Liberties, in a similar vein to the Liberal Democrats. His would be a more liberal form of conservatism. I will explore whether the conservative party have adopted its One Nation policies in government or stayed with some Thatcherite policies. The conservative party has adopted a One Nation policy with its relation with the NHS. Cameron faced the task of trying to ‘shed the image’ of Thatcherism, by doing this he embraced new issues such as Healthcare. His government implemented a sustainable health spending strategy. There was a stronger commitment to public services than seen before in a conservative government where there has been a promise to increase spending in real terms over the course of the 2010-2015 parliament where David Cameron is the Prime Minister. The main focus is the reorganisation of the NHS which plans to place more control into the hands of the GP’s. Although this is a fairly strong One Nation policy, a small aspect of a
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