Education and Labour Party Ideologies 1900-2001and Beyond

ISBN-13: 9780415347778 / Angielski / Miękka / 2004 / 192 str.

Denis Lawton

Opis

In 1997 Tony Blair broke with tradition by naming education as a major priority for the General Election Manifesto. In the past, Labour leaders had tended to give education a much lower priority. Despite this, Blair has been greatly criticised for his educational programme 1997-2001. Was he taking education away from traditional labour values of fairness and equality? Was Blair's 'Third Way' just 'Thatcherism in Trousers'?
Denise Lawton approaches such questions by analysing labour education policies since 1900 and shows that from the very beginning the labour Party lacked unity and ideological coherence concerning education. Specifically, there has always been a tension between those like the early Fabians who saw educational reform in terms of economic efficiency, and the ethical socialists whose vision of a more moral society stressed the importance of social justice in education. After an assessment of Labour ideologies in the past, this book concludes with an examination of New Labour and the 'Third Way' in education and suggests some changes that will be necessary in the near future.

Spis treści

Foreword and acknowledgements, 1. Nineteenth-century background, 2. The early years 1900-39: ideas and contradictions, 3. World War II 1939-45, 4. The Attlee governments 1945-51: missed opportunities in eduction, 5. Labour in opposition 1951-64: a chance to theorise and revise, 6. The Wilson governments 1964-70, 7. Health and a taste of Thatcher 1970-74, 8. Wilson and Callaghan 1974-79, 9. Thatcherism 1979-90, 10. A Labour education policy found and lost 1990-97, 11. Education, education, education or targets, targets, targets? 1997-2001, 12. The future of Labour education 2001-10 and beyond: targets or worthwhile learning, Postscript October 2003, Bibliography, Index

O autorze

Professor Denis Lawton