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Kavanagh et al: British Politics 5e

Chapter 04

Ideas and ideologies in British politics

British Party Election Manifestos
www.psr.keele.ac.uk/area/uk/man.htm
Richard Kimber's website at the University of Keele is an invaluable general resource for any student of British politics. It is also particularly valuable for those who want chart the ideological trajectories of the British political parties across the post-war period. Reproduced on the site are the complete texts of the manifestos of the major parties since 1945.

The Liberal Democrat History Group
www.liberalhistory.org.uk/item_list.php?item=history
The Liberal Democrat History Group is concerned with the history of the Liberal Democrats and its antecedents, particularly the SDP and the Liberal Party. You can download complete back issues of the group's journal, but of particular interest is the comprehensive history of British liberalism which includes both narrative summaries and links to relevant primary documents.

The Margaret Thatcher Foundation
www.margaretthatcher.org/
The Margaret Thatcher Foundation's website is dedicated to the political life of a Prime Minister with a profound impact on the ideological trajectory of British politics. The site has a wealth of information but of particular value is the archive of Mrs Thatcher's speeches and the archives of her papers as Leader of the Opposition between 1975 and 1979.

Compass
www.compassonline.org.uk/
Compass is an organisation which was founded in 2003 and which operates as a pressure group upon the Labour Party. It advocates alternative policies to those espoused by New Labour and is currently in the process of formulating an alternative manifesto. In the meantime the website provides a variety of pamphlets on contemporary political issues which together present a more radical social democracy than that of New Labour.

BBC Radio 4: Analysis "Politics for Plumbers"
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/analysis/4908314.stm
BBC Radio 4's Analysis programme tackles the question of whether British politics is becoming increasingly less ideological. You can read the transcript of the programme, originally broadcast in April 2006 on this website. The programme includes contributions from David Willetts MP and Professor Michael Freeden, a noted student of ideology and ideologies.