Research
My research focuses on British politics, with particular regard for the role of political ideas and ideologies in shaping historical change.
Conservatism
One principal research area has been on the Conservative Party, especially on the rise of the New Right and its relationship with the 'Old Right' of the Party. I have examined the reasons why the New Right was successful in the 1970s, the policy impact of Thatcherism in the 1980s and its subsequent legacy, and the prospects for challenging or replacing the neo-liberal paradigm in light of recent events such as the crash of 2008 and Brexit.
Social Democracy
A further area of research over my career has been social democracy - especially the pursuit of equality and its conception of the nation state. This has taken the form of conceptual and historical works including volumes of Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Peter Shore and through an analysis of events such as the IMF Crisis in 1976.
Research grants
The IMF Crisis of 1976 and British Politics
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
April 2007 - March 2008
Conservative thinkers: An analysis of the political thought of the conservative party since the 1930s.
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
April 2006 - December 2006