A Rhetorical Perspective on the 1997 British Party Manifestos

Authors: Smith C.A.¹; Smith K.B.²

Source: Political Communication, Volume 17, Number 4, 1 October 2000 , pp. 457-473(17)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This article discusses the British political system's reliance on party manifestos and suggests that they deserve study as rhetorical texts. The magazine-like 1997 manifestos of the Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat Parties are analyzed with respect to their iconic structure, the priority of policy domains in their social critiques, their historical narratives, and their narratives on the central issue of economics. Results suggest that all three parties focused on British history since 1979 and on economic issues. The Conservative Manifesto subordinated people to icons and graphs, concentrated on economic analyses, and portrayed the party's policies as successful. Labour and Liberal Democrats emphasized economic failures; the Liberal Democrats sought wide-ranging populist reforms, while "New" Labour ran against the Tory record and the historic radicalism of "Old" Labour.

Keywords: 1997 ELECTIONS; ASHDOWN; BLAIR; BRITISH ELECTIONS; CAMPAIGN RHETORIC; CONSERVATIVE; LABOUR; LIBERAL DEMOCRAT; MAJOR; MANIFESTO

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. 2: Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Wake Forest University.

Publication date: 2000-10-01

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