The Winter of Discontent Thirty Years On

Thirty years on, and in the context of our own crisis, it is perhaps useful to take stock of the last Winter of Discontent. The industrial strife that beset the Callaghan government in the winter of 1978/79 was seen at the time as a key factor in Labour's defeat in the general election of 1979; but its legacy is considerable and its significance enduring. These four themed essays come from a public seminar at the British Academy to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Winter of Discontent. Colin Hay argues that the Winter of Discontent was, in key respects, a manufactured crisis lived, experienced and responded to through a very particular construction of the events that is difficult to reconcile with the evidence itself. Reponses by Lords Baker, Lea and Lipsey follow and the section concludes with a transcribed and edited version of the lively discussion which ensued.     

Looking Backwards: 1968 Thirty Years Later 1

This essay is intended to open a discussion about building a coherent account of the decline of AIDS street activism amongst lesbians and gay men in the US in the early 1990s. It does so by demonstrating how a narrative of key events in the rise and decline of this activism can be structured by being linked to the trajectory of racial politics in the larger society. The argument is made that AIDS street activism was ultimately overwhelmed by political isolation caused by the withering of a broader "rainbow politics," and by an expanding white racial backlash in the larger society. In this context there was little room for the political development of movement participants, and movement solidarity was shattered as the broader culture and politics of racial backlash penetrated the movement.     

美国海湾政策三十年

当今世界,波斯湾地区是一个极具重要战略意义的地区。美国作为一个超级大国对海湾地区倾注了极大的心血。自1971年开始,美国在海湾30年的经营先后经历了由“两根支柱”政策到“卡特主义”波斯湾战略,直到“双重遏制”政策的演变,探析其轨迹及根由,对我们认清美国的霸权主义本质具有重要的现实意义。     

How Capital Budgeting Helped a Sick City: Thirty Years of Capital Improvement Planning in Cleveland

During the 1970s, Cleveland's capital improvement plan (CIP) was scorned as a bad joke, and the city's roads, bridges, and public buildings fell into disrepair. The city's default on its fiscal obligation in 1978 seemed to cap the city's infrastructure problem; there was no comprehensive strategy for capital spending and in a bankrupt city, no money to spend in any event. Yet, during the 1980s, with support from the administration, the business community, and the innovations of a small group of dedicated urban planners, the CIP was restructured and hundreds of millions were systematically invested in public infrastructure. By the 1990s, most of the innovative changes of the 1980s seemed to be institutionalized, but there were ominous clouds on the horizon.     

Kerala's Ombudsman: A Mismatch of Mission and Capabilities

India, like many developing nations, has adopted many accountability institutions. One of these is the ombudsman. Originally a Swedish invention, ombudsman's offices were adopted by many countries over the last 50 years. Recently, the South Indian state of Kerala has instituted an ombudsman's office. While it has had notable successes in resolving minor cases related to local government institutions, it is severely constrained by an unresponsive state government. In particular, the Kerala ombudsman requires independent investigative powers and an expansion of its office.     

同一概念统领下的不同研究领域——三十年来国内对新闻客观公正性问题研究的概况

新闻的客观性和新闻的公正性都是新闻的特性,本是两个概念,对于新闻客观和新闻公正研究,也是两个彼此对等的领域.新闻客观和新闻公正虽彼此相关联,但本质和内涵并不完全相同.国内学界形成的对其内容与形式、价值与实践的双层研究结构,在一定意义上概括了纷繁复杂的学界研究特征.也许在未来,对新闻客观、公正的研究将不会呈现出如此明显的二级形态,而是更为紧密地融合起来,以应对转型期的中国给它们带来的机遇和挑战.     

The Extra-Parliamentary Tory Party: McKenzie Revisited

This chapter almost coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of Robert McKenzie's British Political Parties , a study which contested that power in the Tory party was centralised in its Parliamentary leadership, with its constituency members having only a marginal influence. The chapter revisits McKenzie's analysis in the light of developments since 2001, particularly the victory of Iain Duncan Smith in that year's 'democratised' Conservative leadership contest.
The chapter argues that Duncan Smith's victory strengthened McKenzie's claim that democratised parties are seldom popular, and describes how IDS, ironically, spawned reforms that diminished his extra-Parliamentary supporters. But the chapter is also an updated reminder that McKenzie underrated grass root power in certain areas - notably candidate selection - and suggests a lesson from the Tories' short-lived revival under Michael Howard, namely that long-term party recovery requires an energised party membership as well as a competent party leader.     

The Culture Cult Revisited

Society - What is the gravest threat to “open” democratic societies today? In Karl Popper’s view it was tribalism. By contrasting closed autarkic Sparta and free-trading Athens,...     

The Progressive Dilemma Revisited

In his book of the same title, David Marquand identified the progressive dilemma faced by many intellectuals since the beginning of the twentieth century as a question of whether it was better to work through a political party or through civil society to achieve reform. This dilemma was sharpened by the emergence of the Labour party as the main challenger to the Conservatives, because the party was so closely identified with the defence of a particular interest. This hindered the creation of the kind of broad electoral coalition that could win general elections. Throughout most of its history, Labour has failed to realise its promise and sustain reforming governments. In this article, the history of the Labour party over the past hundred years is outlined, in particular the three cycles 1931–51, 1951–79 and 1979–2010 and the divisions and recriminations that have followed each period in government. The current predicament of the party is then briefly assessed.     

从行政监察体制改革审视我国行政监察专员制度的建立

改革开放以来,我国的行政监察体制改革取得了很大成绩。但是,随着社会的发展,现有行政监察体制的缺陷和不足也日渐凸显。根据国外行政监察体制改革的基本经验和我国的具体国情,建立行政监察专员制度,是完善我国行政监察体制、加强行政权力监督的路径选择。     

三十年来国内西方哲学研究对马克思主义哲学发展的影响

改革开放三十年来,中国哲学界对西方哲学的态度发生了巨大麦化.通过西方哲学研究,使当代中国马克思主义哲学研究不断发生论题更新、文本回溯、形态变化、方法更新、视野扩展和应用强化.但是,也应该看到,对于完成应对当代国内与国际重大理论和现实问题而建杓中国哲学的新形态来说,两种哲学形态之问的对话和契同还任重道远.     

监察官法制定的现实必要、争议及具体设想

今年我国或将提起审议监察官法。监察官法的出台是对现行法律难以有效管理监察官队伍的必要回应,有利于提升监察职业的威信。监察官应当走专业化发展道路,试行员额制改革,将法律职业资格作为监察机关执纪调查部门初任监察官的准入条件,采用专业技术序列设置监察官的等级。在制定监察官法的具体结构和内容上,参照新修订的《法官法》《检察官法》,我国监察试点经验以及域外监察法规,监察官的范围应当限于行使国家监察权力的专责监察人员;监察官的职权尤为需要注重保密义务与树立监察权威;经验、能力、品性、政治素养应当是遴选监察官的考量因素,对于初任监察官、转隶人员、原纪检监察部门过渡人员应当予以区别任用;应当强化对监察官的培训、任职回避与监督管理,构建系统的监察官考核、奖励和惩戒机制;在工资保险福利、职务、人身安全、职业伦理、辞职辞退与退休等方面对监察官要加以保障。