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An original combination of theoretical innovation and a detailed empirical analysis of the ideas, language and policy of New Labour. Politicians often appeal to moral principles and arguments in their efforts to win support for new policy programmes. Yet the question of how politicians use moral language has until now been neglected by scholars.

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Introduction PART I: THE CONTEXT OF JUSTIFICATION The Context of Ideology The Context of Argumentation The Context of Hegemonic Competition Towards an Understanding of the Dynamics of Moral Argument in Politics PART II: THE CASE OF NEW LABOUR The Ideology of New Labour New Labour´s Welfare Reforms: The New Deals Rights and Constitutional Reform: The Human Rights Act of 1998 Community: New Labour´s Policies on Anti-Social Behaviour Foreign Policy: The Iraq War of 2003 Conclusion Bibliography

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JUDI ATKINS is Research Officer in the Department of Politics and Cultural Studies at Swansea University, UK. Her research interests include political argumentation and rhetoric, ideology and British politics, and she has published a number of articles in these areas. She is currently working with Alan Finlayson on a Leverhulme Trust-funded project on British political speech.

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