Comments on: Over to you, Mr Brown http://clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:37:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Don Arthur http://clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106613 Don Arthur Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:12:17 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106613 That reminds me, Andrew Leigh had an interesting piece in the Australian Quarterly about the rise and fall of the Third Way (<a href="http://econrsss.anu.edu.au/~aleigh/pdf/Third%20Way%20(AQ)%20text%20only.pdf" rel="nofollow">pdf</a>). I think the reason the Third Way fell out of fashion is because it's a rhetorical approach designed for challengers. It doesn't provide much help to incumbents. The Clinton campaign started using it in '91 and Blair followed in the UK. Both dropped the rhetoric once they won office. Challengers need to reach out to disaffected voters who want to turf out the incumbent but worry that the challenger is too big a risk. When these voters are worried that you'll tax them into poverty , plunge the nation into debt and go soft on welfare layabouts and criminals, they need a bit of reassurance. You need to sound fiscally responsible and have a good line on personal responsibility. But the risk of making these reassuring noises is that your activist base will revolt. The Third Way is a rhetorical attempt to fuse your activist's values with the kinds of public noises that will win over the soft vote. "Tough on crime, touch on the causes of crime" is a typical Third Way response. "Tough on crime" means that offenders go to prison. "Tough on the causes of crime" means anti-poverty, anti-inequality programs. I'd also say that <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/21/1069027321380.html" rel="nofollow">Oprah Winfrey's contribution</a> has been overlooked ;) That reminds me, Andrew Leigh had an interesting piece in the Australian Quarterly about the rise and fall of the Third Way (pdf).

I think the reason the Third Way fell out of fashion is because it’s a rhetorical approach designed for challengers. It doesn’t provide much help to incumbents. The Clinton campaign started using it in ’91 and Blair followed in the UK. Both dropped the rhetoric once they won office.

Challengers need to reach out to disaffected voters who want to turf out the incumbent but worry that the challenger is too big a risk. When these voters are worried that you’ll tax them into poverty , plunge the nation into debt and go soft on welfare layabouts and criminals, they need a bit of reassurance. You need to sound fiscally responsible and have a good line on personal responsibility. But the risk of making these reassuring noises is that your activist base will revolt. The Third Way is a rhetorical attempt to fuse your activist’s values with the kinds of public noises that will win over the soft vote.

"Tough on crime, touch on the causes of crime" is a typical Third Way response. "Tough on crime" means that offenders go to prison. "Tough on the causes of crime" means anti-poverty, anti-inequality programs.

I’d also say that Oprah Winfrey’s contribution has been overlooked ;)

]]> By: Anthony http://clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106599 Anthony Thu, 15 Mar 2007 23:19:29 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106599 I remember Bob Goodin once saying that the Third Way must lie somewhere between the Second Coming and the Fourth Dimension I remember Bob Goodin once saying that the Third Way must lie somewhere between the Second Coming and the Fourth Dimension

]]> By: Andrew Leigh http://clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106597 Andrew Leigh Thu, 15 Mar 2007 22:57:02 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106597 The Economist put it nicely in 1998 when it said that arguing with Giddens about the Third Way was like wrestling an inflatable man: just when you think you have a hold on some part of it, all the hot air rushes somewhere else. The Economist put it nicely in 1998 when it said that arguing with Giddens about the Third Way was like wrestling an inflatable man: just when you think you have a hold on some part of it, all the hot air rushes somewhere else.

]]> By: Nicholas Gruen http://clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106549 Nicholas Gruen Thu, 15 Mar 2007 12:27:51 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2007/03/15/over-to-you-mr-brown/#comment-106549 marketsaremonsters has a good turn of phrase. I laughed anyway. marketsaremonsters has a good turn of phrase. I laughed anyway.

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