KONSENSUS UND MACHTBILDUNG, ANALYSIERT AM BEISPIEL DER ENGLISCHEN UNTERHAUSWAHLEN VOM 8. OKTOBER 1959
In: Zeitschrift für Politik: ZfP, Band 7, Heft 3, S. 204-224
ISSN: 0044-3360
The elections in England of Oct 8, 1959 were characterized by a Conservative victory, in power for the third straight time, by an increase in Labor votes, & a revival of the Liberal party. These results seem to contradict the commonly held view of a system of alternation between parties subject to public scrutiny. This scrutiny, which lends itself well to the formation of consensus, rests upon the regular & loyal application of constitutional devices; the recognition of the right of the Prime Minister to call an election, a safety valve for the regime, & the regulation of the election campaign. Within this framework, the struggle for power is comparatively mild since it takes place between two pol'al alignments relatively close in their pol'al views. The consensus which gives the gov to one or the other of these pol'al parties is little moved by ideologies & acts on the basis of concrete points. The gov of Macmillan succeeded solely because it managed to keep its promises. This equilibrium is always a fragile one since it rests upon an essentially hedonistic consensus & on a 'primary' soc morality. Tr by J. A. Broussard from IPSA.