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2 British J. Pol. & Int'l Rel. 1 (2000)

handle is hein.journals/bhjlplcs2 and id is 1 raw text is: British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol. 2, No. 1, April 2000, pp. 1-25 New Labour in the global economy: partisan politics and the social democratic model MARK WICKHAM-JONES Abstract Drawing on a framework developed by Geoffrey Garrett in his recent book Partisan Politics in the Global Economy, I examine the 'policy space' that is available for the social democratic project in the United Kingdom. Garrett is optimistic about the possibilities for reformism: he emphasises the ability of an 'encompassing' labour movement to exchange wage restraint for reformist policies. Given the absence of such an encompassing labour movement in the United Kingdom, his conclusion apparently offers little support to those seeking reformist measures in these circumstances. I discuss three reasons why Garrett's model may still be applicable in the British context. First, social democrats may be able to offer policies desirable to capital. Second, wage moderation may be possible without the existence of an encompassing labour movement. Third, and most ambitious, it may be possible to develop an encompassing labour movement within the United Kingdom. My tentative conclusion is that a variant of the Garrett model is potentially a plausible one for a reformist party in the United Kingdom. Since taking office following the May 1997 general election, Tony Blair's Labour administration has charted a moderate course in its economic strategy, emphasising low inflation as the central goal of policy.' The Government's interventions in the economy have been characterised by their limited scope and modest intentions. Some scholars have argued that a new consensus has emerged between Labour and the Conservatives: a convergence that is identified primarily by its neo-liberal nature (see, for example, Hay 1999). Tony Blair, together with his Chancellor Gordon © Political Studies Association 2000. Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA 1

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