Rhetoric in British Politics and Society

The art of rhetoric is central to the practice of politics. It also, however, plays an important role in civic and private life, where it is employed to persuade, negotiate and resolve disputes on a daily basis. Using the Aristotelian categories of ethos (appeals based on the character of the speaker), pathos (appeals to the emotions of an audience) and logos (appeals to reason), the contributors to this collection explore topics ranging from Prime Minister's Questions and Welsh devolution to political satire and the rhetoric of cultural racism.

This collection provides a highly accessible and engaging discussion of a variety of issues, while casting new light on the place and function of rhetoric in contemporary Britain. As such, it will appeal to a wide audience, including scholars and students of rhetoric, political communication, British politics, cultural studies and sociology.

Judi Atkins is Research Fellow in British Politics at the University of Leeds, UK. She is author of Justifying New Labour Policy (2011), as well as several articles on rhetoric, ideology and policy in British politics. Her current project explores the rhetoric of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Alan Finlayson is Professor of Political and Social Theory at the University of East Anglia, UK. He has written extensively about the ideology of New Labour and has made the case for a 'Rhetorical Political Analysis' in articles published in journals such as Economy and Society, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations and Political Studies.

James Martin is Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. His interests lie in political theory, rhetoric and political analysis. He is author and editor of numerous publications, including: Politics and Rhetoric, Piero Gobeti and the Politics of Liberal Revolution, Third Way Discourse (with Steve Bastow) and Gramsci's Political Analysis.

Nick Turnbull teaches a postgraduate course on political rhetoric at the University of Manchester, UK. He is the author of Michel Meyer's Problematology: Questioning and Society (2014) and has published articles on rhetoric in the journals Philosophy and Rhetoric and the Revue Internationale de Philosophie.