Oedipus Rex - Bliss in Ignorance - 860 Words

One of the most memorable and meaningful Socratic quotes applies well when in context of Sophocles Theban Trilogy. The unexamined life is not worth living, proclaims Socrates. He could have meant many things by this statement, and in relation to the play, the meaning is found to be even more complex. Indeed, the situation of Oedipus, king of Thebes, the truth of this statement is in question. Would Oedipus have been better off if he was blind to the knowledge of his birthing and the fate which was foretold to someday befall him? Truly though, his life would have been a far better and easier path had he never known about his true origins. His life in Corinth would have been long and prosperous, and Thebes would have lived on under King†¦show more content†¦The question arises, what would life have been like, if Oedipus had not discovered his true origins? If he had stayed in Corinth, would this have ever happened? We find that indeed, we would have had no story, if not for t hat lone comment of a drunkard which sparked the fire of rebellion in the young prince Oedipus. He ventured out to Delphi, to pry knowledge of his background out of it, and to discover if this was indeed the truth, despite the fact that his adopted parents of Corinth had assured him of it falseness. Oedipus leaves Corinth, fulfilling the Socratic idea of the unexamined life. However, we must evaluate the eventual consequences of his actions and the implications which they possess. What becomes of his fateful journey out of Corinth leads to the downfall of an entire city and family line. If he had not murdered King Laius, the Sphinx would have never descended upon Thebes, he would have never fulfilled the prophecy, and all would have lived on in a relative peace and tranquillity. Once examining these aspects of the relationship between the quote and Oedipus Rex, we can come to a final examination of its implications. The question which was addressed, that of the value of the examined life, can be answered. Indeed, if Oedipus had not ventured beyond the protective walls of his adopted home, would anything such as what occurred in the play ever have transpired? If Oedipus had not pursued that answers to the mysteries thatShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Oedipus Rex Bliss 944 Words   |  4 PagesMr. Myles May 3, 2010 Oedipus Rex - Bliss in Ignorance One of the most memorable and meaningful Socratic quotes applies well when in context of Sophocles Theban Trilogy. The unexamined life is not worth living, proclaims Socrates. He could have meant many things by this statement, and in relation to the play, the meaning is found to be even more complex. Indeed, the situation of Oedipus, king of Thebes, the truth of this statement is in question. Would Oedipus have been better offRead MoreComparison Between Oedipus Rex and Street Car Named Desire1268 Words   |  6 Pages‘Oedipus Rex’ and ‘Streetcar’       | Similarities | Contrasts | Clever Points | Actions / Events | ï‚ ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both ‘Oedipus Rex’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ have scenes where a character’s past is revealed, whether it is to other characters or to the audience (e.g. Oedipus’ parentage or Blanche’s past). This shows an underlying tone that they cannot fully escape their past, whether it is an eventual surfacing (in A Streetcar Named Desire) or an abrupt revelation (in Oedipus Rex). This is linkedRead MoreThe Stranger in Oedipus Essay1467 Words   |  6 Pagesnovels and literary works alike. Albert Camus’ The Stranger depicts a modern system of justice; however, Sophocles Oedipus Rex portrays a simplistic system of justice. Society implements these to prevent the downfall of the human race. Society protects humanity from its own demise by condemning acts of violence. Acts of violence, weather brought on by anger as illustrated in Oedipus Rex or by environmental influences as demonstrated in The Stranger led to the downfall of society. Society since theRead MoreFate And Free Will In Oedipus Rex1577 Words   |  7 Pagesplays. Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles survived through the years with such universal questions provoked by the plot. Fate and free will were driving forces woven throughout the play and considerably difficult to distinguish for both characters and the audience. Fate was considered an all powerful force by the individuals in the play. Oedipus challenged the power of fate in favor of his free will seen through his rash decisions, hubris, and choice to live in ignorance. The fate of Oedipus was createdRead MoreThe Themes Conveyed By Oedipus1310 Words   |  6 Pages(Davis, 1) Title: The Themes Conveyed By Oedipus Prompt: Playwrights employ their characters to embody themes they wish to promote (about life, love, disappointments) throughout the dramas they write. Choose ONE character, examine the theme(s) the character carries, and show how Sophocles uses that character to make clear the ideas he wishes to convey. Work: Oedipus Rex (Davis, 2) The play starts with an important piece of cultural information in the form of the quote â€Å"I thought itRead More Oedipus the King - The Character Transformations of Oedipus Essay1250 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus the King - The Character Transformations of Oedipus Through the character of Oedipus, Sophocles shows the consequences of defying the divine order. Oedipus served Thebes as a great ruler, loved by his subjects; but, like most in the human race, he slipped through the cracks of perfection. Oedipus had many faults, but it was primarily the tragic flaw of hubris, arrogance from excessive pride, which doomed his existence, regardless of the character attributes that made him suchRead MoreFate And Free Will : Oedipus Rex1841 Words   |  8 PagesFate and free will have many meanings towards what they mean in Oedipus Rex it’s all based on fate and free will. When your whole life is planned out for you it’s usually fate something you can’t avoid or run away from. Fate is played out in Oedipus Rex although free will happens to be your choice of action which happens to be played out in the play. Oedipus pursed information to seek certain knowledge that he should ve just left alone about his identity. Fate is resp onsible for Oedipus’s incestRead MoreSelf-Discovery and the Pursuit of Truth in Sophocles Oedipus1138 Words   |  5 PagesTruth in Sophocles Oedipus It is said that the truth will set you free, but in the case of Sophocles’ Oedipus, the truth drives a man to imprison himself in a world of darkness by gouging out his eyes. As he scours the city for truth, Oedipus’ ruin is ironically mentioned and foreshadowed in the narrative. With these and other devices Sophocles illuminates the king’s tragic realization and creates a firm emotional bond with the audience. Oedipus’ quest is revealed

Why The U.s. Constitution - 845 Words

America is a nation founded on freedom, and at times that freedom will get tested, however the people of this great country always make tough decisions that will influence and shape the future of our society. That is why the U.S. Constitution was put in place it is a stable of change, because the founders knew nothing in the world is completely perfect, yet with time things will change and the people must adapt to the times. The preamble introduces the constitution, and states that the government comes from the people. Its general purposes are in order to form a more perfect union we have to â€Å"Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.† Its purpose is to make a good government and good laws, have peace in our homes, national security, healthy communities, and freedom to ourselves, families and friends. The people are the ones who must choose the elected officials and leaders who enforce this constitution, they have all the power in the world, because the Constitution allows them to pursue their happiness. As Benjamin Franklin once said â€Å"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.† The Constitution does not give you rights, because the founders considered your rights to be God-given or natural rights you are born with all your rights. What the Constitution does, however, is protect yourShow MoreRelatedAlien And Sedition Acts Essay846 Words   |  4 Pagesjail immigrants and take some people’s rights away. The historical question is asking if the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the U.S Constitution. People would find these acts constitutional because aliens have temporary rights and should be taken away when they become too dangerous. I think that the Alien and Sedition Acts did violate the U.S Constitution. One reason why the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional is that they went against the first and fifth amendment. The first amendment statesRead MoreWhat Are The Two Primary Functions Of The U.s. Constitution? Essay871 Words   |  4 Pages1. What are the two primary functions of the U.S. Constitution? -The two primary functions of the U.S. Constitution is as followed below. The first major function of the U.S. Constitution is to establish an organizational structure that allocates governmental powers. While, the second major function of the U.S. Constitution is to protect individual’s rights from governmental overreaching. 2. What is the power of judicial review, and why is it so important to our legal system? -The power of theRead MoreThe United States Constitution And Texas Constitution908 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States Constitution and Texas Constitution are similar, but not indistinguishable. The constitution was made to prevent tyranny in the states from the idea of the Federalists who wanted to build a strong form of government that gave people rights without giving their representatives too much power. Additionally, both constitutions form a bicameral form of government, a House of Representatives, and a Senate. The Federalists wanted a strong central government to help the economic and socialRead MoreThe United States Constitution And The American Declaration Of Independence1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States Constitution and the American Declaration of Independence The Constitution of the United States of America is always touted and considered by many across the globe as one of the most liberal and people-friendly Constitutions in the world over. This assertion flows from the lofty language with which the document was written by its drafters and further inherent in the subsequent amendments. It represents the supreme law of the U.S, having been promulgated back in 1778. On the otherRead MoreThe First Three Words Of Our Constitution1255 Words   |  6 Pageswords of our constitution have changed in meaning and who the â€Å"people† represent also has changed over time. The U.S constitution laid out the framework for the future government of our country, everything from the branches of our government to our rights as U.S citizens. As our country has evolved from the institution of the constitution to our modern-day country, the representation of the â€Å"the people† has expanded and changed in the years since the establishment o f the U.S constitution. To beginRead MoreWhy Is It Important for States to Have the Ability to Modify or Totally Change Their States Constitutions?687 Words   |  3 PagesWhy is it important for states to have the ability to modify/amend or totally change their states constitutions? The Founding Fathers instituted a mechanism in the Constitution that allowed it to be amended, based upon the shifting needs of the nation. A constitution that could not bend would surely break, in the Founders view. However, to ensure that the Constitution was not amended frequently, with the whims of the moment, the amendment process was rendered extremely difficult. The constitutionRead MoreWhy the ratification of the constitution was a good thing1595 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Why the ratification of the constitution was a good thing The Constitution of the United States is one of the first written constitutions and one of the ‘oldest’ to have been made on the national level and applicable today. It was developed and adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May and September, 1787. The Constitution of 1787 followed the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The U.S. Declaration of IndependenceRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article The Texas Constitution By Lawrence W. Miller961 Words   |  4 PagesThe article â€Å"The Texas Constitution† by Lawrence W. Miller is mainly about the stages of leading up to the creation of our current Texas Constitution, and the lengthiness that seems to ne be taken into consideration when creating the final draft. The framers of the Texas Constitution did not seem to learn much from their predecessors, the writers of the U.S. Constitution. The article starts out by explaining how the U.S. Constitution works in regards to the government, and how it was created.Read MoreEssay on The First Amendment876 Words   |  4 Pages The First Amendment is the first section of the Bill of Rights and is often considered the most important part of the U.S Constitution because it guarantees the citizens of United States the essential personal freedoms of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly and the freedom to petition the Government. Thanks to the rights granted by the First Amendment, Americans are able to live in a country where they can freely express themselves, speak their mind, pray without interference, protest inRead MoreThe System Of Checks And Balances859 Words   |  4 Pagessignificance. Be sure to provide examples and discuss alternative views. The purpose for our Constitution was to implement a new government with three equal branches that balance and check each other. The three branches are formed and is important that the maintain balance in Legislative, executive and Judiciary branches in order for our government to not be overpower each other. The U.S. Constitution established in 1787 with the purpose to provide â€Å"America s national government and fundamental

Analyzes The Care Needs Of Rohan Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes

Question: Discuss about the Analyzes The Care Needs Of A 9 Year Old Boy Rohan Who Is Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Answer: Consider the situation review the information Rohan will be provided proper care and attentionsince his mother is unwell and he does not recieve prooper care from his father and sisters . Three problems /issues fornursing care The threenursing priorities to providenursing care to Rohan are a well balanced diet, counselling and insulin replacement through injections BSL monitoring. Balanced Diet He will be advised to follow a balanced and a healthy diet which is rich in carbohydrates and fibers and low in fat. It will help in balancing his food intake with the dose and activity of insulin He will also be provided meat as he is unable to have it and is mentioned in his diabetic plan. A dietitian will be appointed for him in order to supervise his diet in order to make sure that the concentration of blood glucose level is in appropriate range. Exercise Rohan will be advised regular exercise. He will be provided a proper counseling with the health counselor and will be made comfortable so that he shares his problems. Insulin replacement through injections BSL monitoring He will be taken for blood tests at regular intervals to examine the concentration of blood glucose level in his body before having a meal and during bed time.He will be examined for several symptoms such as temperature, pulse, slurring of speech and blood pressure.He will be advised to follow good hygiene practices and will be observed for any signs of infection, wound and swelling.He will be advised to have proper antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor and will be encouraged to take adequate amount of fluids such as water and juices Establish goals Rohan should be provided quality care so that he gets well soon and lives a healthy live. SMART nursing care approach involves Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound efforts. These approaches can be used to provide proper care by his parents. The first aspect Specific focuses providing proper care to Rohan. Measurable refers to the quantification or an indication of progress made. Attainable refers to providing treatment of the patient by the nurses and the doctors (Potter, 2014). Relevant refers to the results that can be obtained. Time Bound refers to the duration when the results can be obtained. The father and sisters of Rohan will be advised to accompany him in the morning as he goes alone for insulin dosage since his mother is not well. Rohan will be provided proper guidance and motivation which will prevent him to suffer from depressive symptoms, anxiety and sadnees due to diabetes.He will be provided ralaxation therapies which will help him to soothe his mind nad instill positivity to fight with th disease (Dabelea et al.2014). Strategies plan of care There are several strategies that can be taken in order to develop a trust worthy relationship with Rohan. Interpersonal or communication theory can play an important role in developing a trustworthy relation with Rohan Social development plays an important role in the normal growth and development in children. It is a process through which a child improves his interaction with other children and adults those who are around them. They also develop skills and start communicating with other people which helps in processing their actions. Social development it can be defined as how a child has developed relationships with others such as parents and friends (Greene, 2013). It also involves the manner through which they deal if any conflict arises It begins in children at the age of 2 years and the parents play an important role in the social development in children. They can help their child in developing and strengthening language skills by several practice sessions, developing self est eem and having a positive attitude in life. Family centered theory involves the participation of families in a formal or an informal manner to provide protection and care to children. It provides a safe environment to children and plays a significant role in fulfilling all their needs. It also focuses on developing the strengths of children by working on their weaknesses. Family centered theory works on partnering with the family members of patients in the welfare of children (Kotlar and De Massis, 2013).Family plays an important in influencing the behavior and beliefs of a child. Hence, Rohan should get proper support from his parents and sisters. Since his mother is ill, his father should take him for insulin therapy and provide him moral support to fight against diabetes. Child rights theory focuses on the aspect that the children should be provided proper education and upbringing by their parents. It is the responsibility of parents to take care of their health and understand their requirements.They should monitor the behavior of their children and understand if they are facing any psychosocial issues such as depression,sadness or anxiety and should follow appropriate strategies (Goldhagen, 2015). Cultural safety theory demonstartes several aspects such as improving healthstatus of individuals and providing proper access to health care services.It also focuses on the discrimination being made among individuals and the acceptance of such behavior by them (Richardson, Yarwood, and Richardson,2017). Growth and development theories play a vital role in predicting the behavior of human beings in different contexts such as cognitive, biophysical, psychosocial, and moral (Mischel, 2013).Cognitive aspects include the intellectual and thinking capabilities of patients. Biophysical aspects include the changes that occur with growth and age. Psychosocial aspects include the behavior and personality and the moral aspects include ethical principles that differentiate between right and wrong. Hence, these theories can play a significant role in the normal growth and development of Rohan and improve his health and well being. A psychoanalytic theory of psychosocial development was proposed by Erik Eriskson which comprises eight stages starting from infancy to adulthood. The eight stages are Infancy, Early Childhood, Preschool Age, School age, Adolescence, Early adulthood, Adulthood and Maturity. During the early childhood stage, experiences psychosocial issues such as anxiety and depression which may lead to a positive or negative result in the development of personality (Elliott, 2015). Parents will be advised to help Rohan when he goes for insulin which will promote his health condition which would help in improving his trust and confidence in himself. He will be given proper care and attention by the hospital staff including the doctors and thenursing staff. He will be provided special assistance in all the activities of daily routine so that he improves his skills.Rohan will be advised to take appropraite amount of rest and maks sure that he sleeps well which would improve his menatal state.The nursing staff along with the counsellor and the doctors will provide proper counselling which will improve his physical and psychological condition (McDarbyc and Acerinie, 2014). Take Actions The two interventions for providing quality care to Rohan are helping him in taking proper diet as recommeneded and explain him the importance of exercise on a regular basis in or der to reduce or maintain weight.The effectiveness of care provide to rohan can be evaluated by monitoring his dietary intake and to make sure he is taking meat in his diet.His body weight will also be monitored regularly and his level of glucose in the blood will also be moinitored before the meals and before going to sleep at night. The most important prioritiy is to provide proper counselling to rohan and his parents about diabetes managemenet.Parents of Rohan will be provided counseling so that they give proper time to him and it will help him to get well soon from diabetes. Parents play an important role in understanding and analyzing the progress of development in their children (Ritholz et. al.2014). He will be advised to spend some time with his friends as they also play as significant role in the social development of children by staying connected and maintaining healthy relationship with them. Proper care of mental and physical health will be taken to ensure his functional wellness (Richardson, Yarwood and Richardson, 2017). Evaluate Outcomes: Rohan will get well soon if he given proper care by his parents and the nurses. He will start interacting with his parents and children of his age .Palliative care will also be provided to him as it wil help in changing the behavior and thinking and would make him feel positive. His family memebrs will start giving him attention when they are provided proper information and knowledge about diabetes management so that they can provide proper care to Rohan and he gets well soon (Olfson et al.2014). Hence, it can be concluded that Rohan will be provided proper care.He will be taken regularly to health care professionals such as doctors and clinicians in order to keep a check on his various parameters such as concentration of glucose in the blood ,regular exercise and a balanced diet to prevent any risk in future. References Dabelea, D., Mayer-Davis, E.J., Saydah, S., Imperatore, G., Linder, B., Divers, J., Bell, R., Badaru, A., Talton, J.W., Crume, T. and Liese, A.D., 2014. Prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents from 2001 to 2009.Jama,311(17), pp.1778-1786. Goldhagen, J., Mercer, R., Webb, E., Nathawad, R., Shenoda, S. and Lansdown, G., 2015. Toward a Child Rights Theory in Pediatric Bioethics.Perspectives in biology and medicine,58(3), pp.306-319. Greene, J.O., 2013.Message production: Advances in communication theory. Routledge. Kotlar, J. and De Massis, A., 2013. Goal setting in family firms: Goal diversity, social interactions, and collective commitment to family?centered goals.Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,37(6), pp.1263-1288. McDarbyc, J.M. and Acerinie, C.L., 2014. Psychological care of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Pediatric diabetes,15(20), pp.232-244. Mischel, T. ed., 2013.Cognitive development and epistemology. Academic Press. Olfson, M., Blanco, C., Wang, S., Laje, G. and Correll, C.U., 2014. National trends in the mental health care of children, adolescents, and adults by office-based physicians.JAMA psychiatry,71(1), pp.81-90. Richardson, A., Yarwood, J. and Richardson, S., 2017. Expressions of cultural safety in public health nursing practice.Nursing inquiry,24(1). Ritholz, M.D., Wolpert, H., Beste, M., Atakov-Castillo, A., Luff, D. and Garvey, K.C., 2014. Patient-provider relationships across the transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care: a qualitative study.The Diabetes Educator,40(1), pp.40-47.

New Labour in the UK Era of Neo-Liberal Consensus on Economic and Social Policy free essay sample

Dhruva Murugasu Christ’s College Part I Economics â€Å"Under New Labour, Britain is witnessing a new era of neo-liberal consensus on economic and social policy. † Discuss The election of Tony Blair in 1997, it is commonly said, brought about a new era in Britain’s Labour party, with the party moving to the centre of the political spectrum and adopting very similar policies to the preceding Conservative government. Tony Blair coined the term New Labour to distinguish his government from the more socialist ones of earlier Labour governments and adopted a largely neo-liberal stance, similar to that of Margaret Thatcher. This ideological shift was actually already in motion after Labour’s heavy defeat in 1983, which was due to their extreme-left manifesto which was later referred to as the longest political suicide note in history. The Labour party more or less accepted that the median voter had shifted to the right, as suggested by Knight, and responded to that by doing the same. We will write a custom essay sample on New Labour in the UK: Era of Neo-Liberal Consensus on Economic and Social Policy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In most senses, there was a neo-liberal consensus, especially outwardly, although this was not always true as close examination of Labour’s policies will reveal. I will approach this essay by first outlining the main characteristics of the Conservative policy during the Thatcher and Major administration and then proceed to point out the similarities and differences between these policies and those employed by New Labour. No particular effort will be taken to discuss the desirability or effectiveness of the policies implemented but rather whether or not there was a consensus and whether it was based on neoliberalism. First, let me deal with economic policy, which can be divided into demand-side and supply-side policy. In terms of demand-side policy, there was a clear shift from Keynesian demand-management to Friedman’s monetarism with the coming to power of Thatcher. This also involved a shift in the focus of economic policy, from full-employment to the maintenance of stable prices according to Knight. A somewhat balanced budget obviously followed on from this and that was the core of the demand-side economic policy. On the whole, there was a consensus with New Labour on these issues. The creation of an independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, was, according to Knight, due to the reputation that Labour had for ‘poor economic management’. This act essentially removed monetary policy decision-making from the hands of the government, with the exception that the Chancellor still set the inflation target the MPC had to hit. This move, in my opinion, indicated that the government acknowledged the fact that monetary policy was ‘the principal instrument of macroeconomic policy’ (Knight) as the government saw the need for its determination to be independent and separated from the government’s poor reputation. In terms of fiscal policy, New Labour, outwardly at least, maintained the notion of fiscal prudence, and actually accepted the Conservatives’ spending plan for the first two years in power. The Chancellor’s introduction of the ‘golden rule’ illustrated this. This rule stated that the government’s expenditure, without its capital expenditure, must not be in deficit over an economic cycle. However, the ‘tax and spend’ policy was not fully absent from New Labour’s policies. While they did not raise direct taxes, they did raise indirect taxes in an effort to finance public spending. This was referred to as a stealth tax as it was much more subtle and less often blamed on the government as opposed to direct taxes. The golden-rule was also, as Knight argues, not as it was made out to be. In 2005, Brown extended the business cycle from 7 to 9 years allowing the government to borrow additional sums for current spending without violating the golden-rule. Thus, in terms of demand-side policy, there was some sort of a consensus but it was far from perfect. Next, let me deal with supply-side policy. The Thatcher government, and to a slightly lesser extent the Major government, were both in favour of supply-side policies, which it is argued, can improve productivity. This has the twin benefits of expanding supply allowing the economy to grow while stemming inflation. These policies included restricting the power of trade unions, privatising nationalised industries and reducing the top rate of income tax from the 98% it had been under labour to 40%. All these encourage work effort and remove inefficiencies in the market allowing the economy to become more productive, and are all consistent with a neoliberal stance. From a point of view of the taxation system, New Labour’s policy was widely onsistent with that of the Thatcher government. Brown did not raise the level of direct taxation after the election as promised and in fact cut the income tax and National Insurance Contribution of the lowest paid workers in an effort to encourage employment as opposed to living of security benefits. As mentioned earlier, this did not mean the end of the tax and spend policy as the government did seek to raise taxes through other means including windfall tax on privatised utilities and indirect taxes on consumption (most notably fuel). Nevertheless, what was more important is that these increases had a negligible impact on incentives to work unlike an increase in direct taxes and the increase in indirect taxes was actually undertaken by the Thatcher government as well to finance cuts in direct taxation without requiring additional borrowing. Thus, in terms of taxation policy, it would be quite fair to argue for a neoliberal consensus In terms of the labour market, Labour did maintain most of the policies of the Thatcher government, with a few exceptions. According to Steven Fielding, voters concern was mostly of a repeat of the experience from 1974 to 1979 which were dominated by unions. Blair quickly decided to distance himself from this claiming that his government would not be ‘held to ransom’ by trade unions. He also promised to maintain the legislation he inherited from the Conservative government especially the 1982 Employment Act, in which union funds were liable to sequestration if they undertook any illegal actions during a dispute (Taylor, 2001). Essentially, the Blair government initially adopted all Conservative legislation on this respect which constrained the influence of unions including postal ballots, the abolition of closed shops and secondary picketing. However, the Blair government did have to give in to the pressure of union lobbying and ended up releasing the Fairness at Work White Paper in 1998. This was strongly resisted by employers who had been used to the freedom they enjoyed in the Thatcher government. Nevertheless, after intense lobbying from both employers and unions, the 1999 Employment Regulations Act was passed. The recognition process was made more difficult due to employer lobbying but unions nevertheless were given more power than they were during the Thatcher government. In terms of the EU, one of Blair’s first acts in power was to accept the European Union’s (EU) Social Chapter. The Major government had opted out of this on the grounds that it resulted in labour market regulation (regarding unpaid leave and work councils among others), making it a threat to efficiency. Blair nevertheless promised to oppose any other measures that might undermine the flexibility of the labour market in an effort to assure the employers and opted in to the Social Chapter. New Labour was thus obliged implemented a minimum wage of as part of the Social Chapter, despite initial, opposition from employers who cited the possibility of a higher unemployment. This would clearly be against a Conservative policy of labour market flexibility and could be seen as leading to labour market imperfections as well as structural unemployment. Actual data however, showed there was no appreciable impact on unemployment and in fact, the national minimum wage only involved 4. 5% of the labour force. As a whole, while as a whole we see a policy stance quite consistent with that of a Conservative government, close inspection will suggest that yet again, the consensus was far from perfect. In terms of privatisation, it is a well-known fact that the Thatcher government actively pursued this policy on the grounds of efficiency, arguing that a privately lead company would probably be more efficient as it seeks to maximise its profits, unlike that of a nationalised industry. Thatcher privatised all principal industries except the railways (which were privatised by Major) and the Post Office. Her privatisation policy was thought to be largely successful as it the sale brought about income for the treasury (? 90 billion), most industries went from loss-making requiring subsidies from the government to profit-making ones, consumers benefitted from imported services as well as lower prices and managers were allowed to make investments without the constraints of the Treasury. The Blair government thus made no attempt to renationalise these companies and even privatised the air traffic control system, clearly supporting the privatisation policy of the Thatcher era. Only a series of rail crashes force it to set up ‘Network Rail’ which was a not-for-profit organisation and not a nationalised company to take over from Railtrack. No shift was made back to that of ‘Old Labour’ who sought to nationalise major public utilities. While Labour did accept the notion of the market operating these services better than if they were in public ownership, the Blair government id indeed call for regulation of these industries, which serves again to indicate that while there was a general neoliberal consensus, minor differences did still exist in economic policy as a whole. Next, let me move on to social policy, the first of which will be healthcare. Healthcare in Britain is and has been provided by the National Health Service (NHS) ever since the N ational Health Service Act of 1946, where health care was provided and paid for by the sate being free at the point of delivery. As argued by Knight, the Thatcher government realised that privatising the NHS would have been a highly unpopular policy (it would mean the service would no longer be free at the point of service) and did not seek to do so despite its otherwise neoliberal stance. However, the government did try to improve efficiency of the system by creating quasi- or internal markets, which essentially separated the demand (purchase) and supply (provision) sides of the market for these health services. This meant that District Health Authorities (DHA) would still purchase the health service from the tax pool but with NHS hospitals competing to provide the service. This competition between NHS hospitals as well as the fact that the DHAs were now monopsonies in the market suggested that this would reduce costs. Allowing NHS hospitals to acquire trust statuses (and the fundholder status for GPs) essentially made these hospitals operate like commercial businesses with ‘a high degree of autonomy’ (Knight). While Blair initially opposed these quasi-markets, he did later proceed to extend it. He further decentralised the NHS and had the Department of Health set national standards and undertake inspections. He also introduced the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to ensure cost-efficiency of drugs, set up Primary Care Trusts (in 2002) to replace DHAs and Fundholding practices, introduced foundation hospitals and created league tables for hospitals. The most notable of these is probably the foundation hospital which was accountable to a stakeholder board rather than the government. These hospitals enjoyed much greater flexibility and could raise capital in the financial market, sell land associated with it and retain the revenues as well as set up joint-ventures with the private sector (Knight), thus operating much more like a commercial firm. The main difference between Blair’s and Thatcher’s policy is that Blair’s health policy was designed to be patient-driven, in the sense that patients were given the freedom to choose where they obtained their health services from and the money essentially, followed the patients. All these policies were, in essence, extending and in some cases outdoing Thatcher’s semi-neoliberal policy of quasi-markets and there was a significant consensus on this although this consensus was not fully neoliberal as the NHS was still, in actual fact, not privatised. The only difference in the health policy is the fact that the Thatcher government was very much concerned in balancing the budget and thus sought many cost-minimising measures whereas New Labour, in 2000, did introduce a plan to increase spending on the NHS by 50% within 5 years. In all other aspects, there was a partially neoliberal consensus on healthcare in Britain during the era of Tony Blair and New Labour. A very similar picture appears when we consider education. Again, the Thatcher government, as we shall see, chose not to privatise education as that would mean it was no longer free at the point of delivery, but did implement other measures very similar to those done in healthcare. The Blair government again, chose to maintain these and further them slightly. Thus, it is more important than ever to consider the policies Thatcher implemented as they were subsequently accepted by Blair. The Thatcher government introduced the 1988 Education Reform Act in order to decentralise decision making in education. She created the Local Management of Schools (LMS) which meant that schools could apply to manage their own affairs and removed from the management of local education authorities (Knight). Knight suggested these could also have had political purposes rather that one purely for the sake of a better education system (local education authorities had become increasingly controlled by the Labour Party) but he also agrees that this policy was intended to improve the efficiency with which education could be delivered. The fact is that the LMS turned schools into quasi-businesses, just as Thatcher had done with the trust status for hospitals, and this meant that each school had a decentralised decision-making process, leading to what was believed to be better efficiency. Thatcher also removed the spatial monopolies of schools allowing parents to choose which school they wanted their children to attend, which would probably be those schools with the best reputation for education and discipline (Knight). The money then followed the demand, with funding being provided based on pupil numbers, similar to Blair’s healthcare policy. This competition it was suggested, encouraged schools to become more efficient in providing education and the less-efficient schools would probably end up closing. School league tables as well as a national curriculum both served to further this objective. The Blair government, while at first opposed these policies, basically eventually accepted almost all the policies of the Thatcher/Major government and this says a lot about New Labour’s stand on the issue. At first, Labour abolished the LMS or grant-maintained schools on the grounds that it was divisive and against the desire for social inclusion. Labour nevertheless eventually reversed this decision to improve the standard of schools and once again made decentralised decision-making a key characteristic of education policy (Knight). In facts, Blair even sought to further these policies of Thatcher. He introduced the City Academies which were well-resourced schools with partially private sponsorship and the rest from the state. These schools were allowed to set their own curriculum, pay scale as well as controlled the school’s assets, further reducing the influence of local authorities and continuing the de-centralisation process (Knight). On the whole, they seemed an extension of Thatcher’s City Technology College which were based on a similar principle (which Labour opposed on the grounds of its divisiveness) and the Labour Party had more or less embraced the policies of the Thatcher government. As Knight argued, in 2005, the Labour Party went a step further announcing that all secondary schools were to become independent, self-governing academies or trust schools by 2010. Parents were given the power to determine the curriculum of the school, to dismiss the head teacher if the school under-performed and even create a new school if they wished. Local authorities’ power was reduced further and the Blair government had essentially gone significantly further than the Thatcher government in this respect despite the initial opposition. In terms of higher education, both the Conservatives and New Labour sought to increase the proportion of children in higher education with the Blair government setting a target of 50% of young people to move on to higher education, and encouraged that through the system of university top-up fees. As a whole, it would be quite safe to conclude that there was a consensus on education policy which was mainly neoliberal with the exception of the fact that it was financed out of the tax pool so that education was free at the point of delivery. Lastly, let me discuss the policy on social security and pensions. Here, the Thatcher government was unable to reform the social security budget much as there was very high unemployment in the 1980s and more people thus claimed social security benefits. It did however, make several changes. Firstly, benefits and pensions were indexed to the inflation rate rather than the rate at which averaged earnings increased, which was the higher rate. This obviously widened the gap between the employed and the unemployed (and those on pension) but it did provide an incentive to search for employment as well as reduced the necessary government’s expenditure on this service. The Thatcher government also changed the basis on which these benefits were provided, from a more universal one to a means-tested one (Knight) and private pension schemes were encouraged as a result as opposed to the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme. Major introduced a jobseekers allowance, a flat-rate benefit for single people above the age of 25 actively seeking work, to replace unemployment benefits, probably in an effort to encourage an incentive to work. He did however; introduce statutory sick pay, maternity pay and an incapacity benefit (for long-term illnesses) all of which are hardly consistent with a neoliberal stance. The Blair government, in essence, made not many changes to this. There was an acceptance of a shift from the socialist ‘equality of outcome’ idea to ‘equality of opportunity’, where inequalities on the basis of effort applied were justified (Knight). The indexing of benefits and pensions to inflation remained although it was promised that pensions will be indexed to earnings by 2012. The jobseekers allowance was maintained as it was very much consistent with New Labour’s stakeholder notion (people should have an obligation to contribute to society rather than just take what they could get from it). Jobseekers had to attend an interview to determine they were indeed actively-seeking jobs and had to sign an agreement they would continue to actively seek employment in the specified sector with the help of the Employment Service. The New Deal was also introduced where people who had been claiming jobseekers allowance for 6 months had to accept a job subsidised by the state, work in a voluntary organisation or attend a training course or else, have their benefit cut. Again, this was very much consistent with the partly neo-liberal stance of Thatcher, although this policy was of limited success as many people chose to accept the reduced benefits. Similar encouragements were made to encourage single parents and the disabled to do the same but this was even less effective as there was no reduction in benefit for those who ignored it. Tax credits were introduced for those with children and those in employment but in low pay. In terms of pension schemes, the Turner Report suggested raising the age of pension entitlement to 68 by 2050, thus encouraging the people to work longer and reducing the cost of the pension scheme (people paid more contributions as well as received benefits for a slightly shorter period of their life). The National Pension Scheme was also introduced for those without secure private pensions or those ineligible for pensions at all. As a whole, the social benefit and pension policy was largely similar between the two partied. The consensus however, does a slight hint of socialism about it although many efforts were made where possible by both the Thatcher/Major and Blair governments to apply neoliberalism to it so as to reduce the overall cost of maintaining the system and to ensure there was minimal disincentive to work. In conclusion, in terms of economic policy, there was a consensus, although it was far from perfect, based on mostly neoliberalism between the Thatcher and Major governments with that of Tony Blair. In terms of social policy, the consensus was, it appears, slightly stronger, but this was based on partial neoliberalism in order to maintain the fact that health and education was free at the point of delivery as well as to maintain the benefit and pension system. As a whole, there definitely was a consensus to quite an extent over social and economic policy based on neoliberalism. Bibliography Knight, Governing Britain since 1945, 2006 Fielding, The Labour Party; continuity and change in the making of ‘New’ Labour, 2003 Powell, New Labour, New Welfare State? , 1999