The Third Way' Revisited: 'New' Labour, Spatial Policy and the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal

摘要

The term 'Third Way' incorporates a diverse set of ideological dispositions, purportedly distinct from those of traditional conservatism and socialism, which characterised many centre-left Western governments at the turn of the century. The electoral success of the right in the United States and continental Europe would, at first sight, appear to have weakened the salience of the Third Way. However, it has also prompted renewed attempts to define a centre-left political project relevant to the contemporary world. For example, the 'Progressive Governance' movement argues that recent changes, exploited by the right (global economic slowdown, terrorism, increasing crime, anti-social behaviour and migration), require a renewal of the process of 'modernisation and reform' initiated by the Third Way (Mandelson, 2003). This is in opposition to the 'conservatism' of the traditional left and potentially destructive modernisation of unfettered market forces (Mandelson, 2003). Likewise, the 'Disciplined Pluralism' thesis (Kay, 2003) argues against state dirigisme, on the one hand, and the hegemony of the neo-liberal 'American Business Model', on the other. In the British context, the ideology of the Blair Government continues to generate much debate (Blair. 2002: Giddens. 2002: Mandelson, 2002).