Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts
Over the past twelve years, the UK has seen a marked increase in poverty and economic inequality. While numerous factors have contributed to this situation, an undisputedly important role has been played by the continuous program of welfare spending cuts designed and executed by a series of Conserv...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pardubice
2023-12-01
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| Series: | American and British Studies Annual |
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| Online Access: | https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2501 |
| _version_ | 1797393428849360896 |
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| author | Alice Tihelková |
| author_facet | Alice Tihelková |
| author_sort | Alice Tihelková |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Over the past twelve years, the UK has seen a marked increase in poverty and economic inequality. While numerous factors have contributed to this situation, an undisputedly important role has been played by the continuous program of welfare spending cuts designed and executed by a series of Conservative governments. To alleviate the potential for the unpopularity of austerity measures, the Conservatives have attempted to put a positive spin on their policies by making a series of core claims emphasizing the beneficial effects of the welfare reform. Using the method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper examines these claims and offers a critique of each of them. In doing so, the research seeks to expose the use of traditional stereotypes (especially that of the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor) in the government’s rhetoric. The paper draws on a corpus of political speeches and media appearances of Conservative politicians, as well as on sociological reports and newspaper coverage. The analysis is principally focused on the two governments led by David Cameron, although some attention is also devoted to subsequent Conservative administrations.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:02:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d627d129db9342de9c930ed395ef4094 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1803-6058 2788-2233 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:02:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Pardubice |
| record_format | Article |
| series | American and British Studies Annual |
| spelling | doaj.art-d627d129db9342de9c930ed395ef40942023-12-12T16:14:43ZengUniversity of PardubiceAmerican and British Studies Annual1803-60582788-22332023-12-011610.46585/absa.2023.16.2501Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare CutsAlice Tihelková0University of West Bohemia Over the past twelve years, the UK has seen a marked increase in poverty and economic inequality. While numerous factors have contributed to this situation, an undisputedly important role has been played by the continuous program of welfare spending cuts designed and executed by a series of Conservative governments. To alleviate the potential for the unpopularity of austerity measures, the Conservatives have attempted to put a positive spin on their policies by making a series of core claims emphasizing the beneficial effects of the welfare reform. Using the method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper examines these claims and offers a critique of each of them. In doing so, the research seeks to expose the use of traditional stereotypes (especially that of the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor) in the government’s rhetoric. The paper draws on a corpus of political speeches and media appearances of Conservative politicians, as well as on sociological reports and newspaper coverage. The analysis is principally focused on the two governments led by David Cameron, although some attention is also devoted to subsequent Conservative administrations. https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2501austerityCritical Discourse AnalysisCDADavid Cameronundeserving poorwelfare reform |
| spellingShingle | Alice Tihelková Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts American and British Studies Annual austerity Critical Discourse Analysis CDA David Cameron undeserving poor welfare reform |
| title | Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts |
| title_full | Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts |
| title_fullStr | Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts |
| title_short | Selling Austerity to the Public: Analysing the Rhetoric of the UK Government on its Welfare Cuts |
| title_sort | selling austerity to the public analysing the rhetoric of the uk government on its welfare cuts |
| topic | austerity Critical Discourse Analysis CDA David Cameron undeserving poor welfare reform |
| url | https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2501 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alicetihelkova sellingausteritytothepublicanalysingtherhetoricoftheukgovernmentonitswelfarecuts |