Common Good Politics

"This ambitious and complex book is timely and important. It reminds us of just how much value there is, when struggling to comprehend and shape the modern world, in returning to the best of the past. Colin Tyler's critical evaluation of the common good politics developed more than a century ago by the British idealists and their New Liberal contemporaries enables him to reflect upon and illuminate a range of modern issue areas from economic migration to Middle Eastern war, and from individual alienation to global governance. The result is a rich and fascinating intellectual journey - one that is well worth taking by anyone keen to build a better world." (David Coates, Worrell Chair of Anglo-American Studies, Wake Forest University, USA) "In these authoritative and original essays Colin Tyler shows the relevance of the discourse of the common good developed by the New Liberals and British Idealists to many of our current concerns, including international security and immigration. In the current state of our politics it is a timely and absorbing read." (Andrew Gamble, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Cambridge, UK) "In a volume of impressive range and exemplary scholarship, Colin Tyler has breathed new life into our appreciation of the arguments for the common good developed by British Idealists and the social-liberals a century and more ago. The product of many years' meticulous research and nuanced thinking, this book admirably demonstrates the integral link between theories of social justice and the historical contexts that fashioned them in specific ways. Concurrently, in a series of pungent case-studies, Professor Tyler inspires the reader to recognize the ways in which communal ideals now under threat can be resurrected for our times." (Michael Freeden, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of Oxford, and Professorial Research Associate, SOAS, University of London, UK)

This book examines the British tradition of common good politics, both historically and in the contemporary world. The book will appeal particularly to students and scholars interested in British politics, internationalism and political theory.

This book examines the British tradition of common good politics, both historically and in the contemporary world. We live in a time when many anti-Conservative parties and voters feel a profound sense of crisis and disorientation over political principles and policy directions. As a result, many people are turning to common good politics as an alternative to state-centred socialism and laissez-faire individualism. Colin Tyler explores the practical and intellectual history of the British idealist tradition, which flourished from the 1870s to the 1920s, before applying the principles of common good politics to contemporary issues. These issues include the positive roles that can be played by conflict within democratic societies, the radical demands of social justice in a diverse world, the continuing influence of Bush’s ‘war on terror’, international society and free speech under Tony Blair and David Cameron, and the relationships between economic migration, social justice and the common good. The book will appeal particularly to students and scholars interested in British politics, internationalism and political theory.