Ideology, party identity and renewal

The article explores the phenomenon of ideological renewal, where a political party seeks to effect a radical break with the past and to present itself in a new light. This exploration is placed in the context of questions concerning a party's ideological identity and, in particular, how a suitable sense of identity can be sustained in the context of renewal. We suggest an analytical framework that identifies the imperatives that a party has to meet, in terms of the ideological construction and rhetorical articulation of ‘newness’, if the renewal process is to have a chance of success. This framework is then deployed in the examination of the construction of ‘New Labour’. Finally, some implications of the framework for the prospects of ideological renewal in the Conservative Party are explored.