Heppell, Timothy

Dr. Timothy Heppell is a Senior Lecturer in British Politics at the University of Huddersfield. His obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. His research interests and publications focus on contemporary British Conservatism and Conservative Party Politics.

Conservative Party Leadership of John Major 1992 to 1997

2006 0-7734-5581-7
This book offers an innovative and distinctive analysis of the Conservative Party Leadership of John Major. Based on original research, this book addresses the absence of an in depth exploration of the much maligned, but largely misunderstood, Conservative Party Leadership tenure of John Major. The majority of academic publications of the Major era have been located within a broader analysis of the ideology of Thatcherism and the politics and policies of the Thatcher governments. By examining the Major era from an intra-party management perspective, this book examines the constraints imposed upon post-Thatcherite Conservative Party leadership. It argues that the collapse of the Conservative Party in the post-Thatcherite era should be attributed to an insoluble ideological schism over European integration and a diminishing parliamentary majority, as opposed to the inadequacies of John Major as leader of the Conservative Party. Constituting a comprehensive yet accessible evaluation of the complexity of managing the tensions of the post-Thatcherite Conservative Party, this book breaks new ground in an area that has been largely neglected. It provides a compelling insight into the crisis of contemporary British Conservatism.