0415196612.Routledge.Liberalism.and.Pluralism.Towards.a.Politics.of.Compromise.Nov.1999.pdf

Liberalism and Pluralism

Pluralism permeates modern societies, dividing the loyalties of their members. Richard

Bellamy suggests standard liberal theory cannot resolve the resulting clashes of

ideals, interests and identities. Its attempts to construct a consensus by either

trading, trimming or segregation, all fail. Trading suggests we can reach mutually

advantageous bargains; trimming that we can avoid contentious issues; segregation

that different groups try and live as separately as possible. Each of these responses,

this book argues, seeks to circumvent the tensions arising out of pluralism, and

promotes unjust or unstable settlements.

Bellamy advocates a fourth solution: negotiated compromise. He links this

approach to a neo-republican political system, which guards against the domination

of any values, ideals or concerns over others by dispersing power. The result is a

democratic liberalism, which employs the resources of politics to produce mutually

acceptable, fair solutions to pluralist dilemmas.

Liberalism and Pluralism critically examines the ways the main schools of

contemporary liberal thought tackle the problem of pluralism. Part I analyses the

views of libertarian traders, such as Hayek, liberal trimmers, such as Rawls, and

communitarian liberal segregators, such as Walzer. Part II defends democratic

liberalism, and proposes the political negotiation of compromises as a way of resolving

plural conflicts. Part III moves from the ideal to the real, examining three attempts to

reform British liberal democracy so as to meet the pluralist challenge: the Citizen’s

Charter programme, the Human Rights Act and the European Union citizenship. He

associates these policies with trading, trimming and segregation respectively, noting

how their practical weaknesses mirror their theoretical failings. In each case,

alternative proposals of a democratic liberal character show the approach of

negotiated compromise to be empirically plausible as well as normatively attractive.

Richard Bellamy is Professor of Politics at the University of Reading. He has

written extensively on this topic. Recent works include Liberalism and Modern

Society, Rethinking Liberalism and (as co-editor) Constitutionalism in

Transformation and Pluralism and Liberal Neutrality.

Liberalism and Pluralism

Towards a politics of compromise

Richard Bellamy

London and New York

First published 1999

by Routledge

11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2001.

mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any

information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Liberalism and pluralism: towards a politics of compromise/Richard Bellamy. Includes bibliographical

references. 1. Liberalism. 2. Pluralism (Social sciences). 3. Compromise (Ethics). I. Title.

JC574.B45 1999 99–20773

320.51–dc21 CIP

ISBN 0-415-19661-2 (hbk)

ISBN 0-415-19662-0 (pbk)

ISBN 0-203-00732-8 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-17500-X (Glassbook Format)

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