The Idea of the Good Society: Essays in Honour of Raymond Plant

The publication of The Idea of the Good Society: Essays in Honour of Raymond Plant by Oxford University Press The Idea of the Good Society - Matt Beech, Kevin Hickson - Oxford University Press celebrates the work of one of the leading figures in British political studies in recent times. The essays reflect on Plant’s contribution, which is remarkable in its breadth – including political philosophy, jurisprudence, social work, social policy and theology – and its depth. Far from being hagiographical in nature the chapters are reflective and, in some cases, critical of Plant’s ideas in keeping with the value pluralism which he himself has encouraged through his writing and teaching.

He has a long association with the PSA having served on its executive committee and was Chair in the mid-1980s. This coincided with the first Research Assessment Exercise in 1986 in which Politics as a discipline did badly and he challenged the results at a hastily convened Heads of Department conference with the then Chairman of the University Grants Committee, Professor Peter Swinnerton-Dyer. Perhaps this should have acted as a warning but for ideological reasons the government pressed on and further reviews have occurred at regular periods since under the banner of the RAE and then the REF, often proving controversial. Whether it has really raised standards is debatable. Plant was awarded the PSA’s Isaiah Berlin prize for outstanding lifetime contribution to political studies in 2010.

He began his career undertaking a PhD at Hull before teaching in Philosophy at Manchester, where he became Chair of the Department. At the age of 34 he became the youngest Professor in political studies in Britain at Southampton where he worked for most of his career.  He was also Master of St Catherine’s College, Oxford in the 1990s and ended his career as the Head of the Law School at King’s College London.

His scholarship included a major contribution to the field of Hegelian studies, works on British Idealism, political theology and a sustained engagement with the ideas of the New Right in general and of Hayek in particular. He argued that key social democratic values such as social justice, equality, the positive conception of liberty and welfare rights have merit despite the intellectual onslaught of the neoliberals.

In addition to his writing and teaching he served as the Chair of both the Labour Party’s enquiry into electoral reform in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the Fabian Commission on Taxation and Citizenship published in 2000. The Labour Party periodically becomes interested in proportional representation as it may well do so again if it looks like losing its majority at the next election, while attention on taxation – and particularly wealth taxes – is very strong at the moment given the state of public finances. Hence the findings of these two commissions remain relevant today.

He had a long association with the Labour Party going back to the 1964 election where he recalls a discussion with his then MP and political hero, Tony Crosland, on equality in the lumpers’ canteen on the docks of his native Grimsby. He once considered becoming an MP and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1992, retiring only recently on health grounds. The book includes contributions from Gordon Brown and Roy Hattersley among others.

Plant has also taken an active role in civil society organisations. He once seriously considered becoming a priest in the Church of England but decided that despite his strong interests in theology he was not suited to pastoral work. He later became a lay canon of Winchester Cathedral. He undertook numerous charitable roles including Chair of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and Centrepoint.

The book launch took place in the House of Lords with numerous Peers and MPs in attendance alongside family members and academics.

Dr Matt Beech is Reader in Politics and Director of the Centre for British Politics at the University of Hull and IES Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley. @CBPHull m.beech@hull.ac.uk

Dr Kevin Hickson is Senior Lecturer in British Politics at the University of Liverpool @Kevin_Hickson k.hickson@liverpool.ac.uk