The Parliamentary Conservative Party : the leadership elections of William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith
The aim of this research is to investigate the post1997 Parliamentary Conservative Party, with 
particular attention placed upon the Conservative Party leadership election of 1997 and 2001. 
The thesis uses these two leadership elections as a lens which can be utilised to focus upon and 
analyse the ideological disputations of contemporary British Conservatism. This is done by 
identifying the voting behaviour of Conservative parliamentarians in the two leadership elections 
and then by putting forwards a systemic explanation of the candidates’ support. Three sets of 
variables are tested. First, the thesis analyses socio-economic variables (i.e. the occupational and 
educational background of conservative parliamentarians). Second, the research considers the 
candidates’ support in relation to electoral and political variables (i.e. electoral vulnerability, 
political insider / outsider status, age and experience). Finally the research will evaluate the 
candidates’ support with regard to the ideological disposition of the candidates and their 
supporters. This requires an extensive exploration of the attitudes of Conservative 
parliamentarians with regard to the dominant ideological divides within contemporary post- 
Thatcherite Conservatism – economic policy (wet / dry), European policy (europhile / 
eurosceptic), and social, sexual and moral attitudes (social liberalism / social conservatism). By 
analysing the patterns of voting in relation to social background, political attributes and 
ideological disposition the thesis locates and interprets the differing motivational influences on 
voting behaviour. 
The thesis argues the ideological disposition of the candidates and their supporters was the 
crucial factor in both the leadership elections. The final round of the 1997 leadership election 
was a straight ideological battle between the europhile and eurosceptic wings of the 
parliamentary Conservative Party. This benefited the eurosceptic William Hague at the expense 
of the europhile Kenneth Clarke. In 2001 both Clarke and Portillo attracted support from across 
the ideological spectrum of the parliamentary party, suggesting that a section of the 
parliamentary party had moved away from ideologically driven voting behaviour. However, Iain 
Duncan Smith reaching the final ballot was due to the support of an ideologically cohesive group 
of traditional Thatcherite MPs and indicative of the continued significance of ideology on the 
direction of the Conservative party.
The Politics of Nationhood: Sovereignty, Britishness and Conservative Politics
Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction PART ONE: CONSERVATISM AND THE POLITICS OF NATIONHOOD Historical Perspectives The Conservative Nation The Conservative Party and the Politics of Nationhood Conclusions PART TWO: HEATH AND POWELL: TWO NATIONAL STRATEGIES The Changing Politics of Nationhood Heath's National Strategy Powell's Nationalist Strategy Conclusions PART THREE: THATCHERISM AND THE POLITICS OF NATIONHOOD Thatcherism and Thatcher Ideology, Ideas and Thatcherite Discourse Thatcherism: a Political Project A Coherent Project? Sceptical Views Conclusions PART FOUR: EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Conservative Policy and European Integration, 1979-97 Nationhood and Europe Sovereignty and Autonomy European Integration and Conservative Politics Conclusions PART FIVE: TERRITORIAL POLITICS Scotland Wales Northern Ireland The European Dimension Conclusions PART SIX: 'RACE' AND IMMIGRATION Conservatism, 'Race' and Nationhood Citizenship, Immigration and Asylum Race Relations and Public Policy The Politics of 'Race' and the Conservative Party Conclusions PART SEVEN: CONCLUSIONS The Conservative Politics of Nationhood after 1997 Rethinking the Conservative Nation Notes and References Select Bibliography Index
The peculiar thermo-structural behavior of the anionic lipid DMPG.
Aqueous dispersions of the anionic phospholipid dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG), around 100 mM ionic strength, are known to exhibit a thermal behavior similar to that of the largely studied lipid dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC), which undergoes a gel to liquid crystalline phase transition at 23 degrees C, well characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and other methods. However, at low ionic strength, DMPG has been shown to present a large gel-fluid transition region, ranging from 18 to 35 degrees C. This intermediate phase is optically transparent and characterized by a continuous change in membrane packing. Structural properties of the DMPG gel-fluid transition region will be discussed, based on results obtained by several techniques: electron spin resonance (ESR) of spin labels at the membrane surface and intercalated at different depths in the bilayer; light scattering; DSC; small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS); and fluorescence spectroscopy of probes in the bilayer.