Political discourse analysis

281 Pages·2012·4.6 MB·English

by  Norman Fairclough

A METHOD FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS
Isabela Fairclough
Norman Fairclough
Norman Fairclough
Isabela Ietcu-Fairclough
Political Discourse Analysis
‘This is exactly the book we were waiting for: a clear and thorough method for analysing
political discourse, written from a critical perspective and paying due attention to practical
arguments. Isabela and Norman Fairclough have donea great job.’
Frans H.van Eemeren, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
‘Aninnovativeandimportantextensionofthereachofresearchintopoliticallanguageand
discourse.Suretobecomeanessentialreferencepoint,thisbookwillmakepossiblenewcol-
laborations(nottomentionarguments)involvingscholarsoflinguistics,politicaltheoristsof
deliberation, discourse or ideology, and political scientists.’
Alan Finlayson, SwanseaUniversity, UK
In this accessible new textbook, Isabela and Norman Fairclough present their innovative
approach toanalysing political discourse.
Political Discourse Analysis integrates analysis of arguments into critical discourse analysis
andpoliticaldiscourseanalysis.Thebookisgroundedinaviewofpoliticsinwhichdeliber-
ation, decision and action are crucial concepts: politics is about arriving cooperatively at
decisions about what to do in the context of disagreement, conflict of interests and values,
power inequalities, uncertainty and risk.
Thefirsthalfofthebookintroducestheauthors’newapproachtotheanalysisandevalu-
ationofpracticalarguments,whilethesecondhalfexploreshowitcanbeappliedbylooking
atexamplessuchasgovernmentreports,parliamentarydebates,politicalspeechesandonline
discussionforumsonpoliticalissues.Throughtheanalysisofcurrentevents,includingapartic-
ularfocusontheeconomic crisisandpoliticalresponsestoit,theauthorsprovideasystematic
andrigorousanalyticalframeworkthatcanbeadoptedandusedforstudents’ownresearch.
This exciting new text, co-written by bestselling author Norman Fairclough, is essential
readingforresearchers,upperundergraduateandpostgraduatestudentsofdiscourseanalysis,
withinEnglishlanguage,linguistics,communicationstudies,politicsandothersocialsciences.
Isabela Fairclough is Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, UK.
Previously,shewasAssociateProfessorattheUniversityofBucharest,Romania,andVisiting
ResearchFellowattheUniversityofLancaster.HerpublicationsincludeDiscourseAnalysisand
Argumentation Theory: Analytical Framework and Applications (2006).
NormanFaircloughisEmeritusProfessorattheUniversityofLancaster,UK.Heisauthor
ofnumeroustitles,includingNewLabour,NewLanguage?(2000),AnalysingDiscourse:TextualAnalysis
forSocialResearch(2003)andLanguageandGlobalization(2006),allpublishedbyRoutledge.

Political Discourse Analysis
A method for advanced students
Isabela Fairclough and Norman Fairclough
Firstpublished2012
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
ª2012IsabelaFaircloughandNormanFairclough
TherightofIsabelaFaircloughandNormanFaircloughtobeidentifiedasauthorsof
thisworkhasbeenassertedbytheminaccordancewithsections77and78ofthe
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Fairclough,Norman,1941–
Politicaldiscourseanalysis/NormanFaircloughandIsabelaFairclough.
p.cm.
1.Discourseanalysis—Politicalaspects.2.Communicationinpolitics.I.Fairclough,
Isabela.II.Title.
P302.77.F352012
401#.47—dc23
2011028729
ISBN:978-0-415-49922-4(hbk)
ISBN:978-0-415-49923-1(pbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-13788-8(ebk)
TypesetinBaskerville
byBookNowLtd,London
Contents
List of illustrations vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction 1
1 Political discourse analysis and the nature of politics 17
2 Practical reasoning: a framework for analysis and evaluation 35
3 Critical discourse analysis and analysis of argumentation 78
4 The economic crisis in the UK: strategies and arguments 117
5 Values as premises in the public debate over bankers’ bonuses 176
6 Deliberation as genre in the parliamentary debate on university
tuition fees 200
Conclusion 235
Notes 246

Bibliography 252
Index 263

Illustrations
Figures
2.1 Our proposalforthe structure ofpractical arguments 45
2.2 Thestructure ofpractical reasoning:amore detailed representation 48
2.3 Deliberation: argument and counter-argument 51
3.1 Blair’sargument foraccepting ‘thechallenge ofchange’ 89
3.2 Blair’sargument fortheThird Way.Deliberation overalternatives 91
3.3 Compass:the argumentfora newpolitical approach 106
3.4 Compass:howto turn theimaginary oftheGood Societyintoreality 107
4.1 Chancellor Darling’s first argument foractioninthe 2008Pre-Budget
Report 126
4.2 Deliberation overalternatives inChancellor Darling’s 2008Pre-Budget
Report 128
4.3 Deliberation overalternatives inChancellor Osborne’s 2010Emergency
Budget Report 142
4.4 Chancellor Osborne’s argumentfor welfarereform inthe 2010Emergency
Budget Report 148
4.5 Osborne’s argumentfor reforminghousing benefits inthe2010Emergency
Budget Report 150
5.1 GoldmanSachsVice-Chairman’s prudential argument infavour of
bankers’ bonuses 182
5.2 GoldmanSachsVice -Chairman’s prudential argument fortolerating
inequality 183
5.3 Guardianreaders’ moralargument against inequality fromthevalue of
justice-as-desert 195
5.4 Guardianreaders’ moralargument against inequality fromthevalue of
justice-as-fairness 196
6.1 Deliberation inthe2010 HouseofCommons debate onincreasing
university tuition fees 229
Table
6.1 Stages ofdeliberation ingovernment and parliamentary debates 213

Acknowledgements
Wearegratefultoallthosewhohavecommentedontalkswehavegivenandpapersrelated
tothecontentofthebookoverthepastthreeyears.Inparticular,wewanttothankFransvan
Eemeren (University of Amsterdam), David Miller (University of Warwick), Andrew Sayer
(University of Lancaster), Bob Jessop (University of Lancaster), Alan Finlayson (University
ofSwansea)andTeunvanDijk(UniversityofPompeuFabra),fortheirgenerosityinreading
variousdraftchaptersand/orearlierpapersandmakingvaluablecommentsandsuggestions.
Some of the analyses presented in this book started as conference or workshop papers
in Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bucharest, Coimbra, Lisbon, Naples, Lancaster, London,
Montpellier, Palermo, Sofia and Tel Aviv, or as talks given in various Lancaster University
researchgroups(Language, IdeologyandPower;Cultural PoliticalEconomy;Pragmatics andStylistics),
and some ideas go back to the regular meetings of the Bucharest Discourse Analysis research
group at Prosper ASE. We are greatly indebted to the organizers of all of these events and
meetings (and particularly to Ruth Amossy, Patrizia Ardizzone, Martin Bauer, Camelia
Beciu, Alexandra Cornilescu, Carmen Caldas-Coulthard, Paolo Donadio, Gabriella Di
Martino, Frans van Eemeren, Carlos Gouveia, Mihaela Irimia, Bob Jessop, Clara Keating,
Laura Murexsan, Claudia Ortu, Kristina Petkova, Mick Short, J}urgen Siess, Maria Joa˜o
Silveirinha, Isabel Simo˜es-Ferreira, Gilles Siouffi, Sandrine Sorlin, Ngai-Ling Sum and Ruth
Wodak)fortheirkindnessininvitingustogivetalksandthusofferingusthechancetodevelop
ourideasincriticaldiscussionwithothers,aswellasfortheirextraordinaryhospitality.Thanks
arealsoduetoIngerLassenfortheopportunityshegaveustotryoutournewframeworkby
teachingontheDoctoralWorkshopinCDAattheUniversityofAalborginthesummerof2011.
Isabela would like to thank Sunil Banga and Lynn Wilson, at the Lancaster University
International Study Centr e, and Kelly Salimian and Carmel Roche, at the Manchester
UniversityLanguageCentre, aswellasallhercolleaguesandstudents,fortwowonderfully
pleasantandsupportiveworkenvironmentsduringthewritingofthisbook.Shealsowantsto
thanktheexcellentteachingstaffandcoursecoordinatorsonLancasterUniversity’sLinguis-
ticsDepartmentSummerEAPProgrammeforthepleasureoftheirfriendshipandthechance
ofsharingtheirextraordinaryprofessionalexperienceandsenseofhumour. Sheisalsograte-
ful to Melinda Tan and all her new colleagues at the University of Central Lancashire for
theirwarmwelcome to theSchoolofLanguages and International Studies.
Special thanksare due toGreg Myers and JaneSunderland (Lancaster University), Jane
Mulderrig (Sheffield University) and, once again, to Frans van Eemeren, David Miller and
Andrew Sayer for constant and invaluable friendship and academic support over theyears;
similarly, to Alexandra Cornilescu and Isabela’s former colleagues at the University of
Bucharest and the British Council Bucharest. Many other friends deserve our gratitude,
for sharing their ideas on discourse analysis, argumentation theory or politics, and offering