Coalition, Aviation and the Descent to ‘Politics as Usual’

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the general political structure and background to decision making in aviation policy.

Design/methodology/approach

Largely conceptual and theoretical, applied to political and historical examples.

Findings

That ‘politics as usual’ signifies a structure characterised by adherence to underlying presuppositions which guide political and economic action and that moves towards different ways of thinking and acting and that environmental policy faces an uphill battle in the light of these often unacknowledged and typically unquestioned presuppositions.

Practical implications

Political action requires an accurate understanding of the circumstances in which it is to be undertaken. This chapter provides a clue to that proper understanding and hence is valuable for the appropriate orientation of political action.

Originality/value

The chapter employs an everyday term, ‘politics as usual’, and analyses its structure, claiming that it identifies a real underlying set of default positions in politics.

Citation

Connelly, J. (2013), "Coalition, Aviation and the Descent to ‘Politics as Usual’", Sustainable Aviation Futures (Transport and Sustainability, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 219-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9941(2013)0000004010