ABSTRACT
It is the work of Emile Durkheim that we encountered in the second part of this book and his observations on the moral component of the division of labour in society that provides the theoretical foundations of the ‘new’ liberalism that was introduced earlier in this chapter and at the same time provides a legitimate social context for community: that is, a political philosophy which actively promotes both the rights and responsibilities of both individuals and communities but in the context of an equal division of labour. It is this significant latter element that deviates significantly from the orthodoxy promoted by Amitai Etzioni – and which has been embraced and distorted in the UK by New Labour with its enthusiasm for a strong dictatorial central state apparatus to enforce its agenda – and provides us with the basis of a genuine radical moral communitarianism, founded on notions of consensual interdependency with others we all recognise and identify as fellow citizens and social partners, and not as potential legitimate crime targets.
