Blue Labour, welfare and Catholic social teaching

This article examines whether Blue Labour’s critique of welfare states is consistent with Catholic social teaching on welfare, and, specifically, on welfare states, as has been argued by some of its founders, such as Maurice Glasman, John Milbank and Adrian Pabst. By examining their thinking on the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity, it is argued that their interpretation is open to challenge. This is because of the need for the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity to be held in balance with Catholic thinking on solidarity when considering welfare provision. Further, it is argued that Archbishop William Temple’s thinking on welfare states was in no way inconsistent with either the Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity or solidarity, and fully respected the need for strong, intermediate-level welfare providers to remain part of the overall welfare mix after a welfare state had been established – a view that William Beveridge also shared. The article argues that this is what occurred in Britain in the post-war period, when a partnership model of welfare delivery emerged between state and non-state sector welfare providers.