Archive for November 2009

The Failure of a Dream

Nov 27th, 2009 | By Matthew Brown | Category: Articles

A recent book provides a “just about” convincing argument that the ILP’s decline in the 1930s was not an inevitable consequence of disaffiliation. CHRISTOPHER HALL reviews Gidon Cohen’s welcome attempt to fill a gap in ILP history
The history of the Independent Labour Party from its foundation until it was disaffiliated from the Labour Party has [...]



How to let a good crisis go to waste

Nov 16th, 2009 | By willb | Category: Articles

Last year’s financial crisis presented an opportunity for fundamental reform, argues Will Brown. It’s one that’s already gone to waste.
It’s now over a year since the world’s financial system went into meltdown in the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. At the time, there was much talk of a transformation of [...]



Sticks in Time

Nov 6th, 2009 | By Matthew Brown | Category: Articles

The Lost Revolution: the story of the Official IRA and the Workers’ Party, is a riveting tale, but it underplays their influence on the British Labour movement, says Gary Kent.

The Troubles have produced a vast library but this is the first major history of an overlooked but influential movement: the Official IRA and the Workers’ [...]



The Good Society Debate

Nov 5th, 2009 | By Matthew Brown | Category: Articles

Across the continent, the left’s response to the recent economic crisis has been poor, verging on non-existent, just when the situation demanded a credible alternative to the dominant political and economic orthodoxy.
That’s the starting point for a Europe-wide online debate on the future of social democracy hosted by the Soundings and Social Europe websites.
“European social [...]