Ethical socialism past and present, and its place in a ‘one nation’ Labour Party, will be the focus of debate at the ILP’s annual weekend gathering of members and friends at Scarborough’s Esplanade Hotel on 4/5 May.
BARRY WINTER argues that a recent article by Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford, two men at the heart of Labour’s policy review, is the most imaginative line of thinking for the left and the party we have seen for more than a generation.
JON CRUDDAS MP recalls the life of former Labour leader and east London ILPer George Lansbury, arguing that his life, work and principles crystallise the journey of political rediscovery underway in Ed Miliband’s ‘one nation’ Labour Party.
George Lansbury is one of the great heroes of the Labour Party. He was to quote the great historian AJP Taylor, “the most lovable figure in British politics”, one of the most extraordinary people ever to join our party.
DAVID CONNOLLY is unconvinced by the central argument of Paul Salveson’s Socialism with a Northern Accent.
Cyclists, ramblers, singers and activists gathered in the foothills around Pendle, Lancashire, to celebrate the centenary of Clarion House on 11th and 12th August.
The rural tea room is the last surviving monument to a once thriving part of the Labour movement, the hundreds of Clarion societies that provided community to working people and promoted ideas of a more humane world. It is, in the words of writer Paul Salveson, “a shrine to a golden age of socialism where fellowship really was life”.
Organisers from Clarion House in Pendle, Lancashire, have released more details of the building’s centenary celebrations on 11 & 12 August. The Nelson ILP Clarion House is the sole survivor of the early socialist Clarion movement that existed to propagate views for a fairer, more humane society.
“There is much in the British socialist tradition that has been forgotten or ignored, and which runs counter to state centralism, in particular a stress on grass-roots solutions, co-operation and an emphasis on local culture. Applied imaginatively, these traditions open up the possibility of creating a popular democratic culture which reflects different but complementary regional and national identities.”
Paul Salveson’s aim in his new book is to uncover some of the lost radical traditions which he believes are specific to ‘the North of England’. He argues for a renewal of popular socialism based on devolution and the movement’s local and regional roots.
BARRY WINTER, chair of the Hannah Mitchell Foundation, explains why he’s changed his mind about a northern assembly and argues that regional devolution can play its part in an ethical socialism for our times.
Let’s begin with a confession. When the idea of regional devolution was being discussed in the party nearly a decade ago, I was not persuaded. So what has changed? Why now have I come to the conclusion that this is a worthwhile venture after all?
Independent Labour Publications (ILP) is an educational trust, publishing house and pressure group committed to democratic socialism and the success of a democratic socialist Labour Party.
The ILP was formed in 1893 as the Independent Labour Party, which became a co-founder of the Labour Party at the beginning of the 20th century. Today we remain committed to Labour's aim of creating 'a society for the many, not the few' and seek to engage with others in discussing how this vision can be turned into reality.
Land and Freedom
A short, moving account of the Spanish Civil War. Focusing on events in Catalonia, it shows how even today, there is more to be remembered than the courage of the International Brigade.
ILP - Past & Present
A lively, frank and well-illustrated account of the ILP’s history from its origins in the 1890s, the Labour party’s development, and the rise and fall of the Labour left.