Comment posted by Ernie Jacques (15 June 2016): LABOUR – KING CANUTE PARTY So the Labour establishment wants to build a fair, democratic and inclusive European Union. Well, good luck with that one! But in truth they have about as much chance of democratizing the European Union and reforming its overarching corruption and neoliberal...
Corbyn’s Labour to Come Under Chartist Scrutiny
The future of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn will be one of the main topics of discussion at Chartist’s 2016 annual general meeting at Westminster University on 9 July....
The Crisis of Social Democracy
The future of social democracy comes under scrutiny in a new publication from Compass chair Neal Lawson who argues that the Labour Party needs to undergo radical change if it is to remain relevant in the 21st century....
Ada Salter and the Origins of Ethical Socialism
In writing his lauded biography of ILPer Ada Salter, GRAHAM TAYLOR began to wonder about the ILP’s ethical socialism. In a recent lecture to the Socialist History Society, he traced the history of those ideas and values which the Salters epitomised through their lives in south east London. I must start with a confession. When...
Chartist Publish EU-In Supplement
Labour left magazine Chartist has published a special supplement to its May/June issue on the European Union referendum which puts the left-wing case for voting in....
Labour’s Nuclear Question
Can Labour find a way to bridge its divisions over Trident? Or will a policy to scrap the nuclear warheads strike a final nail into the party’s electoral coffin? BARRY WINTER calls for a national debate and a Labour-led referendum on the issue....
Talking Labour History
Paul Preston and Jane Martin will be the key speakers at the Labour Heritage annual general meeting on 21 May when discussions will focus on the Spanish Civil War and the education reformist and socialist, Caroline Benn....
Hunting for the Real Keir Hardie
We should remember ‘diverse Keir Hardies’, argues DAVID HOWELL, versions of the ILP founder that stretch beyond the simplicities of socialist canonisation and patronising dismissal, but never attain the dubious establishment honour of ‘national treasure’....
Halting the Unions’ Decline
Trade unions are in a spot of bother, according to SHEILA BANKS. And Labour is partly to blame. The party needs a new way of connecting to union members that taps directly into their workplace experience. Throughout my working life, I have been an active trade unionist and representative, so I want to look at...
Blair, New Labour and the Party’s Crisis
The Blair Supremacy is a timely and important book, says SARAH PERRIGO, which shines a light on the causes of Labour’s current crisis and its election defeat last May....
Blair, Management and Neoliberalism
New Labour’s transformation of party management was part of a much wider social transformation across the West, argues HUGO RADICE....
Assessing the Blair Supremacy
BARRY WINTER considers the culture, impact and legacy of Tony Blair’s leadership of the Labour Party, greatly aided by Lewis Minkin’s The Blair Supremacy, published to great acclaim two years ago. In his dual role as academic and political insider, Lewis Minkin has produced three monumental books on the Labour Party. Each is a substantial...