Scott Cresswell finds Denis MacShanes's book a thought-provoking mixture of history and memoir It should remain and always be a worrying thought for British progressives, social democrats, and democratic socialists that the Labour Party rarely wins general elections. Since June 1970, there have only been eighteen years of Labour government: 1974-79, 1997-2010. Countless numbers of... Continue Reading →
One hundred and fifty years after his birth, some within Labour are returning to Lenin as a source of inspiration. The London Young Labour group – who last week eulogised the death of Bobby Sands – recently stoked online debate when it marked the birth of Lenin with a celebratory tweet. Accompanied by an image... Continue Reading →
Euroscepticism has a long tradition in the Labour Party. Leaders from the party's right, left and centre – be it Hugh Gaitskell, Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock or Jeremy Corbyn – have at various points campaigned against British membership of the EEC/EU. Historically, Labour worked to accommodate both sides of the European debate in its coalition... Continue Reading →
The question of ‘Must Labour Lose’ has been central to the thoughts of historians of the Labour Party for much of the post-war period. Applied to the party's successive defeats in the 1950s and 1980s, it has now returned as a key question as the party grapples with another historic identity crisis. Labour's 'Wilderness Years'... Continue Reading →
Last Christmas I advised readers to check out these titles 'in an attempt to understand the causes of Brexit and the increasing disconnect between the Labour Party and its heartlands.' The disastrous defeat of December 12th has only sharpened the need to win back working-class supporters. Below is a list of books reviewed of the past year... Continue Reading →
As the Labour Party enters its ninth year in opposition, comparisons are being drawn to the 1980s and how it took them, and the Democrats, over a decade to win elections again. As Richard Carr argues in his timely book, it was the special relationship between the moderates on both sides of the Atlantic that underpinned their fightback. ... Continue Reading →
It’s almost 100 years since Nancy Astor became the first woman to take a seat in the House of Commons. On her first appearance in the House, she was physically stopped from sitting down by her male colleagues, whilst 'supposed' close friends Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain ‘would blank her in the corridors’. Women of Westminster:... Continue Reading →
Last Christmas I advised readers to check out these titles as we embarked on another year of political drama. This year the site has looked at numerous new titles that have dealt with working class decline, in an attempt to understand the causes of Brexit and the increasing disconnect between the Labour Party and its heartlands.... Continue Reading →
TIDES OF HISTORY 