Author: Patrick Diamond Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317595378 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 388
Book Description
This book provides a novel account of the Labour Party’s years in opposition and power since 1979, examining how New Labour fought to reinvent post-war social democracy, reshaping its core political ideas. It charts Labour’s sporadic recovery from political disaster in the 1980s, successfully making the arduous journey from opposition to power with the rise (and ultimately fall) of the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Forty years on from the 1979 debacle, Labour has found itself on the edge of oblivion once again. Defeated in 2010, it entered a further cycle of degeneration and decline. Like social democratic parties across Europe, Labour failed to identify a fresh ideological rationale in the aftermath of the great financial crisis. Drawing on a wealth of sources including interviews and unpublished papers, the book focuses on decisive points of transformational change in the party’s development raising a perennial concern of present-day debate – namely whether Labour is a party capable of transforming the ideological weather, shaping a new paradigm in British politics, or whether it is a party that should be content to govern within parameters established by its Conservative opponents. This text will be of interest to the general reader as well as scholars and students of British politics, British political party history, and the history of the British Labour Party since 1918.
Author: Patrick Diamond Publisher: Haus Publishing ISBN: 9781913368746 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
A compelling chronicle of the Labour Party’s perpetual internal divisions. The biblical adage that “if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” remains sound theological advice. It is also essential counsel for any political party that aspires to win elections. When a party is riven with division, the public does not know what it stands for. Though both major UK parties have been subject to internal conflict over the years, the Labour Party has been more prone to damaging splits. The divide exposed by the Corbyn insurgency is only the most recent example in almost a century of destructive infighting. Indeed, it has often seemed as though Labour has been more adept at fighting itself than in defeating the Tory party. This book examines the history of Labour’s civil wars and the underlying causes of the party’s schisms, from the first split of 1931, engineered by Ramsay MacDonald, to the ongoing battle for the future between the incumbent, Keir Starmer, and those who fundamentally altered the party’s course under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
Author: Paul Webb Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0192662007 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 405
Book Description
The new edition of this successful book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview and account of the changing nature of party politics in Britain today. Webb and Bale draw on models of comparative politics in conducting a wealth of new empirical analysis to map and explain the ways in which the party system has evolved, and the parties have adapted to a changing political environment. Themes covered include the nature and extent of party competition, the internal life and organizational development of parties, the varieties of party system found across the UK, and the roles played by parties within the wider political system. The book also addresses the crisis of popular legitimacy confronting the parties, as well as assessing the scope for potential reform. While parties remain central to the functioning of Britain's democracy, public disaffection with them is as high as it has ever been; reform of the system of representation and party funding is warranted, but there are unlikely to be any panaceas.
Author: Mark Garnett Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 042963241X Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 848
Book Description
Exploring British Politics is a concise, comprehensive, and accessible guide to the subject. Fully updated and revised, the new edition covers developments since 2016 in the role of the executive, Parliament, the civil service, political parties, general elections, party ideology and membership, as well as examining turmoil and leadership battles within the Labour and Conservative parties, the politics of growing inequality, demographic trends and their political consequences, and the future of the UK itself. Stimulating critical analysis and lively debate, it provides new perspectives on two key themes – the health of British democracy and the transition from traditional models of government to more flexible forms of ‘governance’. Key features include: a comprehensive analysis of the 2019 general election, Brexit developments since the 2016 Referendum to today’s ongoing negotiations, and the shadow cast by the COVID-19 global pandemic and its implications; topical coverage of the fall of the Corbyn and May leaderships, the new Starmer and Johnson era, the rise and fall of the ‘Change UK’ party, the economic crisis, the role of special advisers, new social movements such as Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter, and much more; extensive guides to further reading at the end of each chapter; and rich illustrations visually representing examples and data. Whilst the book provides an essential historical background, contemporary issues are to the fore throughout and readers are encouraged to assess critically received wisdoms and develop their own thoughts and ideas. Whether studying the subject for the first time or revisiting it, Exploring British Politics is the ideal undergraduate text.
Author: Sarah Lowndes Publisher: Taylor & Francis ISBN: 1000688445 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 221
Book Description
Crowds, Community and Contagion in Contemporary Britain presents the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to re-assess the neoliberal politics, xenophobia and racism that have undermined community cohesion in the United Kingdom since 1979, and which have continued largely unchecked through the last four decades. Guided by three interconnected ideas used throughout to scrutinise the meaning of culture as a way of life – Welsh cultural theorist Raymond Williams’ structure of feeling, Jamaican-British sociologist Stuart Hall’s conception of the conjuncture and Belgian political philosopher Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic pluralism – Sarah Lowndes finds that a renewed sense of mutual regard and collective responsibility are necessary to meet the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. She begins by reflecting on public gatherings in Britain from 1945 to 2019, moving on to analyse five key examples of public gatherings affected by the pandemic in 2020 onwards: Chinese New Year, the UEFA Champions League Final, VE Day street parties, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and the cancellation of Eid ul-Adha celebrations. A thorough examination of how ideas proliferate and spread through our society, public sphere and collective consciousness, this book will appeal to scholars and upper-level students of cultural studies, cultural history, sociology and politics.
Author: Colm Murphy Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 1009278851 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 327
Book Description
The transformation of the Labour Party by 1997 is among the most consequential political developments in modern British history. Futures of Socialism overhauls the story of Labour's modernisation and provides an innovative new history. Diving into the tumultuous world of the British left after 1973, rocked by crushing defeats, bitter schisms, and ideological disorientation, Colm Murphy uncovers competing intellectual agendas for modern socialism. Responding to deindustrialisation, neoliberalism, and constitutional agitation, these visions of 'modernisation' ranged across domestic and European policy and the politics of class, gender, race, and democracy. By reconstructing the sites and networks of political debate, the book explains their changing influence inside Labour. It also throws new light on New Labour, highlighting its roots in this social-democratic intellectual maelstrom. Futures of Socialism provides an essential analysis of social democracy in an era of market liberalism, and of the ideas behind a historic political reconstruction that remains deeply controversial today.
Author: Nathan Yeowell Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 0755640187 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 361
Book Description
The Labour Party after Jeremy Corbyn is charting a new direction. Here, Nathan Yeowell has brought together a remarkable array of contributors to provide expert insight into twentieth-century British history and Labour politics – and how they might shape thinking about Labour's future. Reframing the span of Labour history and its effects on contemporary British politics, the book provides fresh thinking and analysis of various traditions, themes and individuals. These include the shifting significance of 1945, the need for more grounded interpretations of Tony Blair's legacy, and the enduring importance of place, identity and aspiration to the evolution of the party. Contributions from leading historians such as Patrick Diamond, Steven Fielding, Ben Jackson, Glen O' Hara and Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite are supplemented by those with experience of Labour electoral politics, such as Rachel Reeves and Nick Thomas-Symonds. The result is an intellectually rich and politically relevant roadmap for Labour's future.
Author: Yumiko Hada Publisher: World Scientific ISBN: 9811251649 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 385
Book Description
This book brings together contributions from leading authors in a range of fields related to Japan and the United Kingdom. Adopting a comparative perspective, it tackles topics ranging from the politics of opposition, democracy, immigration and citizenship, to education, sportsmanship and popular culture, as well as issues of immigration and identity. Each chapter presents and clarifies the differences, similarities and exchanges between the two countries to emphasise that, though little exists in isolation in this global age, in-depth knowledge of particular regions remains vital. This book argues for a deeper understanding of the UK and Japan in pursuit of hope, and casts a reflection on the self and one's own sense of place and identity. It will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in cross-cultural theory and comparisons between Japan and the United Kingdom.
Author: Mark Garnett Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 1509560971 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 189
Book Description
Labour leader Harold Wilson was once asked how difficult he found being prime minister of the United Kingdom. ‘Not half as difficult as being Leader of the Opposition’, he replied. Sadly for the Labour Party, much of the last century has been spent in shadow government. But were these wasted years in the Party’s history? Or did they offer vital opportunities for creation and improvement? In Keeping the Red Flag Flying political historians Mark Garnett, Gavin Hyman and Richard Johnson offer the first in-depth account of Labour’s periods out of office since becoming the Official Opposition in 1922. They argue that, far from being barren periods in the Party’s history, Labour’s opposition years from MacDonald to Starmer have been undervalued and misunderstood. Across the book’s eight chapters they scrutinise Labour’s approach to reforming the party machinery, its development of policy proposals, its success in appealing to the wider electorate and its skill in opposing the government to identify the key hallmarks of successful opposition, as well as common mistakes. As the Labour Party prepares for a long-awaited return to government, this insightful book on Labour’s past has vital lessons for the Party’s future.
Author: Patrick Diamond
Author: Kevin Hickson
Author: Patrick Diamond
Author: Paul Webb
Author: Mark Garnett
Author: Sarah Lowndes
Author: Colm Murphy
Author: Nathan Yeowell
Author: Yumiko Hada
Author: Mark Garnett