The 2014 issue of journal Socialist Register is the 50th since the journal was founded by Ralph Miliband – together with John Saville – in 1964. Tomorrow will see a discussion in Parliament, chaired by John McDonnell MP, on the legacy and ongoing relevance of the political project he initiated (see details below) The concern […]
Posts Tagged ‘Political Strategy’
Stupid empiricism and the Conservative Party
Nov 26th, 2013 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.The Crosbyisation of politics. A phrase that hardly rolls off the tongue and is, therefore, unlikely to remain a fixture of the British political lexicon for long. But what it describes is true enough. Between now and May 2015, everything conceivable will be hauled out from their dirty tricks box and thrown in Labour’s path. So much […]
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Report of Class Conference 2013
Nov 4th, 2013 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.What is it about train journeys to and from London that are so tiring? No matter. Your humble scribe made the trek down the track for the first annual conference of the Centre for Labour And Social Studies. That’s Class to you and me. And, as you might expect, there was a smorgasbord of left, trade union […]
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Fight on a Labour agenda and we will win
Sep 27th, 2013 by Peter Willsman.Conference this week has been upbeat: the platform concentrated on attacking the Coalition, which delegates have shown they want more of. Ed Miliband’s Leader’s speech was well received with the media acknowledging he is likely to be the next Prime Minister. A series of progressive policies have been announced which will also strengthen our support. Scrapping the bedroom tax, increasing free childcare hours, ending bad zero hours […]
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Review: The Socialist Way edited by Roy Hattersley and Kevin Hickson
Aug 28th, 2013 by Bryan Gould.This stimulating and thoughtful collection of essays from across the Labour movement is long overdue. Throughout what must now be regarded as the New Labour years of wasted opportunity, criticism of the performance of a Labour government was understandably muted. Now, it seems, a clear judgment of the past and a clear signpost to the […]
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Labour leaders and intellectual self-confidence
Aug 18th, 2013 by Bryan Gould.The outstanding feature of the political scene over recent decades has been the catastrophic loss of the left’s intellectual self-confidence. It has been particularly marked in the UK and reached its most extreme form with New Labour; as I observed at the time, the short three-letter word with a capital ‘N’ was meant to convey […]
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Time to publish the Falkirk report and revise Lord Collins’s brief
Aug 17th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.As we reported three weeks ago, the BBC has already concluded that”there was no major vote rigging scandal in Falkirk.” Tom Watson, interviewed in today’s Guardian, goes further. Unite didn’t recruit anyone in Falkirk without their knowledge, he says, indeed the original allegations, written by a third party and now withdrawn, were made by people not […]
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A manifesto for Labour
Aug 15th, 2013 by Newsdesk.The following appeared in the Guardian yesterday and is well worthy of wider attention. The Labour party seems to be in search of an identity and a policy agenda (Report, 13 August). About time too. Here are some suggestions for a manifesto, all of which look like common sense. Repeal all the coalition’s NHS legislation and start […]
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Left Unity? No thanks, at least not yet
Aug 10th, 2013 by Peter Rowlands.The initiative by Left Unity (LU) to found a new party of the left (NPL) is the most serious attempt to do so for some years, and merits some consideration. I would like to argue that a NPL should not be formed, at least at least not now, as it is unlikely to succeed and […]
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Why Labour doesn’t need Jim Messina
Aug 5th, 2013 by Phil Burton-Cartledge.“We’re doomed! We’re doomed!” No, I’m not channelling Private Frazer’s ghost. But this sums up the deflated mood afflicting sections of the front bench and commentariat. Why? Because it appears the Tories are getting their act together. Some polls show a narrowing of the Labour lead, while others wipe it out altogether, or (confusingly) show Labour extending its lead. Either way, […]
