Labour's Civil Wars

How infighting has kept the left from power (and what can be done about it)
Erscheinungsjahr 2023
ISBN: 978-1-913368-74-6
Verlag: Haus Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 312 Seiten, Format (B × H): 198 mm x 129 mm, Gewicht: 354 g

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 in Britain that aspires to win elections. Though both major parties have been subject to internal conflict over the years, the Labour Party has been more given to damaging splits. The divide exposed by the Corbyn insurgency is only the most recent example in a century of destructive infighting. Indeed, it has often seemed as if Labour is more adept at fighting itself than defeating the Conservatives.

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 Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and those who fundamentally altered the party's course under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Diamond, Patrick

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Sozialismus
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Politische Parteien

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword // v

1. Why Labour is Given to Civil Wars // 1

2. Government or Opposition: The 1931 Split and the Fall of Ramsay MacDonald // 26

3. Revisionists versus Fundamentalists: Gaitskell and Bevan at War 1951-64 // 70

4. The Benite Revolt and the Birth of the Social Democratic Party: Healy, Benn, and Jenkins 1964-87 // 109

5. New Labour at War: Blair and Brown's Dual Premiership 1997-2010 // 158

6. The Left Insurgency, Corbyn's Leadership, and the Succession of Keir Starmer // 189

7. Conclusion: The Way Ahead // 228

Notes // 278

Bibliography // 289

Über Autor(innen)

Patrick Diamond is professor of public policy at Queen Mary University of London. He was senior adviser to the prime minister (2001-05) and head of policy planning in 10 Downing Street (2009-10).

Giles Radice (1936-2022) was in parliament for forty-six years, first as an MP and later as a Labour member of the House of Lords. As a writer and historian, he authored fifteen books, including Friends and Rivals: Crosland, Jenkins and Healy and Odd Couples: The Great Political Pairings of Modern Britain.