Blue Labour: Forging a New Politics

Following Labour’s defeat at the polls in 2015, and at time when the Party is attempting to redefine its meaning, values and even identity, there is an urgent need for new thinking. Most people agree that a fresh start is needed. But in which direction should Labour turn? A crucial conversation is beginning, and it is in this fluid and volatile context that Blue Labour ideas could make a decisive difference. Seeking to move beyond the centrist pragmatism of both Blair and Cameron, and attempting to inject into politics a newfound passion and significance with which people can truly engage, this essential work speaks to the needs of diverse individuals and communities across the country.

In the aftermath of the global economic crisis, and the worst recession for over seventy years, Britain has witnessed one of the most turbulent eras in politics since the Second World War. The dominant political and capitalistic system has come under close scrutiny; the expenses scandal has further alienated people from politicians themselves; and the 2008 financial crash and urban riots of 2011 have cast serious doubt on the economic and social liberalism of Thatcherism and Blairism alike. The Blue Labour movement addresses the fact that neither nationalisation nor privatisation has delivered lasting prosperity or stability. Critiquing the dominance in Britain of a social-cultural liberalism linked to the left and a free-market liberalism associated with to the right, Blue Labour blends a ‘progressive’ commitment to greater economic equality with a more ‘conservative’ disposition emphasising work, personal loyalty, family, community and locality. It is the programme of a vital new force in politics: one that could define the thinking of the next generation and beyond.