For over a year, from 1976-77, workers at the Grunwick photo-processing plant in north-west London became a focal point in the fight for workers’ rights. Steve Jones looks at the lessons from this inspiring and militant struggle of predominantly black and Asian workers.
In this final part from his series on the history of Labour’s right wing, Steve Jones examines the Blair years and the abolition of Clause IV. Today, the battle in the Labour Party between the careerist Blairite wing and the Corbyn movement has reached fever pitch. The task ahead is to reclaim the Labour Party – to complete the Corbyn revolution!
Today, 4th October, marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, a momentous event in which the working people of London united to deliver a decisive blow against the menace of British fascism.
Steve Jones continues his series on the history of the right wing in the Labour Party by exploring the rise of New Labour and its key architects: Blair, Brown, and Mandelson. All along the way, Blair and his political allies were pushed on by the Establishment, who wanted a reliable 2nd XI to replace the discredited Tories.
Steve Jones continues his series on the history of Labour’s right wing by exploring the role of Neil Kinnock and the introduction of the “one member, one vote” system – a move designed to limit the role of the Left and the trade unions; a move that has horribly backfired with the election (and likely re-election) of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.
Steve Jones continues his look back at the hidden history of the right wing within the Labour Party. In this second part, Steve examines the example of Reg Prentice’s deselection 1975, the split and formation of the SDP, and the role played by Neil Kinnock.
The right-wing media is full of stories about the “threat” of left-wing “entryism” inside the Labour Party. But the Labour right wing have themselves been well organised and financed – not just in recent years, but over many decades. In this article, Steve Jones looks at the murky history of the Labour right, and why they present a barrier to a socialist transformation of society.
With Jeremy Corbyn on course to win another landslide victory in the contest for the Labour leadership, the Party Establishment are preparing the ground for a split. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, looks back at the Labour split of 1931 to analyse the important lessons of Labour’s history for today’s tumultuous events.
The rise of the Corbyn movement – along with recent comments by Tom Watson about Trotskyists and “entryism” in the Labour Party – have resulted in a renewed interest in the mainstream media about the history of the Militant. We republish here (in two parts) an abridged article by Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal and former member of the Militant Editorial Board, who recounts the real history of the Militant.
The rise of the Corbyn movement – along with recent comments by Tom Watson about Trotskyists and “entryism” in the Labour Party – have resulted in a renewed interest in the mainstream media about the history of the Militant. We republish here (in two parts) an abridged article by Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal and former member of the Militant Editorial Board, who recounts the real history of the Militant.
Beginning on the 4th May, the 1926 General Strike shook the ruling class of Britain to its foundations. Lasting for nine days, the strike showed the enormous power and solidarity of the working class. James Kilby examines the lessons from the General Strike for today, as the crisis of capitalism deepens and the class struggle intensifies.
Following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, civil war has broken out within the Party. It is clear to many that a split, at some stage, is inevitable. Rob Sewell looks at the case of the 1931 National Government, when Ramsay MacDonald led a right-wing split from the Labour Party to unite with the Tories and Liberals.