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Labour Party

<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Bevanism: Labour's High Tide</span>

Bevanism: Labour's High Tide
by Mark Jenkins

"The first edition of this work, in 1979, coincided with a seminal moment of Labour's history, though few might have anticipated it at the time. The era of Thatcherism was about to descend. In that final year of the Callaghan administration, Michael Foot was Leader of the House and yet he kindly granted me an interview in his busy parliamentary office. In the event it lasted for two whole hours because of Michael's abiding interest in the Bevanite movement, of which he had, of course, been a key leading member …

The book began as a four-year research thesis for my Doctorate. Upon completion, it was immediately taken up by Ken Coates and published by Spokesman as a valuable contribution to Labour's post-war history … The thesis of Bevanism was a polemic against leftist denigrators of the seventies who denied that the Bevanites represented the broadest, most popular Labour current of the twentieth century, with a mass following in both the Party and the trades unions far exceeding the levels of support enjoyed by the Socialist League and the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in the thirties. The weight of statistical evidence I assembled as proof has never subsequently been challenged. However, the thesis was never a slavish promotion of Bevanism or even its programme.

So, we return to Bevan's social-democratic dilemma. Where do the boundaries of the state end and the free market begin? Bevan was never the ideologue of dogmatic statism. He was always the principled pragmatist, prepared to win over the medical profession by 'stuffing their mouths with gold' to establish the principle of free public medicine. The NHS remains his abiding legacy, which today, along with public education, faces its sternest test since the days of Clement Attlee's bold initiatives."

Mark Jenkins, from his new introduction to the 2012 edition

Price: £17.50

324 pages | Paperback

ISBN: 978 0 85124 8127

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Morgan Phillips

Labour Party Secretary, Socialist International Chairman
by Morgan Phillips

Born in 1902 to a Welsh coalmining family, Morgan Phillips worked his way up within the Labour Party in Britain to become General Secretary. Nine months after his appointment, the Party won the 1945 General Election and formed its first ever majority government.

Six years of government were followed by a tumultuous decade in opposition. As Richard Crossman saw it, 'the Labour Party would have disintegrated during the years of dissension that followed Aneurin Bevan's resignation without the presence of Morgan Phillops in Transport House'.

Morgan Phillips' autobiography, published for the first time, describes the highs and the lows of the post-war Labour Party and his dealings not just with Nye Bevan but also with Clement Atlee, Herbert Morrison, Ernest Bevin and other leading figures of the movement. It also records his unique role in rebuilding the Socialist International, an organisation of which he became the first Chairman in 1951.

This posthumous publication will ensure that Morgan Phillips' contribution to the Labour Party and to democratic socialism will always be remembered.

Published by Spokesman for Labour Heritage

Price: £14.99

ISBN: 978 0 85124 867 7

171 pages | paperback

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Left, Left, Left
By Peggy Duff

PUBLICATION DATE: 6 AUGUST 2019 - PRE-ORDER NOW!

"Peggy Duff is one of the unsung heroes of the struggles for peace and justice in the post-World War II period. She was a founder and leading figure in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which was instrumental in bringing the dire threat of nuclear war to general attention. Among activists, if not the general public, she is widely recognized - by some (like me) virtually revered - for her incredible contributions to the international movement of protest against the US wars in Indochina. Peggy was indefatigable, a highly effective organizer, patient and persistent in bringing together the many complex strands of opposition to US crimes in Indochina, the worst of the post-war era. Only those deeply involved were fully aware of this impressive accomplishment, which alone would easily merit the Nobel Peace Prize. And it was far from her only major achievement. The list ranges from her defence of the rights of prisoners of war in the early post-war years to her courageous role in the thankless struggle for Palestinian rights.
Truly a remarkable person, and speaking personally, a close and deeply valued friend."
Noam Chomsky

Price: £15.99

308 Pages | Paperback

ISBN: 9780851248813

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Corbyn's Campaign
Edited by Tom Unterrainer
With Contributions from Umaar Kazmi, Abi Rhodes, Ben Sellers, Christine Shawcroft, Tony Simpson, Nadia Whittome, Adele Williams, Chris Williamson, plus Jeremy Corbyn

Defying all expectations, Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour Leader with a resounding mandate. His campaign re-wrote the rules of British politics by mobilising tens of thousands of supporters both within and outside the Party. The 'Corbyn for Leader' campaign, a radical social movement reflecting aspects of the new left across Europe, and Corbyn's ultimate victory provide the rarest of opportunities to redefine the Labour Party and socialism for a new generation.

Corbyn's Campaign tells the story of Jeremy's victory and articulates the opportunities for a renewal of socialism in Britain. Contributors were active - at both national and local levels - throughout the leadership campaign, and continue to be so as a new politics unfolds.

Chris Williamson, Labour MP for Derby North, lost his seat by 41 votes at the 2015 General Election. Chris is a regular contributor to Tribune and spoke on behalf of Jeremy Corbyn's campaign at meetings across the country.

Ben Sellers of Red Labour blogs at the World Turned Upside Down; Radical Thinking from the North East.

Christine Shawcroft is a long-serving member of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee, and contributes to Labour Briefing.

Adele Williams is Secretary of the Sherwood Branch Labour Party in Nottingham East and a trade union administrator.

Tony Simpson edits The Spokesman, the journal of the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, and is a member of UNITE.

Tom Unterrainer teaches maths and is compiling a political bibliography of Ken Coates, who helped establish the Institute for Workers' Control.

Abi Rhodes is a writer and reviewer for the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, a student of Critical Theory and Politics, and is a member of UNITE.

Reviews
Richard Price, February 2016
Mike Phipps, February 2016
Andreas Bieler, 28 January 2016
John Daniels, 25 January 2016

Price: £7.95

104 pages

ISBN: 978 0 85124 8516

Paperback

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How to Select or Reselect your MP
2016 Remix
By David Osland

'You may very well be entirely satisfied with your Labour MP, should you be lucky enough to have one. And that's exactly how it should be. Work hard to ensure that she or he is returned to parliament at the next general election, hopefully with an increased majority. Britain needs a radical Labour government that will transform the country permanently for the better.

But if you are reading this, chances are either you are not entirely happy with your Westminster representative's performance, or you know or suspect that your Constituency Labour Party will need to choose a new candidate next time round, for any one of a range of reasons …

Labour Party members do have the right - under the existing rules, as they stand - to seek to put a new candidate in place, through the designedly opaque and little-understood mechanism known as the Trigger Ballot.

Price: £4.00

16 pages

ISBN: 978 0 85124 8615

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British Labour and the Russian Revolution - Centenary Edition
The Leeds Convention of 1917
An expanded centenary edition
Edited by Janet Douglas and Christian Hogsbjerg with Ken Coates' original introduction

'I got back from Leeds yesterday. It was a wonderful occasion, but a little disappointing from the point of view of practical outcomes. Snowden and MacDonald and Anderson are not the right men - they have not the sense for swift dramatic action. The right man would be Williams (of the Transport Workers), but he is not yet sufficiently prominent. Smillie is perfect except he is too old. The enthusiasm and all but unanimity were wonderful - out of 2,500, there were only about three dissentients. Nothing was lacking except leaders…'
Bertrand Russell, 5 June 1917

The Leeds Convention of June 1917 has been described by Ralph Miliband as 'perhaps the most remarkable gathering of the period.' The description seems to be a fair one. On the one-hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution and the coming together of the many and varied strands of the British labour movement at the Leeds Convention, Spokesman is pleased to re-publish 'British Labour and the Russian Revolution' with additional materials.

Price: £8.00

108 pages | paperback

ISBN: 978 0 85124 8653

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>The Miracle of Fleet Street</span>

The Miracle of Fleet Street
The Story of the Daily Herald
By George Lansbury

'The Daily Herald is now dimly remembered as a forerunner to the disgraceful Sun. But it is not widely known that it began life as a daily strike bulletin when the London print unions struck for a forty-eight hour working week. This blossomed out to cover general news items and even sport, and spread its reach from London to some provincial cities. It died after the strike, but had already whetted the appetite of trade union activists for a move to relaunch it. It set off on an eventful life with a capital of £300 as a co-operative Labour daily, staunchly "unofficial" and rebellious, a veritable hell raiser ...

The demise of the Herald, and the rise of the Sun, are sad stories of the afterlife. But this book contains the account of George Lansbury, the Herald's consistent sponsor and campaigner. It was published in 1925 and has a racy account of the early struggles which established the paper ... It should reappear on the bookshelves in its own right because its author was not only a notable contender for all the good causes that distinguished the Labour Movement in the early days of the Twentieth Century, but also a most generous and decent man, well worth remembering in his own words for what were, in large measures, his own deeds.'

Ken Coates from his Foreword to the new edition

Cover 'Fantasy (Labour Leaders at their Devotions)'
by Will Dyson, Daily Herald, 3 December 1913.

A further 19 illustrations by Will Dyson can be found in
The Miracle of Fleet Street.

Reviews
Bill Hagerty - British Journalism Review
Geoffrey Goodman in Tribune
Nathaniel Mehr in the Morning Star

Price: £15.00

168 pages | Paperback

ISBN: 978 0 85124 7663

Socialist Classic

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Inside the Left</span>

Inside the Left
By Fenner Brockway

"Fenner Brockway lived a long life and it was certainly packed with colourful action. Here we are reproducing the first volume of his autobiography, which was written on the eve of the Second World War. Never afraid to court controversy, this book celebrated the Socialist movement's opposition to the First World War, and the activities of an anti-war movement which continued after that conflict.

A pupil of Keir Hardie and Bernard Shaw, the young Brockway found his natural home in the Independent Labour Party, which developed his talents as an editor and public agitator. He became acquainted with many of the key personalities of international socialism, and with all the leading figures on the British Left, including H. G. Wells, Bertrand Russell and the political spokesmen of the growing Labour movement.

This book contains Brockway's detailed account of the efforts of the British Left to find some kind of political unity during the years of the Labour Party's split, when Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government. The ILP left the Labour Party, and entered into a variety of negotiations with the Communists and others to attempt to crystallise a Socialist opposition."

Ken Coates
Foreword to the new edition

Reviews:
Morning Star, 22nd March 2010 - John Green

Book of the Month: Fenner Brockway's Inside the Left - by John Green in London Progressive Journal

Price: £18.00

352 pages | Indexed

ISBN: 978 085124 7748

Socialist Classic

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Speeches by Tony Benn</span>

Speeches by Tony Benn
"Political speeches delivered at public meetings are in the oldest tradition of democratic debate; and they have retained their importance in the labour movement.

They are a part of the process of mutual education by which the people discuss and learn from their own experience.

These speeches, together with some articles and memoranda written over the years, record at least as much about what I have learned as about what I have tried to expound.

Some of the views expressed do not stand up so well to the test of time. Many are now widely accepted in the movement and outside.

Political arguments tend to be most sterile when they are confined within the limits of conventional wisdom and rotate around the personalities involved in them. The most fruitful are those parallel, analytical debates, rooted in our daily experience, which offer alternative explanations of that experience and open up different perspectives for the future.

Many of the speeches reproduced in this volume were intended to be part of that broader socialist debate."

Tony Benn
London, August 1974

Available in paperback for the first time, this new edition includes an interview with the author about workers' control, the occupy movement and other political issues.

Price: £15.00

314 pages | Paperback

ISBN: 978 0 85124 810 3

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Labour's Forgotten Statement</span>

Labour's Forgotten Statement
on Banking and Finance
Introduced by J. E. Mortimer

"In the discussion within the labour movement and the press about the current failings of the financial system, the 'credit crunch' and the consequential rise in unemployment little, if any, attention has been given to a statement entitled 'Banking and Finance', prepared by the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party and then presented to and accepted by the 1976 annual conference of the Party.

The report saw the operation of Britain's financial system within the wider context of the problems of the economy. How right they were! At the heart of these problems was the need to increase industrial investment. This need, said the Labour Party report, was 'too important to be left to businessmen and financiers alone'. The report called for a doubling of the rate of manufacturing investment over the next decade. Manufacturing, it said, had 'grown anaemic and needed a major transformation' ... Unfortunately, the Labour Party's 1976 statement on 'Banking and Finance' was not adopted as a guide by New Labour when it was elected with an overwhelming majority in 1997. There is a lesson in this experience."

Jim Mortimer from his Introduction

Price: £3.00

28 pages | ISBN: 978 0 85124 7700

7th Series Number 4

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>New Labour's Attack on Public Services</span>

New Labour's Attack on Public Services
Modernisation by Marketisation? How the commissioning, choice, competition and
contestability agenda threatens public services
and the welfare state.
By Dexter Whitfield

New Labour is creating markets in public services on an unprecedented scale. Privatisation inevitably follows marketisation, eroding democratic accountability and embedding business interests. Alternative policies and strategies must build on the support for democratic governance, social justice and the welfare state. As this timely book makes clear, action by alliances of trade unions, community organisations and civil society organisations is urgently required.

Read reviews by:
Mike Tolochko
Patrick Ainley
Labour Research
Keith Popple
Paul Walker

Price: £11.99

176 pages | ISBN: 978 0 85124 7151

5th Series Number 3

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Third Way or Feeding the Fat Cats</span>

Third Way or Feeding the Fat Cats
By Michael Barratt Brown

In this pamphlet Michael Barratt Brown critically examines Prof. Anthony Giddens's Fabian Pamphlet 'Where Now for New Labour?' Giddens's stated aim is to defend New Labour, and the Third Way, against its critics, with a wholesale onslaught on 'old Labour'. Barratt Brown looks in detail at what Giddens means by 'old Labour', and exposes these 'myths of the left'. He then assesses New Labour's embrace of the private sector in providing public services and the role of business in government. "In regard to the major aim of reducing inequalities in Britain, Giddens is entirely complacent about New Labour ... " writes Barratt Brown, who cites the relevant statistics on widening income gaps between rich and poor.

Price: £2.00

16 pages | ISBN: 978 085124 6642

2nd Series Number 10

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Spokesman Books | Labour Party

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