Labour Party history

Down to the 1880s there was no “labour movement” [in Britain] in the continental sense at all. There were strong trade unions (of skilled workers), and these unions were politically-minded — but the only parties were the two ruling-class ones, the Tories and the Liberals. The trade unions expressed themselves politically by serving as the arms and legs of one or other of these parties — usually the Liberals, though in an area such as Lancashire and Cheshire where the employers were strongly liberal the trade unions might retort to this by supporting the Tories! The political prospect of the...

Over the 13 years since Tony Blair was elected leader of the Labour Party, the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty has, in our publications, analysed, explained and agitated against the politics of New Labour. John Smith dies (Socialist Organiser, 19 May 1994) Many commentators have pointed to the “modernity” of John Smith’s leadership. In fact, John Smith’s political career and beliefs places him in a tradition of middle-class progressivism which dates back to the aftermath of World War One. Smith can be seen as following in the footsteps trod by many members of a privileged, slightly guilt-ridden...

We go to press just before Labour’s special conference vote on Clause Four. Our supporters will do everything they can to maximise the vote in support of common ownership on April 29, and win, lose or draw the serious left will keep up the fight for socialist policies inside the Labour Party. It is worth spelling out why. Marxists worked in the Labour Party before it adopted Clause Four. We will continue to work inside Labour if Clause Four is abandoned. We do so because of what Labour is. Labour is the political wing of the multi-millioned trade union movement. Despite all its many...

Fifty years ago the Labour Party won an overwhelming victory in the general election that followed the defeat of Hitler. Labour had been governing Britain since 1940 in a coalition with the Tories and Liberals. Now it had supreme governmental power. It used it to create the Welfare State. Draining some of the jungles and swamps of capitalism, the labour movement raised workers to a level of security and frugal well-being such as millions of our class had not known before. This was “reform socialism” at the height of its success. When Labour MPs got up and sang the Red Flag in the House of...

By Roland Tretchet This magazine makes no apology for repeating certain basic truths. One truth that certainly bears repetition is that the idea that Stalinism equals socialism is pereposturous, the great lie of the twentieth century. This lie, more than anything else, has provided the ideological underpinning for Blair’s assault on Clause Four. It is the one thing that all liberal politicians, police dictators and media pundits can agree upon. Yet, if we take a step back and survey the full course of the evolution of the socialist and labour movement over the last 150 years, then we can see...