Protest and Power: The Battle for the Labour Party

Description

'THE DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT'NICK ROBINSON 'A timely new book about Labour'The Independent 'If you want to understand Corbyn's long march to take control of Labour, this is the only book to read ... A tour de force'Robert Peston 'Brilliantly brings to life the political drama of the popular uprising that is Corbyn's Labour party, from its beginnings in the 1970s to the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands by what became Momentum'Jon Lansman 'You'll get to the bottom of each page and think, 'I need to remember every word of this'. Or at least I did'Sienna Rodgers, Labour List 'A meticulously researched and balanced history by a writer with sources at the highest level across different wings of the party'Rachel Sylvester, The Times 'Highly-readable and well-researched'Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times Labour has shifted from the New Left, to New Labour, to Corbynista Labour. Now, it may see power again with a most unlikely group of activists from the 1970s, becoming the fourth generation to win power since 1945. Only Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson and Tony Blair have won power from a sitting Conservative government. Of the ten general elections since 1979, Labour has won three, all under Blair. This record of failure, if applied to any other walk of life, would raise the fundamental question of why continue to fight a losing battle? For Labour, it asks whether it is a party of protest – designed only to be a voice from opposition, commenting on the flaws and falsities of Conservative police – or a party of power? Including exclusive interviews with key party members from the 1970s to today, including Neil Kinnock, Tony Blair, Ed Miliband and Jon Lansman, this book chronicles the conflicts within the Labour party, the schisms between ideologues and pragmatists, and how these fissures seem destined to keep Labour in opposition. The battle for the Labour party is dramatic and intense. This is its definitive history.