Labour has been on a wild ride over the past thirty years. New Labour argued that we had no choice but to accept a globalized free market economy in which the race was to the swift, the open and the flexible. Corbynism reacted against this with a jumble of old school statism and identity politics. Both ultimately failed.

In this book, Maurice Glasman takes the axe to the soulless utilitarianism and 'progressive' intolerance of both Blair and Corbyn. Human beings, he contends, are not calculating machines, but faithful, relational beings who yearn for meaning and belonging. Rooted in their homes, families and traditions, they seek to resist the revolutionary upheaval of markets and states, which try to commodify and dominate their lives and homes, by the practice of democracy, mutuality and pluralism. This is the true Labour tradition, which is paradoxically both radical and conservative - and more relevant than ever in a post-COVID world.

This crisp statement of the real politics of Blue Labour - rather than the absurd caricature of its detractors - is Glasman's love letter to the left-conservatism that provides Labour's best chance of moral - and indeed electoral - redemption.

About the Author
Maurice Glasman is a Labour Life peer and the founder of Blue Labour.

Reviews

"Maurice Glasman was prescient in warning of the rupture between the labour movement and its working-class base. Had the movement paid heed, it may have avoided the morass in which it now finds itself. It is vital that it listens to him now."
Paul Embery, author of Despised

"Maurice Glasman is both one of the finest thinkers in Labour and one of the outstanding conservative thinkers of our time. His vision has much to tell us about what is broken in our politics and his prescriptions can help us heal those fractures. I unhesitatingly recommend his book to anyone interested in how we can build a better Britain."
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

"well worth reading [...] a book that ranges restlessly and often enlighteningly across politics ancient and modern, economics right and left, and philosophy"
John Lloyd, Times Literary Supplement

"An imaginative attempt at transcending binary politics, Lord Glasman's book will make for an unsettling read for many Labour supporters [...] Given where the country is, and where we are heading, nothing this important is going to be easy."
Jon Cruddas, politicshome.com

"Maurice Glasman's book is an urgent reminder that statecraft is not about immediate victories but securing well-being for all [...] clear, impassioned, grounded in specificities - something of a mouthwash after the sour taste of our regular current diet. For anyone who still believes we haven't missed the tide, it is a very necessary resource."
Rowan Williams, New Statesman

"powerfully argues for the restoration of the bonds offered by faith, patriotism, community and family aided by a guaranteed basic standard of living, and the elevation of workers' dignity above the pursuit of profit."
The Jewish Chronicle

"A slender and elegant analysis ... Here's hoping the publisher sends a copy to each and every Labour MP for Christmas."
Nina Power, Compact

Book Information
ISBN 9781509528868
Author Maurice Glasman
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 340g
Dimensions(mm) 218mm * 147mm * 23mm