Description
Jeremy Corbyn's rapid ascent to the leadership of the Labour Party, driven by a groundswell of popular support particularly among the young, was met at the time by a baffled media. Just where did Jeremy Corbyn come from? In Searching for Socialism, Leo Panitch and Colin Leys argue that it is only by understanding Corbyn's roots in the Bennite Labour New Left's long struggle to transcend the limits of 'parliamentary socialism' and democratise the party, as a precondition for democratising the state, can you understand his surge to become leader of the party.
Closely analyzing the forces inside the party aligned against Corbyn's leadership, Panitch and Leys explain what happened between the validation of the Corbyn project in the 2017 election, while advancing an ambitious programme of democratic socialist measures unmatched anywhere since the 1970s, and the electoral defeat amidst the Brexit conjuncture of 2019. They argue that while this defeat marked the farthest point to which the generation formed in the 1970s was able to carry the Labour new left project, it seems unlikely that the new generation of activists will quickly see any other way forward than continuing the struggle inside the Labour Party, so as to fundamentally change it. In the face of the contradictions being generated by twenty-first-century capitalism, and the need for discovering and developing new political forms adequate to addressing them, this book is required reading for democratic socialists, not just in Britain but everywhere.
A new and essential history of the Labour New Left from Tony Benn to Jeremy Corbyn.
About the Author
Leo Panitch is Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy and Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science at York University, and editor of The Socialist Register. He is the co-author of The Making of Global Capitalism.Colin Leys is Emeritus Professor of Political Studies at Queen's University, Canada, and an Honorary Research Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Reviews
Searching for Socialism will be extremely useful to socialists and Labour members for years to come. It will be required reading for those new to socialist politics. -- Elliot Dugdale * The World Transformed *
Panitch and Leys have understood a lot of what happened and what went wrong - including the dysfunction at the very top, the full story of which has yet to be told. -- Mike Phipps * Labour Hub *
Leo Panitch and Colin Leys ... confront the weaknesses of Corbynism against the background of the strengths which it shares with Bennism and which distinguish both from the previous experiences of more traditional Labour lefts. -- Stephen Marks * Labour Briefing *
Throughout the book the authors emphasise the importance of extending democracy both within the Labour Party and in society, and in this they are to be applauded. -- David Lane * LSE Review of Books *
Searching for Socialism is extremely articulate and well researched. It should be widely read by socialists both within the Labour Party and outside. -- Camilla Royle * Socialist Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9781788738347
Author Leo Panitch
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 304g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 140mm * 20mm
Closely analyzing the forces inside the party aligned against Corbyn's leadership, Panitch and Leys explain what happened between the validation of the Corbyn project in the 2017 election, while advancing an ambitious programme of democratic socialist measures unmatched anywhere since the 1970s, and the electoral defeat amidst the Brexit conjuncture of 2019. They argue that while this defeat marked the farthest point to which the generation formed in the 1970s was able to carry the Labour new left project, it seems unlikely that the new generation of activists will quickly see any other way forward than continuing the struggle inside the Labour Party, so as to fundamentally change it. In the face of the contradictions being generated by twenty-first-century capitalism, and the need for discovering and developing new political forms adequate to addressing them, this book is required reading for democratic socialists, not just in Britain but everywhere.
A new and essential history of the Labour New Left from Tony Benn to Jeremy Corbyn.
About the Author
Leo Panitch is Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy and Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science at York University, and editor of The Socialist Register. He is the co-author of The Making of Global Capitalism.Colin Leys is Emeritus Professor of Political Studies at Queen's University, Canada, and an Honorary Research Professor at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Reviews
Searching for Socialism will be extremely useful to socialists and Labour members for years to come. It will be required reading for those new to socialist politics. -- Elliot Dugdale * The World Transformed *
Panitch and Leys have understood a lot of what happened and what went wrong - including the dysfunction at the very top, the full story of which has yet to be told. -- Mike Phipps * Labour Hub *
Leo Panitch and Colin Leys ... confront the weaknesses of Corbynism against the background of the strengths which it shares with Bennism and which distinguish both from the previous experiences of more traditional Labour lefts. -- Stephen Marks * Labour Briefing *
Throughout the book the authors emphasise the importance of extending democracy both within the Labour Party and in society, and in this they are to be applauded. -- David Lane * LSE Review of Books *
Searching for Socialism is extremely articulate and well researched. It should be widely read by socialists both within the Labour Party and outside. -- Camilla Royle * Socialist Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9781788738347
Author Leo Panitch
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 304g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 140mm * 20mm
