04.07.24: Fourteen years of Tory gross mismanagement of government, economy and society came to a crashing and well-deserved end. Keir Starmer's Labour government was elected with a landslide of seismic proportions.

But with a huge Parliamentary majority delivered on a share of the vote that would ordinarily spell defeat, this was more about the Tories losing than Labour winning. The old assumptions have been torn up. Throw into the mix an increasingly five-party (six in Scotland) system where once it was two and the potential for electoral volatility if Labour ends up disappointing is obvious.

The Starmer Symptom brings together leading political writers to navigate the complex terrain of this seismic shift in British politics. This unique collection analyses voter data, and looks at the break-up of the two-party system with the rise of a populist right in Reform UK and a new independent left. Will Keir Starmer's government be able to successfully combine the pragmatic and social democratic to produce radical change? And if not, who is waiting in the wings?

About the Author
Mark Perryman's previous books include The Corbyn Effect, The Moderniser's Dilemma and The Blair Agenda. A pioneer of a left culture rooted in the convivial and participative rather than command and control, Mark mixes politics and culture as the co-founder of the self-styled 'sporting outfitters of intellectual distinction', Philosophy Football.

Reviews

'A vital kickback against national decline, ranging over the aimless, joyless landscape of Britain under Grey Labour. Mark Perryman has persuaded some of the fiercest, most eloquent polemicists in the land to examine, expose and ultimately eviscerate one of the lamest leaders in Labour history'

-- Alex Niven, Editor, Tribune Magazine

'Packed with insightful commentary focussing on Labour lacking a two-way dialogue between members and leadership which is driving many of the party's activists away. Via a critique of Labour's resistance to coalition-building, so vital under our undemocratic voting system, The Starmer Symptom pinpoints the reasons why Labour is failing to reverse the rise of the Far Right agenda'

-- Cat Arnold, member Labour Party National Executive Committee

'The core of the argument is that Labour needs to break out of Labourism and remake itself a part of a broader pluralist bloc. Labour absolutely should be like this, here is a book that brilliantly explains why it has never been'

-- Alan Finlayson, Chair of Editorial Board Renewal: A Journal of Social Democracy

'Had me cheering on the writers and their arguments as they interrogated the symptoms of a Labour Party that has undermined its own potential for change. Left me asking, what is this bloody huge parliamentary majority for?!'

-- Laura Parker

'A book that provides a theoretical critique of Starmerism which is both extremely accessible and entirely non-intimidating, no mean feat when drawing on thinkers such as Gramsci and Stuart Hall'

-- Pat Stack, 'Stack on the Back'

'A very stimulating, accessible, and engaging read. By drawing on a wide range of theoretical and historical sources, Mark Perryman advances our understanding of Starmer's project, its prospects, and its implications'

-- Colm Murphy author of Futures of Socialism: 'Modernisation', the Labour Party, and the British Left, 1973-1997

'Keir Starmer decries the existence of Starmerism. Yet his actions as Prime Minister tell a different story - he has a discernible political project. Mark Perryman and the authors tease out the underlying shape of what this 'Starmerism' is and could still be. An invaluable contribution to thinking about Labour politics today'

-- John McTernan, formerly Tony Blair's Director of Political Operations



Book Information
ISBN 9780745351094
Author Mark Perryman
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Pluto Press
Publisher Pluto Press
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 21mm