Left for dead? : the strange death and rebirth of the Labour Party

A timely and provocative account of the fall of New Labour, the rise of Corbyn, and what it means for the left in Britain and the wider Western world. Since the financial crisis of 2008 the political left across the Western world has lurched from disaster to catastrophe and back again. Western politics, newly bisected by renewed forces of nationalism, appeared increasingly to be played out on the right side of the political spectrum alone. In Britain, the decline of the left seemed at its most chronic. A Conservative party resurgent, a far-left take over, an apparently fateful general election on the horizon, Brexit tearing its electoral coalition asunder. The party seemed to be withering around the two new axes of British politics introduced by two referenda: Scottish independence and Brexit. Labour seemed destined for long term irrelevance. And then it all changed. Far from being ground zero of the Leftist disease, at one fell stroke the general election of 2017 provided Labour... A Timely And Provocative Account Of The Fall Of New Labour, The Rise Of Corbyn, And What It Means For The Left In Britain. 'lewis Goodall Is One Of The Most Exciting Voices In British Politics Right Now' Emily Maitlis 'hugely Illuminating, Thought-provoking And Moving In Its Seriousness And Optimism' Lord Andrew Adonis In The 21st Century The Labour Party Has Undergone The Most Extraordinary Transformation In Its History. After More Than A Decade Of Political Dominance, The Party Lost Two Consecutive General Elections And Found Its Leadership Usurped By The Obscure Far-left Mp Jeremy Corbyn. As Britain Voted To Leave The Eu, Labour Seemed Destined For Long Term Irrelevance. But Then It All Changed. Far From Being The Death Of The Party As Many Had Predicted, At One Fell Stroke The General Election Of 2017 Heralded Its Strange And Unexpected Rebirth. Against All The Odds, Corbyn Became The First Labour Leader Since 1997 To Gain The Party Seats, And Was Simultaneously Hailed As The Saviour Of The British Left And A Harbinger Of Doom For Its New Labour Elite. In Left For Dead? Journalist Lewis Goodall Tells The Full Story Of This Political Revolution With Unprecedented Access To All Its Key Players, From Blair To Corbyn. Weaving Together Personal Memoir, Exclusive Interviews, Juicy Gossip And Incisive Critique, He Travels From The Streets Of His Childhood In The Shadow Of The Birmingham Rover Factory To The Corridors Of Power In Westminster, Tracing The Journey Of The Party From The Twilight Of The 'third Way' To The Tumult Of The Financial Crisis To The Ravages Of Brexit And Corbynism. Because One Thing Is For Certain - While The Left In Britain Might Not Be Dead, The Traditional Social Democratic Centre-left Which We Have Known Since The War Is Barely Twitching In The Road. But What Has Replaced It? Where Has It Come From? And What Does It Mean For The Long-term Future Of The Labour Party? A timely and provocative account of the fall of New Labour, the rise of Corbyn, and what it means for the left in Britain. 'Lewis Goodall is one of the most exciting voices in British politics right now' Emily Maitlis 'Hugely illuminating, thought-provoking and moving in its seriousness and optimism' Lord Andrew Adonis ESSENTIAL READING DURING LABOUR'S LEADERSHIP CAMPAIGN. In the 21st Century the Labour Party has undergone the most extraordinary transformation in its history. After more than a decade of political dominance, the party lost two consecutive general elections and found its leadership usurped by the obscure far-left MP Jeremy Corbyn. As Britain voted to leave the EU, Labour seemed destined for long term irrelevance. In Left for Dead? journalist Lewis Goodall tells the full story of this political journey with unprecedented access to all its key players, from Blair to Corbyn. Weaving together personal memoir, exclusive interviews, juicy gossip and incisive critique, he travels from the streets of his childhood in the shadow of the Birmingham Rover factory to the corridors of power in Westminster, tracing the journey of the party from the twilight of the 'Third Way' to the tumult of the financial crisis to the ravages of Brexit and Corbynism. Because one thing is for certain – the traditional social democratic centre-left which we have known since the war is barely twitching in the road. But what has replaced it? Where has it come from? And what does it mean for the long-term future of the Labour Party? As the Labour party faces the gravest test in its 116-year history, this book explores the extent to which its problems had been laid many years before. If Jeremy Corbyn's elections as leader of the Labour Party in 2015 and 2016 were a "hostile takeover", this was a symptom of a fundamental realignment in our politics. Left-of-centre parties all over Europe risk being swept into irrelevance and perhaps even a grizzly death. As they fail to deal with the very 21st century problems of the rise of nationalism and identity politics, their voter bases are looted by political rivals. Labour, in particular, is temperamentally ill suited to hyper-individualised world. The original left-wing core - a collectivised and unionised working class - hasn't looked less powerful and less important since the 19th century. The rise of the self-employed, of the internet and the rise of the individualised society has enormously challenged the collectivist and ultimately socialist thinking Labour party. Terms like solidarity, collectivism, Unionism at once seem increasingly passE. A cri de coeur to all who care about progressive politics in the UK and beyond, this books explains how Labour can learn from the mistakes of the British Liberal party, the American Whigs, or Pasok in Greece. Without drastic action, the only force which has proven itself capable of governing for progressive interests faces political sclerosis in our modern self-oriented age