Podcast of Lessons from Labour’s Past

Open Left and the Labour History Group held a joint event – Which Way’s Left?: Lessons from Labour’s Past – on Wednesday 25th November in Portcullis House, in which four experts on labour history debated what the respective experience of RH Tawney, Herbert Morrison, Anthony Crosland and Charlie Turnock have to teach today’s Left. Listen to a podcast of the event here.

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Lessons from Labour’s Past: Charlie Turnock

Dianne Hayter looks at what the life and work of Charlie Turnock can teach the modern Left. “Ministers and MPs should learn how to make our case. These MPs have never had to argue their case in the Mess Room, at 3am in the morning in the tea break, to sceptical trade unionists. Politicians have forgotten that their role is not just to craft the policies, but to argue for them.”

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Lesson’s from Labour’s Past: RH Tawney

Matt Carter looks at what lessons the modern Left can draw from the life and work of RH Tawney. “Of course, if he were alive today, Tawney would agree that state actions are not intended to replace the choices of responsible individuals. But he would also point out, perhaps none too gently, that rather than the state being the antithesis of personal responsibility it is central to providing a platform from which individuals can make responsible choices.”

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A New Moral Economy

Tristan Stubbs asks “What can the origins of thinking on modern capitalism teach us about the potential for a new liberal republicanism?”

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Maximising Capabilities

In a seminar discussion with Amartya Sen on ‘Economics and the Idea of Justice’ at Oxford Universty yesterday, James Purnell outlined what a politics drawning on the capabilities aprroach might look like in practice.

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Michael Meacher MP

What one or two changes would make the biggest difference to bringing about the sort of society I want Britain to be? A wealth tax and a Commission to lay down fair criteria for income determination across all classes and occupations; and a radical democratisation of both public institutions and private corporations.

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Beyond New Labour

David Lammy MP

David Lammy MP outlines the principles upon which he believes present centre-left politics must be based. “Progressive change often requires government action, but it also depends upon a collectivist ethic that exists and thrives beyond the state in civil society.”

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Which Way’s Left? Ideology

The intellectual traditions of the centre-Left have roots in both social democratic and radical liberal traditions. Both are complex political ideologies, with a range of diverse strands and viewpoints. So which radical liberal and social democratic ideas should the centre-Left draw on for political renewal today?

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Which Way’s Left? What kind of equality?

Greater equality is arguably the core value for the centre-Left. But what sort of equality should we pursue? Is narrowing gaps in income and wealth the core concern, or should we focus on a broader range of factors which affect what people can do and be?

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Which Way’s Left? What to do with power?

The expenses crisis has underlined the need for political reform, while shinning a light on the wider problems with our democracy. But does the centre-Left know what it wants to do with political and democratic power? Where do we need to deploy centralised power and where should we disperse it?

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Which Way’s Left? Community and Identity

The Left has long tussled with support for a diverse and tolerant country on the one hand and a desire for a strong sense of community and mutual obligations on the other. Should the Left celebrate our differences or emphasise what we hold in common? Can they be reconciled or is there an unavoidable choice of priority?

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Which Way’s Left? Future of Capitalism

The credit crunch and recession have shaken the foundations of our economy and posed fundamental questions about its future direction. Debate about the future of capitalism is back, but should essential reforms go with the grain of open markets or is a fundamentally different political economy required?

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