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Searching for Socialism: The Project of the Labour New Left from Benn to Corbyn
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.
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.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 19, 2021
An oddly structured book that looks to cover a history of the UK Labour Party from the 1970s to the present day, from the perspective of the socialist left.
It starts off ooking at the struggles for socialist democratisation that Tony Benn concerned himself with from the late-1960s onwards. This section of the book is the most thoroughly researched and rigorous, but does get bogged down in the arcane terminologies of the period. The intricacies of Labour's relationship to the Trade Unions and the divisive relationship between the PLP and the wider party membership is fascinating, but rather dry in its iteration.
The second half of the book looks at the rise of the Blairite New Labour project and how it sows the seeds of its own destruction in its authoritarian approach to party management, and ruthless pursuit of fiscal liberalism, paving the way for Momentum and Jeremy Corbyn to reassert the socialist left argument for a more involved State, concerned with citizens rather than customers or clients. This section is lighter on detailed research and more journalistic in tone, but is much more immediately engaging, as it looks to unpick the torturous knots Labour has tied itself in in the present moment.
A decent survey of a party during a crucial period of its history. Undoubtedly the writers are a little too kind to Corbyn and his failings. However, it is intriguing to think how this might be the beginning of a more concerted leftward swing in the contemporary politics of Labour, especially if Starmer continues to vapidly reframe Blairism for the 2020s.
It starts off ooking at the struggles for socialist democratisation that Tony Benn concerned himself with from the late-1960s onwards. This section of the book is the most thoroughly researched and rigorous, but does get bogged down in the arcane terminologies of the period. The intricacies of Labour's relationship to the Trade Unions and the divisive relationship between the PLP and the wider party membership is fascinating, but rather dry in its iteration.
The second half of the book looks at the rise of the Blairite New Labour project and how it sows the seeds of its own destruction in its authoritarian approach to party management, and ruthless pursuit of fiscal liberalism, paving the way for Momentum and Jeremy Corbyn to reassert the socialist left argument for a more involved State, concerned with citizens rather than customers or clients. This section is lighter on detailed research and more journalistic in tone, but is much more immediately engaging, as it looks to unpick the torturous knots Labour has tied itself in in the present moment.
A decent survey of a party during a crucial period of its history. Undoubtedly the writers are a little too kind to Corbyn and his failings. However, it is intriguing to think how this might be the beginning of a more concerted leftward swing in the contemporary politics of Labour, especially if Starmer continues to vapidly reframe Blairism for the 2020s.
June 2, 2023
meh. i assume someone chooses to write a book about the history of socialism in the labour party because they are, at least to some degree, passionate about socialism. but this is the driest, most academic, least interesting book. there is no passion for socialism, or indeed for the art of writing non-fiction, anywhere to be found. not a fan !!! and this is coming from someone with a degree's worth of tolerance of reading boring politics articles. do better!
June 11, 2020
An immoral book on an evil plan of pain and suffering so that the leaders will have more power and the proletarians will be happy after death.
December 2, 2022
A brilliant work that confirms that we lost Panitch too soon.
Searching for Socialism confronts central questions of our time- the need to address ecological and economic crisis and collapse on a fundamental level-through the case study of the Labour Party. The historical eye for detail is incredible and sympathetic, and the analysis is deft and understated, this book could be read as a history just as equally as a work of political economy.
Highly recommend to people interested in the topic of Left renewal, intra-party struggle, socialism, or what challenges beset an electoral path beyond capitalism.
Searching for Socialism confronts central questions of our time- the need to address ecological and economic crisis and collapse on a fundamental level-through the case study of the Labour Party. The historical eye for detail is incredible and sympathetic, and the analysis is deft and understated, this book could be read as a history just as equally as a work of political economy.
Highly recommend to people interested in the topic of Left renewal, intra-party struggle, socialism, or what challenges beset an electoral path beyond capitalism.
June 22, 2022
Searching for Socialism: The Project of the Labour New Left from Benn to Corbyn is a really excellent book. If you’re on the left in the Labour Party, it’s an essential read which details how we got where we are, the history of the modern left in the party and seeks to explain the process of the development of the left inside the party too. It’s a story of ups and downs (many downs), twists and turns and some optimism. I lived through many of the periods detailed in the book and was involved in many of the struggles too and recognised the analysis proffered by the book’s authors. Given the current discussions underway in the Labour movement around whether The Labour Party can be transformed, the book is particularly useful in highlighting the process involved in building the left and also in explaining that, despite current setbacks, there are still causes for optimism. Order it from Verso.
January 21, 2024
I first picked this up last year and found the first chapters incredibly dry. I decided to give it another go and am glad I did. It's a very useful overview of how the Labour party has ended up in its current state and the cycles the UK left has been stuck in for decades. Tony Benn's 1979 quote feels equally as pertinent today:
"You can't go on pretending you're a socialist party when you're not, presenting you'll do something when you won't, confining yourself to attacks on the Tories when that's not enough".
It didn't offer any revolutionary new analysis - most of the points made were conclusions I'd drawn myself already from following UK politics. More useful for someone seeking an introductory text than someone looking for radical new perspectives, but a worthwhile read overall.
"You can't go on pretending you're a socialist party when you're not, presenting you'll do something when you won't, confining yourself to attacks on the Tories when that's not enough".
It didn't offer any revolutionary new analysis - most of the points made were conclusions I'd drawn myself already from following UK politics. More useful for someone seeking an introductory text than someone looking for radical new perspectives, but a worthwhile read overall.
July 2, 2020
Really interesting, required reading for all those in the Labour Party. Really hit home how naive it is to say factionalism needs to end, because factions are the manifestations of the intellectual traditions within the Party.
May 12, 2022
Kohustuslik lugemine kõigile keda huvitab Briti tööliste partei ajalugu. Kõigile kes tahavad õpida miks Jeremy Corbyn oli erakonna kõige parim juht ja miks ta kaotas 2019 valimised. Ja muidugi kõigile Sotsidele, eriti Raimond Kaljulaidile, äkki õpivad midagi.
April 30, 2021
Really enjoyed reading about the tale of woe that is the Labour Party and their outright rejection of leftism
October 4, 2020
At the end I wondered whether this was satire, a grim whinge about the Parliamentary Labour Party that confirms that the hard left like losing elections so they can revere their public school educated heroes. Obsessed with the futile political infighting of the Bennite left,mistaking the cheers of activists for fundamental change, this shows why Corbyn and his allies have been the greatest help to a succession of Tory leaders.
It is a classic rant if lazy thinking, inadequate analysis, deep envy of any successful left of centre politician, pandering to any form of anti-American fascism and admiration for pointless political posturing. Badly written, deceitful and lacking in insight, it confirms that fifty years of failure will never change the comfortable hobbyists of the failed left.
It is a classic rant if lazy thinking, inadequate analysis, deep envy of any successful left of centre politician, pandering to any form of anti-American fascism and admiration for pointless political posturing. Badly written, deceitful and lacking in insight, it confirms that fifty years of failure will never change the comfortable hobbyists of the failed left.
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