A party with socialists in it

Over a year ago, I read Simon Hannah’s book, “A Party with Socialists in it, a history of the Labour Left.” I found it fascinating, informative, and well-paced. I read the 1st edition[1], which unlike the later edition is missing the final chapter on the 2019 election and the fall of Corbyn. I made some notes and posted an article to both my blog, and Medium.

The article is an effective if specifically personal review and includes some comments from my memories and family diaries. It covers, post-war defence issues and Bevan, Wilson’s National Plan together with his fatal intra-party compromise on the first EU referendum, Bennism, his near mysticism and the Falklands War, the influence of Trotskyism, the continued factionalism and the weaponisation of party democracy, and the conflict between workers control of the factories (and offices) and a national plan.

The article is quite long and so if you want more, I suggest you go to one of the long form posts, on eithermy blog, or Medium