Policy Press

The Crosland legacy

The Future of British Social Democracy

By Patrick Diamond

Published

Jul 20, 2016

Page count

440 pages

ISBN

978-1447324737

Dimensions

198 x 129 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jul 20, 2016

Page count

440 pages

ISBN

978-1447324751

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jul 20, 2016

Page count

440 pages

ISBN

978-1447324768

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press
The Crosland legacy

Anthony Crosland bequeathed a significant intellectual legacy to the Labour Party including his celebrated treatise The Future of Socialism published sixty years ago. In this timely book, Patrick Diamond argues that Crosland continues to serve as a vital reference point for today’s Labour Party. He considers a wide range of Crosland’s writings on the economy and politics, relating his ideas to ideological debates taking place within the Labour Party about egalitarian social democracy, electoral strategy, the European question, and the importance of progressive liberalism on the British centre-left. This is the first substantial work to fully consider Crosland’s legacy for British social democracy.

Written in a clear and persuasive way, it will appeal to a broad audience of thinkers and activists with an interest in the history of the Labour Party and the British Left.

Patrick Diamond spent ten years in various roles at the heart of British government, including Head of Policy Planning and Senior Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister, Group Director of Strategy, Equality and Human Rights Commission, and Special Adviser to the Cabinet Office. He is now Lecturer in Public Policy at Queen Mary, University of London, Executive Chair of Policy Network and was Gwilym Gibbon Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. He writes extensively for numerous UK and European newspapers, publications and other media outlets.

Preface;

Introduction: Crosland’s Legacy;

Crosland: The socialist theoretician as hero;

Egalitarian social democracy: ‘is equality of opportunity enough’?;

Crosland and liberal progressivism: ‘conscience and reform’;

America and Europe in post-war social democracy;

Crosland’s electoral strategy: ‘can Labour win?’;

Crosland and Labour party modernisation: From Kinnock to Blair;

The future of social democracy and the British Left;

Conclusion: A Future for Socialism?.