Blue or purple? Reflections on the future of the Labour Party

Beech, Matt; Hickson, Kevin

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the future ideological direction of the Labour party by analysing two intellectual offerings that have appeared in the post-New Labour era: ‘Blue Labour’ and The Purple Book. First, the article sets out the strategic context of these ideological conversations: Labour’s defeat in the 2010 general election; the formation of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition; economic austerity resulting from the banking crisis and the global financial crash; and the changing political climate which ostensibly suggests a move from the ‘politics of the state’ to the politics of ‘localism’. Next, the article discusses the main features of ‘Blue’ and ‘Purple’ Labour. Finally, the article provides an explanatory evaluation of the two divergent ‘futures’. The article aids both scholars and students in the ongoing intellectual task of explaining British politics in the post-New Labour era and, more particularly, helps one to understand the ideological future of the Labour party.

Citation

Beech, M., & Hickson, K. (2014). Blue or purple? Reflections on the future of the Labour Party. Political Studies Review, 12(1), 75-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00288.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 18, 2012
• Online Publication Date: Dec 4, 2012
• Publication Date: 2014-01
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Journal: Political studies review
• Print ISSN: 1478-9299
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 75-87
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00288.x
• Keywords: Labour Party (Great Britain), Social democracy, Blue Labour, The purple book : a progressive future for Labour, Ideology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/469081
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00288.x/abstract
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Beech, M. and Hickson, K. (2014), Blue or Purple? Reflections on the Future of the Labour Party. Political Studies Review, 12: 75–87. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00288.x, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2012.00288.x. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
• Contract Date: Nov 13, 2014