Socialism with a Northern Accent?

Regional government in England never really took off, following the failure of Labour’s referendum on North-East devolution. But it is very much alive and well in Scotland, Wales and London. It’s about time the North had its fair share of devolution too. The ‘Hannah Mitchell Foundation’ (www.hannahmitchell.org.uk) is about developing a  debate on what sort of regionalism is right for the North, ensuring accountability and democracy.

Hananh Mitchell Foundation Membership 2012

Interested? There’s a facebook group, but email me and I’ll add you to the email group list as well. ‘The Hannah Mitchell Foundation’ is now formed as ‘an ethical socialist campaign for regional government in the North’.

My book Socialism with a Northern Accent is finished and will be available at the March 9th Hannah Mitchell event in Bradford. Lawrence and Wishart, the publishers, are offering a pre-publication deal – see attached document below:

Socialism with a Northern Accent pdf offer

The following articles might be of interest:

Hannah Mitchell – an outline

Green and pleasant land

The following article appeared in ‘Tribune’ on May 27th; click on file below for full version:

Blue Labour or Red

Blue Labour or Red: which traditions do we celebrate?

Maurice Glasman’s ‘Blue Labour’ project seems to have captured the interest of Ed Miliband and other senior Labour politicians. There’s much in it that’s highly relevant to Labour’s renewal as a radical and democratic force; it’s right to re-connect with Labour’s heritage and highlight some of the radical traditions which have been lost or forgotten.

art in the service of the cause! c 1985

But equally, there is a risk of selective interpretation of Labour and socialist history which ignores the rich and very diverse socialist heritage across the UK and risks missing out on opportunities for a regional revival within England in particular.

‘Blue Labour’ is silent on the crucial importance of the trades unions in creating a mass base for the party when it was established in 1900. Rather than growing out of a disparate network of ‘mutuals’ and co-ops, it was a result of some very clever politicking by the ‘ethical socialist’ leaders of the Independent Labour Party, above all Keir Hardie and Ramsay Macdonald. The alliance between the socialists of the Independent labour Party (ILP) and the unions, many of whom were very reluctant converts from Liberalism, and in some cases Toryism, was what ultimately allowed Labour to eclipse Liberalism as the political expression of the working class after the First World War. The alternative, of a ‘socialist alliance’ between the ILP and the rigid Marxism of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) would have consigned socialism in Britain to the status of a modest-sized cult……….