This book provides an accessible yet critical analysis of the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn (2015-2020) in the context of the contemporary British political economy. It analyses structural constraints on left-wing politics and evaluates the transformative potential of Labour’s economic and social policies under Corbyn.
Drawing from a neo-Marxist and neo-Gramscian framework, the book argues that the material, institutional and ideological conditions before 2015 opened political space for a left-wing Labour Party, although the dominant historical structures severely limited its chance of coming to power. In addition, the book argues that Labour under Corbyn should not be dismissed as ‘populist’, and that its policies aimed to redress structural economic problems, promote economic democracy and tackle contemporary challenges. The book also highlights the importance of adopting a long-term approach to counter-hegemonic political struggle so as not to shrink the space for progressive politics.
Prapimphan Chiengkul is an Assistant Professor at Thammasat University, Thailand. She specialises in the political economy of development and has published articles in Third World Quarterly and Alternatives. She is the author of The Political Economy of the Agri-Food System in Thailand: Hegemony, Counter-Hegemony and Co-Optation of Oppositions (2017).
This book provides an accessible yet critical analysis of the Labour Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn (2015-2020) in the context of the contemporary British political economy. It analyses structural constraints on left-wing politics and evaluates the transformative potential of Labour’s economic and social policies under Corbyn.
Drawing from a neo-Marxist and neo-Gramscian framework, the book argues that the material, institutional and ideological conditions before 2015 opened political space for a left-wing Labour Party, although the dominant historical structures severely limited its chance of coming to power. In addition, the book argues that Labour under Corbyn should not be dismissed as ‘populist’, and that its policies aimed to redress structural economic problems, promote economic democracy and tackle contemporary challenges. The book also highlights the importance of adopting a long-term approach to counter-hegemonic political struggle so as not to shrink the space for progressive politics.
Prapimphan Chiengkul
Labour party Jeremy Corbyn British politics anti-austerity parliamentary socialism left populism British political economy New Labour Corbynism Labour opposition polarisation of political ideologies
“This book provides an overview of Corbynism from a critical political economy perspective. Based on an extensive review of relevant materials, the book offers a useful resource for students and scholars interested in this important period in the history of the British Labour Party.” (Scott Lavery, Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), University of Sheffield, UK)
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