Goodbye to the Working Class: Social change, incompetence and sleaze push Labour to the brink

Labour lost eight of the next eleven general elections after 1979, due to working-class voters deserting and the Conservatives winning a majority of the working-class vote. Brexit was a consequence, not the cause, of these changes. Demographics have challenged Labours ability to win, and the Parliamentary Party is now overwhelmingly middle class. Labour has failed to adapt to change, attacked the low paid, and is disorganised and sleazy. Its failures are structural, with no strategic plan, sectarianism, financial crises, fragile or unelectable leaders, and disastrous rule changes. Political parties matter, and Labour has failed to ensure a supply of its own working-class or capable candidates.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 480 pages
\n Publication date: 23 September 2021
\n Publisher: The Conrad Press
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After 1979, Labour faced a significant decline in its electoral fortunes, losing eight of the next eleven general elections. This decline was marked by a significant shift in working-class voter support, with widespread abstention beginning in 1970 and the Conservatives winning a majority of the working-class vote in 2019. While Brexit was a significant event in recent British history, it was not the sole cause of these profound changes. The number of manual workers, traditionally Labour's core vote, has declined significantly, leading to Britain becoming a nation where shopworkers, education and NHS staff are the largest occupational groups. Demographics have posed a significant challenge to Labour's ability to win elections.

However, the situation for Labour goes beyond demographics. The Parliamentary Party of Labour has become overwhelmingly middle class, with a membership dominated by the public sector middle class. This shift has left Labour disconnected from the working class, which has in turn abandoned the party. Labour has been its own troubles, failing to adapt to change in the 1970s and 80s, attacking the low-paid and appeasing the powerful, and displaying disorganisation and sleaze at a local level. Its failures are structural, with a lack of a strategic plan, sectarianism, regular financial crises, fragile or unelectable leaders, and disastrous rule changes made in an age where social media and the internet can disrupt politics on a daily basis.

The consequences of these factors have been profound. Power has been turned upside down, with political parties losing their influence and ability to shape policy. Badly organised, ineffective leadership within political parties leads to policy failures in government, and Labour has been no exception. The party has failed to ensure a supply of its own working-class or capable candidates, further exacerbating its decline.

In conclusion, 'Goodbye to the Working Class' provides a powerful analysis of why and how Labour lost its working-class support. It is a human story of significant consequence for our politics, highlighting the need for Labour to reconnect with its roots and address the structural issues that have contributed to its decline. Only by doing so can Labour hope to regain its position as a force for social and economic change in Britain.

\n Weight: 762g\n
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 45 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781914913020\n \n