We Shall Not be Moved: How Liverpool's Working Class Fought Redundancies, Closures and Cuts in the Age of Thatcher

The city of Liverpool became a hub of resistance against right-wing politics and de-industrialization due to Thatcher's sanctioning of neoliberal economic strategies. Six case studies illustrate how the local working-class fought against forced redundancies and closures, including strikes, factory occupations, the organization and politicization of the unemployed, consent to radical left-wing municipal politics, and tacit endorsement of violent civil unrest. Liverpool was distinctive in its range, intensity, and use of innovative tactics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 22 May 2018
Publisher: Manchester University Press

For much of its recent past, Liverpool has been a hotbed of industrial unrest, but it was the dawn of Thatcher and the approval of neoliberal economic policies that turned Liverpool into a center of opposition to the advancing wave of right-wing politics and sweeping deindustrialization. This analysis examines six case studies that demonstrate how components of a highly politicized local working class battled against the rapid increase in forced redundancies and industrial closures. Some of their responses included strikes, factory occupations, the organization and politicization of the unemployed, consent to radical left-wing municipal politics, as well as tacit support for a period of violent civil unrest. This critique concludes that Liverpool was unique in the breadth, intensity, and innovative tactics employed during these conflicts.

For much of its recent past, Liverpool has been a hotbed of industrial unrest, but it was the dawn of Thatcher and the approval of neoliberal economic policies that turned Liverpool into a center of opposition to the advancing wave of right-wing politics and sweeping deindustrialization. This analysis examines six case studies that demonstrate how components of a highly politicized local working class battled against the rapid increase in forced redundancies and industrial closures. Some of their responses included strikes, factory occupations, the organization and politicization of the unemployed, consent to radical left-wing municipal politics, as well as tacit support for a period of violent civil unrest. This critique concludes that Liverpool was unique in the breadth, intensity, and innovative tactics employed during these conflicts.

Weight: 422g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526132963