The British Labour Movement's alternative economic strategy 1966-1983

Abstract

This thesis has not examined the likely effectiveness of the labour movement's alternative economic strategy. lt is an examination of the way that some initially crude ideas became a consistent, rationalised, strategy which was supported by a substantial cross-section of the labour movement. The thesis is also an exercise in appreciating the way that Labour party policy was devised and adopted. In recent years the study of thelabour movement, and especially its institutions and political economy, has declinedalong with the relative importance of the movement itself. Yet the fact remains that the labour movement and its concerns dominated large sections of Britain's political and economic history and that the party operated in conjunction with other working class groups. At times that labour movement collaboration has been confined to particular aspects of policy. At other times (as in the 1930s and the 1960s-1980s) the movement was more clearly involved in the development of a whole political programme. The recent tendency to ignore the interaction between sections of the labour movement - to focus instead on revising earlier studies of Labour governments - has produced a partial
and distorted picture of the left' s past. This thesis is primarily an attempt to show that at one point in that past the trade unions played a positive role in policy development, through constructive efforts which had a clear economic purpose. In doing so, it suggests that the 'labour movement' can be a legitimate and profitable area of study.

Date of Award	2005
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Wales, Bangor
Supervisor	Peter Shapely (Supervisor)