The Strange Death of Labour Scotland by Gerry Hassan

The Strange Death of Labour Scotland by Gerry Hassan

The Scottish Labour Party is in an unprecedented position. Having been the leading party in Scotland for fifty years it lost an election and office to the SNP in 2007. This book addresses, examines and analyses the last 30 years of Scottish Labour, from the arrival of Thatcherism in 1979 to the aftermath of the party's defeat in the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections. It asks fundamental questions about the nature of Scottish Labour, its dominance of Scottish politics, the wider politics of Scotland, and whether the decline is irreversible. Covering both contemporary events and recent history, it draws on extensive research including archival sources and interviews with some of the key participants in Scottish Labour.

'In this significant book, two scholars with a deep understanding of the Labour Party have explored the 'myth of Labour Scotland'By 'myth' the authors capture the very real strength of Labour in Scotland but also the equally important existence of a widespread belief in Labour's dominance. They explain why the belief in Scottish Labour hegemony was less real than was often imagined and how devolution, especially its more proportional voting system, exposed the myth. The authors explore how this happened and devolution's impact on the party. The book combines public policy analysis, analysis of Labour's changing electoral base, the impact of New Labour, governing Scotland under devolution and its efforts to address the Scottish Question. This is not only the most up to date book on Labour in Scotland but the most comprehensive analysis of the party. It is required reading for anyone seeking to understand modern Scottish politics.' -- Professor James Mitchell, School of Government and Public Policy, University of Strathclyde

Dr. Gerry Hassan is Research Fellow in contemporary history at Dundee University. He has written and edited over two dozen books on Scottish and British politics including The Strange Death of Labour Scotland (with Eric Shaw, 2012), Caledonian Dreaming (2014), Independence of the Scottish Mind (2014), Scotland the Bold (2016), and SNP Leaders (edited with James Mitchell, 2016). His latest book is The People’s Flag and the Union Jack: An Alternative History of Britain and the Labour Party (with Eric Shaw, 2019). Eric Shaw is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Stirling. He is author of Losing Labour's Soul (Routledge, 2007) and Discipline and Discord in the Labour Party (Manchester University Press, 1988).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780748640027
ISBN 10	0748640029
Title	The Strange Death of Labour Scotland
Author	Gerry Hassan
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Edinburgh University Press
Year published	2012-06-19
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.