Steve Ludlam

Trajectories of Solidarity: Changing Union-Party Linkages in the UK and the USA

This article analyses the linkage between trade unions and the US Democratic Party and the UK Labour Party in the twentieth century. A typology suited to longitudinal analysis of labour movement union-party linkages is proposed to help characterise and explain historical development of these two national movements through earlier types of linkage, into ‘New Labour’ and ‘New Democratic’ forms. The paper suggests that, from similar starting points, differences through time in the range of types of linkage in the two movements can be explained by a combination of factors of political economy and electoral strategy, a combination that today points towards weaker relationships.

New Labour: what's published is what counts

Books reviewed in this article: Barrett-Brown, M. and Coates, K. (1996) The Blair Revelation: Deliverance for Whom? Blackburn, R. and Plant, R. (eds) (1999) The Labour Governments Constitutional Reform Agenda. Blair, T. (1996) New Britain: My Vision of a Young Country. Brivati, B. and Bale, T. (eds) (1997) New Labour in Power: Precedents and Prospects. Crewe, I., Gosschalk, B. and Bartle, J. (1998) Political Communications: Why Labour Won the General Election of 1997 Denver, D., Fisher, J., Cowley, P. and Pattie, C. (1998) British Elections and Parties Review, Volume 8: The 1997 General Election. Driver, S. and Martell, L. (1998) New Labour: Politics after Thatcherism. Ellison, N. (1994) Egalitarian Thought and Labour Politics: Retreating Visions. Gamble, A. and Wright, T. (1999) The New Social Democracy. Geddes, A. and Tonge, J. (eds) (1997) Labours Landslide: The British General Election 1997. Giddens, A. (1998) The Third Way: the Renewal of Social Democracy. Hay, C. (1999) The Political Economy of New Labour: Labouring under False Pretences? Hazell, R. (ed.) (1999) Constitutional Futures: A History of the Next Ten Years. Jones, T. (1996) Remaking the Labour Party: From Gaitskell to Blair. Shaw, E. (1996) The Labour Party Since 1945. Taylor, G. (1997) Labours Renewal? The Policy Review and Beyond. Thompson, N. (1996) Political Economy and the Labour Party: The Economics of Democratic Socialism 1884–1995. Worcester, R. and Mortimore, R. (1999) Explaining Labours Landslide.