Old Labour to New: The Dreams that Inspired, the Battles that Divided

by Greg Rosen, Methuen and Co. Ltd. (Manufactured by)

A gripping account of the dramas that have electrified British politics over the last century. This is the story of the hopes and dreams that inspired the creation of the Labour Party and drove the personalities that created the NHS, established the welfare state, faced down Hitler and Stalin, but were defeated by Margaret Thatcher.

The crises and controversies, the personalities and the issues are uniquely illustrated with original excerpts from the great speeches that shaped the Labour Party. Whether it be the rhetorical brilliance of Aneurin Bevan, Jennie Lee or Michael Foot, the rapier wit of Harold Wilson or Robin Cook, the emotive power of Ellen Wilkinson or Neil Kinnock, or the heavy calibre broadside of Ernest Bevin, Jim Callaghan, Barbara Castle or Denis Healey, the raw power of the speeches was often decisive, making and breaking careers in the process.

What was 'Old Labour' really about? What are the roots of 'New Labour'? This book traces the rise in the 1990s of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and their allies, mentors and adversaries - right from the beginning - to illuminate the answers.

Greg Rosen is chair of the Labour History Group, co-editor of the journal Labour History and an adviser to the Labour Party's 1906-2006 Centenary Group. He edited the Dictionary of Labour Biography (Politico's, 2001).

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005