"The book is like MacShane himself: lively, witty, entertaining, indiscreet, and every so often you can hear the satisfying clunk of an old score being settled."
Description
Since 1970, Labour has won power in just 4 of the 14 general elections. This angry, passionate book asks why Labour is so good at losing elections, and so unhappy and edgy when it does win.
Genres
Pages326
Released2026
LanguageEnglish
PublisherClaret Press
ISBN9781918983524
SellerSimon & Schuster
About the author(s)
Denis MacShane joined the Labour Party in 1970, and has held every office at local party level. He stood for the Commons aged 26. He served as an MP for 18 years and was Minister of State for Europe. He draws on experience, meetings with Labour leaders, and his personal diaries as he tries to answer the question: Why is Labour so keen on fighting internal battles and so useless at winning power? MacShane offers pragmatic suggestions for turning Labour into a party of power as well as protest.
Reviews
"Personal, political and full of insights. I hope labour party members debate without rancour or sectarian anger what needs to be done. This book is a good starting point.".
Polly Toynbee
"Why labour is so good at losing elections is fascinating reading. What to do to get labour back into power is a central question if we don’t want to live in a one-party state.".
Steve Richards
