The aim is to tell the story of the idea. How Blue Labour came about, where it’s going and what it could mean for the Labour party and the country. The book will not aim to advocate or denigrate Blue Labour ideas, but to explain them.
Since the brand was introduced to the mainstream just a few months ago, Blue Labour has gone viral, exploding into political discourse and causing fierce debate in the press. But very few actually know what it is or how it came about. This book would help to change that.
Understanding Blue Labour will help society join in the debate. It will give people a chance to hold its authors accountable for their ideas, accept what they like and reject what they don’t. It will also document the different nuances of opinion from leaders associated with the movement that were often lost by a media enchanted by the brand alone.
The book will capture these subtleties in narrative form. It’s a story that hasn’t been told that goes right to the heart of the Labour party. It has important insights to offer about the party’s leaders and their beliefs about what the party should be about.
So where do you come in? I’m interviewing as many people as I can to get as many perspectives as possible. I’m not just interested in hearing from leaders in the Labour party, but from rank and file party members, commentators, journalists and activists from left and right and inside and outside the party. If you have any input at all, please do get in touch via rowenna.davis@gmail.com. I’m happy to speak on or off the record.
Blue Labour Story, the Battle for the Soul of the Labour Party (provisional title) is due for publication in the next six months. It will be published by Ruskin Books, a publishing company founded by Derek Draper. Rowenna Davis, a journalist and Labour councillor, is working on the book with assistance from journalist Steve Richards, and retains full editorial independence. All profits will go to charity.
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