New Books in History Colm Murphy, "Futures of Socialism: ‘Modernisation', the Labour Party, and the British Left, 1973–1997" (Cambridge UP, 2023)
Dec 13, 2025
Colm Murphy, a historian at Queen Mary University of London, dives into the dramatic shifts within the Labour Party from 1973 to 1997, charting its evolution amid crushing defeats and ideological crises. He critiques the concept of 'modernisation,' revealing its multifaceted interpretations that shaped the left's response to neoliberalism and globalization. Murphy also highlights the impact of feminist voices on policy, the complexities of race within the party, and how New Labour navigated its multicultural stance, ultimately questioning social democracy's identity and future.
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Multiple Threats Drove Left Reforms
- The book examines competing visions of how the British left should adapt to shocks from Thatcherism and the SDP split.
- Colm Murphy shows modernisation framed political survival as well as ideological change.
Modernisation As Political Weapon
- Modernisation functioned as both a discursive weapon and an analytic claim within Labour debates.
- Murphy argues New Labour was contingent on many intellectual strands, not simply a neoliberal takeover.
Keep Ideas Plural But Coherent
- Maintain pluralism in idea-generation but insist on internal coherence before policy adoption.
- Murphy warns activists to avoid letting open debate become incoherent government practice.
