Tangled Up in Blue (2011 book)
Encyclopedia
Tangled up in Blue is a 2011 politics book by the journalist and politician Rowenna Davis. The work tracks the emergence of Blue Labour
, a movement within the UK Labor party
which seeks to promote active citizenship and to champion traditional community values. While Davis does describe Blue Labour's ideas and policy recommendations, the book focuses on political relationships and the roles these played in Blue Labour's development. In particular the book is concerned with Lord Glasman
, and his relationships with other academics, strategists, and politicians - especially David
and Ed Miliband
. The work is Davis's first book and was published straight to paperback with 241 pages.
, an introduction, five chapters and a conclusion.
Much of the introduction describes the three pillars of Blue Labour, which are: Pillar one: interests, instituations and ideas ; Pillar two: reciprocity, relationships and responsibility ; Pillar three: virtue, vocation and value.
, the so called "red Tory". When Blond first met Glasman it was the Tory who was much more well known within Westminster – the two became friends and Blond was pleased to help raise Glasmans profiles as the two had partially overlapping ideas. The success of Obama's 2008 election campaign had also helped to inspire Glasman, as it involved the sort of relationship orientated, decentralized community mobilization that he wished to promote. A fifth influence was Glasman's prior involvement with Citizens UK
, an umbrella group dedicated to community organizing.
campaign and other initiatives. The two met in the autumn of 2009 and became fast friends. Shortly after, Glasman also formed strong relationships with senior figures in David Miliband's camp, thanks to introductions by his friend the journalist Allegra Stratton. Just three nights before the election, Glasman wrote a speech for Gordon Brown, who had decided to address Citizens UK. The speech was very well received, often considered his best of the campaign, demonstrating Glasman's talent.
. Some two dozen senior Labour players attended the meetings, these included both Miliband brothers and the MP Jon Cruddas
. It was at theese seminars that the document often regarded as Blue Labour's manifesto was drafted: The Labour tradition and the politics of paradox. Davis discusses Glassman's personal contribution to the document, a paper where he traces the Labour tradition back to the Participatory democracy
of the ancient Greeks
, going on to discuss how Labour was founded in the 19th century not by an intellectual elite but from grass roots community activism, in particular that which arose from the London Dock Strike of 1889
.
under the patronage of Ed Miliband, the consequent media attention, and the controversy he generated which came close to ending Blue Labour as a political force. After his elevation to the Lords, Glasman received considerable mainstream media attention and attracted the interest of several new party members, who would frequently meet at Westminster's Portcullis House
. However Blue Labors high profile also attracted hostile attention; several feminist Labour party MPs fiercly attacked Blue Labor as they saw the movement as anti-woman. Even greater controversy was created by Glasman's repeated comments on the need to tighten up immigration, and his assertion that Labour ought to reach out the EDL
, a far right group who describe themselves as opponents of radical Islamism but who critics describe as racist. The controversary peaked in July 2011, with several leading figures including Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford publicly dissociating themselves with Blue Labour. Following this several media commentators announced that Blue Labour had effectively ended. Davis relates how Lord Glasman concedes he was politically naïve in making the comments about immigration, he thought he would never be cast as racist or sexist due to his lifes work in helping immigrants, and especially female immigrants, speak out and represent their interests through community organizing.
, Tessa Jowel and Caroline Flint
. The author also states that despite its aim to champion working class traditional values, outside of Citizens UK Blue Labour has next to no grass roots support from regular people. However both Miliband brothers remain interested in Blue Labour and there are signs that the party leader is increasingly accepting and implementing its ideas. Ed Miliband told the author in a September 2011 interview that Blue Labour is an idea that is "ahead of its time".
from The Mirror, The Observer's Andrew Rawnsley
, The Sunday Telegraph's Matthew d’Ancona and from Patrick Wintour
, the political editor of The Guardian. Abigail O'Reilly for The Independent describes the book as an "excellent, clearly written" guide to Blue Labour.
Carl Packman for Left Foot Forward
calls the book "fantastic", saying its an introduction to Glasman's efforts to rejuvenate a "party with a great, Blair-shaped hole in its body."
Don Paskini for Liberal Conspiracy
says book describes Blue Labours ideas with "far more eloquence and clarity than any Blue Labour advocate" has managed hitherto. He also says the book creates a favorable impression of Lord Glasman as a politician, but that it does not convince him of the merits of Blue Labours ideas.
In The NewStatesmen, George Eaton also praises the book but says he remains skeptical of Blue Labour's anti-statist leanings.
Blue Labour
Blue Labour is an influential political tendency in the British Labour Party that was "effectively disbanded" in July 2011 following remarks about immigration by Maurice Glasman, though political commentators argue that its ideas still have strong influence with the Labour leadership...
, a movement within the UK Labor party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
which seeks to promote active citizenship and to champion traditional community values. While Davis does describe Blue Labour's ideas and policy recommendations, the book focuses on political relationships and the roles these played in Blue Labour's development. In particular the book is concerned with Lord Glasman
Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman
Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman is an English academic, social thinker and Labour life peer in the House of Lords.-Biography:Glasman was born in Walthamstow, London, the son of Rivie and Collie Glasman. He was educated at Clapton Jewish Day School and Jewish Free School from where he won an...
, and his relationships with other academics, strategists, and politicians - especially David
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
and Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
. The work is Davis's first book and was published straight to paperback with 241 pages.
Synopsis
The book has a forward by Steve RichardsSteve Richards
Steve Richards is a British TV presenter and chief political columnist for The Independent newspaper.-Early life:Richards was educated at Christ's College, formerly a state grammar school, in Finchley, North London, and graduated in History at the University of York in 1981 before securing a place...
, an introduction, five chapters and a conclusion.
Forward
In the forward Richards relates how his first actual meeting with Glasman shattered his initial assessment that Blue Labour was derivative and backward looking. Richards states that the importance of Blue Labour is partly shaped by Ed Miliband's recent ascension as party leader, after which he declared that the era of New Labour was over. According to Richards, Blue Labour is the most important source of fresh ideas to fill the resulting void. He also says that Glasman has the potential to be just the sort of compelling advocate that is needed to present new thinking if it to gain acceptance by the political mainstream.Introduction
Davis sets out her aim to reveal the untold story of Blue Labour's genesis and growth as an influential force within the labour party. She quotes Ed Miliband talking about how one of the strengths of Blue Labour is its recognition of the importance of personal relationships both for a healthy society and even for a good economy. Davis touches on many of the themes which she expands later in the book:- the way Glasman was inspired to attempt to invigorate the labour party by his dying mother and by contact with the "red tory" Phillip BlondPhillip BlondPhillip Blond is an English political thinker, Anglican and theologian, and director of the think tank ResPublica.He gained prominence from a cover story in Prospect magazine in the February 2009 edition with his essay on Red Toryism, which proposed a radical communitarian traditionalist...
. - the story of Glasman's almost unique role as someone supporting the leadership campaigns of both Miliband brothers.
- an outline of Blue Labour's agenda and intellectual development.
Much of the introduction describes the three pillars of Blue Labour, which are: Pillar one: interests, instituations and ideas ; Pillar two: reciprocity, relationships and responsibility ; Pillar three: virtue, vocation and value.
Chapter One: A pledge to a Mother
In the opening chapter, Davis discusses the factors that led Glasman to launch the Blue Labour initiative. The first was his Mother, a life long Labour supporter who very much saw the Labour party as the champion of ordinary peoples's interests. Glasman was incensed that on the night she died, Labour's bail out of the banks was still playing out on the news. Glasman saw the bailout as a huge unnecessary transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. It was on the night of her death in January 2009, in conversation with his wife, that Glasman first came up with label "Blue Labour". Another key influence in the development of Blue Labour was Phillip BlondPhillip Blond
Phillip Blond is an English political thinker, Anglican and theologian, and director of the think tank ResPublica.He gained prominence from a cover story in Prospect magazine in the February 2009 edition with his essay on Red Toryism, which proposed a radical communitarian traditionalist...
, the so called "red Tory". When Blond first met Glasman it was the Tory who was much more well known within Westminster – the two became friends and Blond was pleased to help raise Glasmans profiles as the two had partially overlapping ideas. The success of Obama's 2008 election campaign had also helped to inspire Glasman, as it involved the sort of relationship orientated, decentralized community mobilization that he wished to promote. A fifth influence was Glasman's prior involvement with Citizens UK
Citizens UK
Citizens UK describes itself as "the hub of community organising in the UK." It started as London Citizens in 1996, and came to national prominence during the United Kingdom general election, 2010 when all three leaders of the UK's three largest political parties addressed a large meeting of its...
, an umbrella group dedicated to community organizing.
Chapter Two: A speech to remember
The second chapter discusses how Glasman came to form relationships with the senior leadership in the Labour party. Ed Miliband had found out about Glasman during his investigation of Citizens UK, which he had became interested in due to the groups efforts to address poverty with its Living wageLiving wage
In public policy, a living wage is the minimum hourly income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs . These needs include shelter and other incidentals such as clothing and nutrition...
campaign and other initiatives. The two met in the autumn of 2009 and became fast friends. Shortly after, Glasman also formed strong relationships with senior figures in David Miliband's camp, thanks to introductions by his friend the journalist Allegra Stratton. Just three nights before the election, Glasman wrote a speech for Gordon Brown, who had decided to address Citizens UK. The speech was very well received, often considered his best of the campaign, demonstrating Glasman's talent.
Chapter Three: Loyalty amongst Brothers
This chapter records Glassman's role as advisor to both the Miliband brothers during their 2010 campaign to be elected as the new leader of Labour. According to Davis, Glassman was almost unique among prominent Labour party members in helping the campaigns of both Ed and David but committing to neither. David Miliband entered into an informal alliance with Citizen UK - several members from the organisation helped his campaign. Glasman assisted Citizen UK to liaise with David's senior team. Despite this, Glasman also advised Ed Miliband. According to Davis, Glassman had a strong relationship only with Ed and not his brother, though he did have close friendships with senior members of David's team. The book reveals that Glassman expected Ed to win as he thought the younger brother had a more appealing energy. The book does not reveal which brother Glassman personally voted for.Chapter Four: An unexpected guest
The fourth chapter focuses on an important stage of Blue Labours intellectual development which took place at seminars held at Oxford University between October 2010 and April 2011. Davis relates that the five key people leading the seminars were Glasman himself and four other accademics who are all to various degrees also active as political strategists. Theese four are Jonathan Rutherford ,Marc Sears, Stuart White and Lord WoodStewart Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield
Stewart Martin Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield Stewart Martin Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield Stewart Martin Wood, Baron Wood of Anfield (born 25 March 1968 is a British academic and Labour life peer in the House of Lords.A politics tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford University and a member of the...
. Some two dozen senior Labour players attended the meetings, these included both Miliband brothers and the MP Jon Cruddas
Jon Cruddas
Jonathan Cruddas is a British Labour Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham. He was first elected in 2001 to the seat of Dagenham....
. It was at theese seminars that the document often regarded as Blue Labour's manifesto was drafted: The Labour tradition and the politics of paradox. Davis discusses Glassman's personal contribution to the document, a paper where he traces the Labour tradition back to the Participatory democracy
Participatory democracy
Participatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
of the ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, going on to discuss how Labour was founded in the 19th century not by an intellectual elite but from grass roots community activism, in particular that which arose from the London Dock Strike of 1889
London Dock Strike of 1889
The London Dock Strike was an industrial dispute involving dock workers in the Port of London. It broke out on 14 August 1889, and resulted in a victory for the strikers and established strong trade unions amongst London dockers, one of which became the nationally important Dock, Wharf, Riverside...
.
Chapter Five: A Test of Friendship
Chapter five records Glasman's ascension to the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
under the patronage of Ed Miliband, the consequent media attention, and the controversy he generated which came close to ending Blue Labour as a political force. After his elevation to the Lords, Glasman received considerable mainstream media attention and attracted the interest of several new party members, who would frequently meet at Westminster's Portcullis House
Portcullis House
Portcullis House is an office building in Westminster, London, UK, that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff, augmenting limited space in the Palace of Westminster and surroundings....
. However Blue Labors high profile also attracted hostile attention; several feminist Labour party MPs fiercly attacked Blue Labor as they saw the movement as anti-woman. Even greater controversy was created by Glasman's repeated comments on the need to tighten up immigration, and his assertion that Labour ought to reach out the EDL
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
, a far right group who describe themselves as opponents of radical Islamism but who critics describe as racist. The controversary peaked in July 2011, with several leading figures including Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford publicly dissociating themselves with Blue Labour. Following this several media commentators announced that Blue Labour had effectively ended. Davis relates how Lord Glasman concedes he was politically naïve in making the comments about immigration, he thought he would never be cast as racist or sexist due to his lifes work in helping immigrants, and especially female immigrants, speak out and represent their interests through community organizing.
Conclusion
In the conclusion, Davis reviews the prospects for Blue Labour's continued influence on the mainstream Labour party. She concludes that Blue Labour does likely have a future, at least as a source of ideas if not as a brand. After the movement was pronounced dead by various journalists in mid summer 2011, Lord Glasman withdrew from the public eye, but remained commited to promoting Blue Labour and continued to exspand his network of interested contacts. There has been growing interest among Labour accademics and strategists centered around London and Oxford. Davis says support for Blue Labour remains weak among the parlimentary party, naming only a handful of MPs who openly support Blue Labour such as Hazel BlearsHazel Blears
Hazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
, Tessa Jowel and Caroline Flint
Caroline Flint
Caroline Louise Flint is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Don Valley since 1997. She served as the Minister of State for Housing and Planning in 2008, and later as the Minister for Europe until her resignation in 2009, citing the leadership of Gordon...
. The author also states that despite its aim to champion working class traditional values, outside of Citizens UK Blue Labour has next to no grass roots support from regular people. However both Miliband brothers remain interested in Blue Labour and there are signs that the party leader is increasingly accepting and implementing its ideas. Ed Miliband told the author in a September 2011 interview that Blue Labour is an idea that is "ahead of its time".
Reception
The book has attracted a positive reception, with recommendations from journalists such as Kevin MaguireKevin Maguire (journalist)
Kevin Maguire is a British political journalist, currently Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror newspaper. From an Irish Catholic family, earlier in his career Maguire was Chief Reporter for The Guardian....
from The Mirror, The Observer's Andrew Rawnsley
Andrew Rawnsley
Andrew Nicholas James Rawnsley is a British political journalist, notably for The Observer, and broadcaster.-Early life:...
, The Sunday Telegraph's Matthew d’Ancona and from Patrick Wintour
Patrick Wintour
Patrick Wintour is a British journalist, political editor of The Guardian. The son of the late Charles Vere Wintour by his marriage to Eleanor Trego Wintour , Wintour was educated at...
, the political editor of The Guardian. Abigail O'Reilly for The Independent describes the book as an "excellent, clearly written" guide to Blue Labour.
Carl Packman for Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward is a left wing political blog in the UK established in 2009 which was created and orginally edited by Will Straw, the son of Alice Perkins and Jack Straw, until December 2010. Straw was succeeded by Shamik Das, the current editor....
calls the book "fantastic", saying its an introduction to Glasman's efforts to rejuvenate a "party with a great, Blair-shaped hole in its body."
Don Paskini for Liberal Conspiracy
Liberal Conspiracy
Liberal Conspiracy is a left wing political blog established in 2007 and edited by Sunny Hundal. Writing in the Guardian, Hundal claimed he set up the site to help "think past single-issue campaigns and work together to push a progressive agenda for Britain ... We have to rebuild the grassroots...
says book describes Blue Labours ideas with "far more eloquence and clarity than any Blue Labour advocate" has managed hitherto. He also says the book creates a favorable impression of Lord Glasman as a politician, but that it does not convince him of the merits of Blue Labours ideas.
In The NewStatesmen, George Eaton also praises the book but says he remains skeptical of Blue Labour's anti-statist leanings.