Are you a socialist? The ILP’s six-point test for would-be members

‘Are you a socialist?’ enquired the Independent Labour Party in a recruitment leaflet published in March 1909. It went on to list six questions about the reader’s beliefs, to which, if the answer were to be ‘yes’, the appropriate course of action would be to join the ILP and help carry its principles into effect. The leaflet itself is of little significance. It includes an … Continue reading Are you a socialist? The ILP’s six-point test for would-be members

Society quits X for more positive online spaces

The Society for the Study of Labour History has halted its use of the X social media platform (formerly known as Twitter). We will, instead, focus social media efforts on Facebook and Bluesky, where the Society already has a significant presence. The Society has published the statement below to the X account along with links to other places where we can be found online. The … Continue reading Society quits X for more positive online spaces

Will Graham (Northumbria): Greenham Common peace camp activists, the NUM and Women Against Pit Closures

My dissertation project aims to understand how peace activists at the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp in Berkshire, interacted and worked with fellow political activists at local and national levels, but also across national borders during the Cold War of the 1980s. An important aspect of this concerns the link between the peace women of Greenham Common and female activists in the National Union of … Continue reading Will Graham (Northumbria): Greenham Common peace camp activists, the NUM and Women Against Pit Closures

Worlds of Digital Labour: ITH conference

The 59th International Conference of Labour and Social History (ITH) takes place at Linz, Austria, from 26-28 September 2024. Titled Worlds of Digital Labour, the event is organised by ITH in co-operation with the Chamber of Labour of Upper Austria, the Chamber of Labour of Vienna, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Politische Bildung and the City of Linz. … Continue reading Worlds of Digital Labour: ITH conference

People’s History Museum ‘my favourite’, says Culture Secretary

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has declared Manchester’s People’s History Museum her ‘favourite museum’. Speaking at the city’s Science and Industry Museum, which she said told ‘the story of ordinary extraordinary people who contribute to the growth of our country past and present’, she said that she had ‘spent many happy times here in this museum as a kid’ and now continued to visit with her … Continue reading People’s History Museum ‘my favourite’, says Culture Secretary

Taken as Red: Highs and Lows of the Labour Party, 1924-2019

From equal pay to the Beeching cuts, Labour’s record in office has been distinctly mixed. Here, Richard Temple introduces his new book, drawing on a century-long record of government to provide a balanced assessment of the party’s impact on ordinary people. It’s unusual to remember the exact moment when you have an idea for a book. But I remember mine. It  was prompted by the … Continue reading Taken as Red: Highs and Lows of the Labour Party, 1924-2019