Jon Cruddas - The Dignity of Labour

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‘In this short book Jon Cruddas upends the assumptions of the modern left and offers a route back to relevance. Anchored in the moving story of loss, humiliation and resilience in Dagenham, he revives an exiled political tradition to restore the prospect of dignity and hope. In a time when we’ve briefly remembered the value of work, Cruddas reminds us there is nothing inevitable about the future. Surely among the most important political works of the coming decade, The Dignity of Labour offers the first, genuinely original answer to the question we are frequently asked: what is Labour for?’

Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary

‘Humane, intelligent and accessible. This wonderful book shows that dignity for workers must be at the heart of the post-Covid economy – and shape the future of work itself. A must-read for everyone on the left – and far beyond.’

Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

‘This is one of the most important books written during the long interregnum since the 2009 financial crisis. It offers a deeper diagnosis than any binary analysis by showing how liberal democracy allied to capitalism commodifies work and incubates authoritarian populism. A must-read for everyone interested in the future of social democracy and political pluralism.’

Adrian Pabst, Professor of Politics at Kent and author of The Demons of Liberal Democracy

‘At a time when many are proclaiming the end of work, Jon Cruddas makes a compelling, inspiring case for renewing the dignity of labour. He shows how technological determinism has narrowed our sense of what politics can be and led the Labour Party astray. Ranging brilliantly across economics, ethics, politics, even film, this humane and hopeful book points the way to a new politics of the common good. It is essential reading for everyone who cares about repairing our civic life.’

Michael Sandel, author of The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?

‘This book seeks to re-establish Labour as the party of work. It is an ambitious and essential read for anyone interested in how our movement can rebuild.’

Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party

To Anna and Emmett

Jon Cruddas

polity

Copyright © Jon Cruddas 2021

The right of Jon Cruddas to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2021 by Polity Press

Polity Press

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Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

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Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4080-8

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Cruddas, Jon, author.

Title: The dignity of labour / Jon Cruddas.

Other titles: Dignity of labor

Description: Medford : Polity Press, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “The 21st century’s greatest scholar-politician unpicks the degraded politics of contemporary work and advocates an alternative”-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020039536 (print) | LCCN 2020039537 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509540785 (Hardback) | ISBN 9781509540792 (Paperback) | ISBN 9781509540808 (ePub)

Subjects: LCSH: Labor--Moral and ethical aspects--Great Britain. | Labor--Religious aspects--Catholic Church. | Labour Party (Great Britain) | Marxian economics--Great Britain. | Great Britain--Politics and government--21st century.

Classification: LCC HD4905.3.G5 C77 2021 (print) | LCC HD4905.3.G5 (ebook) | DDC 331.01/3--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039536LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039537

The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

Dignity is the type of big word favoured by popes and presidents. For George W. Bush it framed bioethical challenges and Barack Obama the pursuit of international human rights. Pope Francis talks of the irrepressible dignity of every human.

When I was young, I was taught about the dignity of labour. For my devout mother it was part of our Catholic teaching. As a teenage union member, I heard talk of it from the same guy who told me to read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists . It is an unfashionable term that suggests all jobs have worth and status, that no occupation should be considered superior.

Until recently if we discussed dignity, we were likely to be contemplating how we die rather than how we live. The pandemic changed this. In the face of death, we reconsider how we live and what we value in the contribution of others. Personally, I know I did years ago when I had to confront the possibility of my own death.