Jon Cruddas - The Dignity of Labour

1 Cover

2 Endorsement ‘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

3 Dedication Dedication To Anna and Emmett

4 Title Page The Dignity of Labour Jon Cruddas polity

5 Copyright 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 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 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/2020039536 LC 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

6 Preface

7 Acknowledgements

8 About the Author

9 Prologue Notes

10 1 Work and the Modern WorldPolitics and Belonging Degradation Authoritarian Populism The Challenge The End of Work? Pragmatic Confusion Then Worked Stopped The Way Ahead Notes

11 Part I The Economics of Labour 2 The Labour ProblemDagenham and the 17 Post-war Pluralism Classical Economics and the Labour Problem Disease The Cure The Corporate State Rethinking Made in Dagenham 1969 Notes 3 Miracle CuresStepping Stones Neo-Classical Theory Shock Doctrine Unity Unity in Dagenham Miracle Cure? Notes 4 New LabourNeo-Classical Labour? Donovan’s Early Influence Treasury Utility Rights, Equality and Europe Blair Knowledge Work Closing-Down Sale – Everything Must Go Blair and Brown United Ignored Not Wiped Out The ‘Labour Problem’ Notes 5 A Return to Marx Modern Utopia Value Theory Work and Marxism Reading Marx Notes

12 Part II The Ethics of Labour 6 DignityDagenham Labour The Public Philosopher Comes to Town What Is Work? Early Dagenham Capitalism Dignity Talking Heads Notes 7 What Do We Think and What’s Going to Happen? ‘Technology Is not Destiny’ Notes 8 Justice and the LeftThree Speeches Politics, Morality and Justice Rethinking Socialism A Different Marxism A Different Labour Rethinking the Oxford School Footnote: Tony Blair – The Road Not Taken Notes 9 Human Labour and Radical HopeA Culture Dies Radical Hope The Political Interregnum The Right Universal Basic Income The New Work Covenant The Renewal of Vocation Notes

13 Epilogue Notes

14 Index

15 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Endorsement

4 Dedication

5 Title Page

6 Copyright

7 Preface

8 Acknowledgements

9 About the Author

10 Prologue

11 Begin Reading

12 Epilogue

13 Index

14 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 3 Figure 1.Union membership 1990–2014

1 Chapter 3 Table 1.Key labour market indicators: 1979–1989

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