Publisher's Synopsis
“With pace and wit, the authors argue that any truly progressive government must have at its core the social movements that put it there. Nothing about us without us!” —Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian
“A brilliant, vital work for anyone who wants to make a Corbyn Labour government a success.” —Ellie Mae O’Hagan, journalist
“An essential companion to understand the transformative ideas that will be implemented under a radical Labour Government. ” —Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council
“More than a manual for politicians, [People Get Ready!] is most crucially a guide for the approach of the whole movement, designed specifically to empower our activist base and a wider public, because as John McDonnell has said, ‘when we go into government, we all go into government together’. ” —Laura Pidcock, MP
Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour stands on the brink of power, promising a fundamental re-ordering of British politics. But what, in practice, will this entail? How can a radical government stand up to an establishment that is hostile to any significant redistribution of wealth and power? People Get Ready! dives into the nitty gritty of what’s needed to bring about transformative change.
Unlike a decade ago, the left’s problem is no longer a shortage of big ideas. Inside and outside the Labour Party, an agenda for new forms of public and community ownership is taking shape. Today the biggest danger facing the left is lack of preparedness—the absence of strategies that can make these ideas a reality.
People Get Ready! draws on previous attempts at radical change, from the election of Labour at the end of the Second World War and the progressive early days of Mitterrand’s presidency in France, to Tony Benn’s battles with Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher’s icy insistence that there was no alternative to free markets. These stories highlight the importance of knowing your allies and, even more, your enemies, of being ready to deal with sabotage and resistance from the highest levels, of being bold enough to transform the structures of government, and of having a mass movement that can both support the leadership and hold it to its radical programme when the going gets tough.
Remarkably, democratic socialism in Britain is closer to government than in any other European country. The responsibilities this brings for those supporting the Corbyn project are as great as the opportunities it presents. But there isn’t much time to get ready …
