Manchester University Press The Labour Party Under Ed Miliband: Trying but Failing to Renew Social Democracy

When Ed Miliband was elected leader of the Labour Party in 2010 he believed the global financial crisis had opened the way for a new social democratic moment. With great intellectual and ideological gusto, Miliband and his close-knit team of advisers devoted considerable time and energy to chart the road that would lead to the renewal of social democratic politics in Britain. Was Miliband successful at turning the page on New Labour and re-imagining social democracy for the post-global financial-crisis era? This book maps the ideas - old and new - that were debated and adopted by the Labour Party under Miliband, and shows how they were adapted to contemporary circumstances and transformed into policy proposals. However, the timing of Miliband's leadership, his inability to find supporters for his agenda of transformative change, the prevalence of neoliberalism in public discourse and the crisis of European social democracy led to a watered down political agenda that lacked boldness, clarity and definition. For these reasons Goes argues that the Labour Party under Miliband tried but ultimately failed to renew social democracy. This failure is one of several reasons why 'Milibandism' was so overwhelmingly rejected by voters at the 2015 general election. The Labour Party under Ed Miliband offers a thought-provoking perspective on how political parties develop their thinking and political blueprints. It will appeal to scholars and students of British politics and ideologies and to anyone interested in contemporary debates about social democracy.