Strange Death of Labour Scotland

Dr. Gerry Hassan is Research Fellow in contemporary history at Dundee University. He has written and edited over two dozen books on Scottish and British politics including The Strange Death of Labour Scotland (with Eric Shaw, 2012), Caledonian Dreaming (2014), Independence of the Scottish Mind (2014), Scotland the Bold (2016), and SNP Leaders (edited with James Mitchell, 2016). His latest book is The People’s Flag and the Union Jack: An Alternative History of Britain and the Labour Party (with Eric Shaw, 2019). Eric Shaw is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Stirling. He is author of Losing Labour's Soul (Routledge, 2007) and Discipline and Discord in the Labour Party (Manchester University Press, 1988).

• List of Tables; Acknowledgements; Introduction: The Strange Death of ‘Labour Scotland’; 1. The ‘Myth’ of ‘Labour Scotland’; Part I: The Context of Scottish Labour: The Opposition Years; 2. Fighting for What Really Matters: The Politics of Scottish Labour 1979–87; 3. ‘What Do You Do When Democracy Fails You?’ – ‘The Scottish Dimension’ and Thatcherism; 4. Northern Discomfort: Scottish Labour, New Labour and the Coming of Blair; Part II: The Context of Scottish Labour: Devolution Days; 5. The High Tide of New Labour, New Scotland; 6. Scottish Labour and ‘the Early Days of a Better Nation’; 7. The Politics of Stability and the Slow Demise of New Labour; 8. A Different Political Landscape: Scottish Labour in a Cold Climate; Part III: Scottish Labour in Power; 9. How Distinctive is Scottish Labour? The Cases of Education and Health; 10. Ideology, Institutions and the Programmatic Trajectory of Scottish Labour; 11. The Paradox of Free Personal Care for the Elderly; Part IV: Dynamics of Scottish Labour; 12. Still the People’s Party? Scottish Voting Behaviour and the Scottish Party System; 13. The Evolution of Scottish Labour; 14. The Internal Politics of Scottish Labour; 15. Power and Policy-making; 16. Power in the Scottish Labour Party: The Case of Candidate Selection; 17. The Territorial Dimensions of Labour; Conclusion: The Forward March of Scottish Labour Halted?; References; Index.

This book reminds its readers of the scale and significance of Labour's contribution to Scottish life over recent decades.