Alfie Steer
@alfiesteer.bsky.social
Historian of the Labour Left. Articles and book reviews in Tribune, Jacobin, Political Insight, Contemporary British History, English Historical Review, Modern British History. Organised 'Beyond the Fragments: 45 Years On.'
Very interesting read from my brilliant colleague @emmapeplow.bsky.social.
History of Parliament@histparl.bsky.social · last wk.🚨New Article🚨 Our oral history project recently interviewed Neil Hamilton, former Conservative MP for Tatton, whose battle with Martin Bell was one of the highlights of the 1997 General Election. Drawing on interviews with both candidates, @emmapeplow.bsky.social tells the story in their own words.
It's brilliant to have been able to draw on both perspectives of the 1997 Tatton election from our archive, two great interviews (and loads of fun to write)
History of Parliament@histparl.bsky.social · last wk.🚨New Article🚨 Our oral history project recently interviewed Neil Hamilton, former Conservative MP for Tatton, whose battle with Martin Bell was one of the highlights of the 1997 General Election. Drawing on interviews with both candidates, @emmapeplow.bsky.social tells the story in their own words.
Our project is SO lucky to have interviews with both Martin Bell and Neil Hamilton in our archive. For the first time we've been able to draw on the candid memories of both to retell the story of the Battle for Tatton, one of the most iconic election contests in modern British political history.
History of Parliament@histparl.bsky.social · last wk.🚨New Article🚨 Our oral history project recently interviewed Neil Hamilton, former Conservative MP for Tatton, whose battle with Martin Bell was one of the highlights of the 1997 General Election. Drawing on interviews with both candidates, @emmapeplow.bsky.social tells the story in their own words.
Look, put simply, people should not be comfortable saying that in public and the way to fix society runs directly through making them afraid to say it again.
Gregory Kohn@kohngregory.bsky.social · 2w agoIn the wake of Arday's death, Nathan Cofnas (who led the X mob against him) states his motivation. Beyond whistleblowing, he states that after a 'revolution' removes professors like Arday, it will open opportunities for him to become 'head of the department of eugenics and race science at Harvard'.
Please do check out this excellent volume, not only for my contribution on the SLP, but also @racheljcollett.bsky.social on the Merseyside Women's Liberation Movement, @owenjdowling.bsky.social on the Chile Solidarity campaign and many more!
Dan@d-j-frost.bsky.social · 3w ago@alfiesteer.bsky.social's chapter on the Socialist Labour Party, cited in this blog, appears in *In Solidarity, Under Suspicion* (@manchesterup.bsky.social), which I co-edited with @evansmithhist.bsky.social: manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526179593/
Very pleased to see my work cited in this fantastic piece on Your Party's first year of troubled existence. Unfortuantely for its supporters, there are a lot of similarities with the problems I described in Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party in the 1990s.
Dan@d-j-frost.bsky.social · 3w agoIn my new piece for the #MEIBlog, I draw on the work of Paolo Gerbaudo (@paologerbaudo.bsky.social), Alfie Steer (@alfiesteer.bsky.social) and the late Jonathan Dean to discuss Your Party's tumultuous first year.
🚨New Substack🚨 It is currently the Summer Recess for both Houses of Parliament, allowing MPs, Peers and parliamentary staff the opportunity to take some time off. @jhdavey.bsky.social has explored its long history and how MPs have historically enjoyed their time away from Westminster. ☀️🌴
Summer Recess
It is the Summer Recess for both Houses of Parliament, allowing MPs, Peers and parliamentary staff the opportunity to take some time off.
historyofparliament.substack.com
Two historians move house… @alfiesteer.bsky.social pictured putting up his Tony Benn biographies pride of place
Spending my evening working on the introduction of a very exciting special issue on the legacies of the classic feminist text 'Beyond the Fragments', based on papers from a conference @racheljcollett.bsky.social and I organised over two years ago ! Promise its worth the wait. Find out more here:
Beyond the Fragments: 45 Years On
Earlier this year, a one-day conference was held to mark 45 years since the publication of the seminal socialist-feminist text, Beyond the Fragments: Feminism and the Making of Socialism. Co-author…
sslh.org.uk
Think the business rates cut is a good move. Defending high streets and small businesses that are important to communities should central to a common sense social democracy. Some similarities with Ken Livingstone's prudent political economy from the late 80s, albeit also focused on defence cuts. 👇
Struggling to square Burnham’s lofty promises of a new age of social democracy with his concrete actions of appointing a chancellor who resigned as defence secretary after advocating spending cuts to spend more on the military.
Burnham's frequent emphasis on returning the Labour Party to its more authentic essence is very very similar to the rhetorical strategy deployed by the Labour left against Blair and New Labour in the 1990s and 2000s. Its a funny legacy. I wrote about it a lot in my PhD thesis, and here:
‘Keep the party Labour’: the Grassroots Alliance and activist opposition to New Labour, 1994-2007
In October 1998, Tony Blair suffered an embarrassing electoral defeat when four activists from the Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) were elected to the Labour Party’s National Executive Commi...
tandfonline.com
does anyone have a copy of Andrew Murray's "The Fall and Rise of the British Left" to hand and wouldn't mind helping me find a citation?
David Runciman’s interview with historian Robert Saunders was much better. A decade of Brexit should be being taken more seriously by the national broadcaster though. It’s an important monument when historical narratives are forming.
Now & Then with Robert Saunders: The Brexit Referendum 10 Years On
Past Present Future · Episode
open.spotify.com
One of the lessons of the last two years is that Labour urgently needs to stop being afraid of its own shadow. Burnham should appoint whoever he thinks would be the best Chancellor and throw his authority behind them. The Daily Mail will try to kill them anyway. So just govern.
Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social · 2mo agoHard not to regard this as a classic example of a pre-emptive campaign by certain sectors, along with their media sympathisers, to discourage a new prime minister from appointing someone who might damage their interests in the long and short term. And it will almost certainly work.
Delighted to say that I passed my PhD viva yesterday with no corrections! Somehow survived the heat as well.
The 1832 Reform Act received royal assent #OnThisDay 1832. This post from our editor Philip Salmon provides an overview of the Act’s significance and legacy: victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2022/06/07/1...
190th Anniversary of the 1832 Reform Act
For a 20 minute talk about the Reform Act by Dr Philip Salmon please click here. This month marks the 190th anniversary of the passing of the 1832 Reform Act, one of the iconic milestones in modern…
victoriancommons.wordpress.com
You are creating that debate. There is no debate. There is a far right talking point and a media willing to traffic it into the mainstream.
Sky News@news.sky.com · 3mo agoHenry Nowak murder's has highlighted the debate on whether UK police are anti-white
We are very sad to hear that Michael Meadowcroft, Liberal MP for Leeds West (1983-1987) has died. Michael was an influential thinker and famously opposed the merger with the SDP. In an interview for our Oral History project, he described his libertarian philosophy and independent personality. 👇
Mandelson's political advice amounting to 'You should Win instead of Not Winning' confirms my earlier impression of a mind completely overtaken by political banalities, and a talent entirely degraded through admiration of wealth. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Upcoming radio appearance from our @histparl.bsky.social colleague...
Alfie Steer@alfiesteer.bsky.social · 3mo agoI shall be likely yapping about Tony Benn’s diaries do tune in!
Very pleased to share my new article on the legal case surrounding Welwitsch's Angolan botanical collections, part of the @collecol.bsky.social issue in @Endeavour (edited by the lovely @dominikhhh.bsky.social & @nickytheprof.bsky.social) ✨ #envhist Available open access! doi.org/10.1016/j.en...
In May 1820, five men were hanged for their involvement in the Cato Street Conspiracy. Earlier this month our Public Engagement Assistant @AlfieSteer went on location to explore the plot that planned to assassinate the Prime Minister and his entire cabinet.
will feel like a gotcha but actually i think an interesting point re: the idea of what matters is what works vs ideology: would be keen to know the last time blair had an opinion that surprised you
The right wing content isn’t the notable thing, it’s the crudity of the ‘analysis’ and arguments for getting there. Too much time spent in the private jets of billionaires rots the brain. As the Epstein files showed their private political takes make tabloid headlines sound nuanced.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3mo agoTony Blair says Labour must abandon net zero, support Trump and move firmly to the right
