Harry Williams is a rail worker and Labour Party activist.
The first Labour conference under new leader Andy Burnham saw a rhetorical turn away from his predecessor’s austerian and managerial approach. Burnham has regained trade unions’ confidence, but his real policy shifts have been cautious.
Labour’s election defeat reflected problems of messaging and strategy, but also a much deeper lack of organizational roots. Faced with a huge Tory majority, Labour MPs should use their platform to help rebuild our movement at its historic source — the workplace itself.
As Britain’s official war-poster artist from 1941 to 1945, Abram Games produced iconic propaganda for a nation in arms. But the Jewish socialist’s art also portrayed the country that the troops were fighting for — a vision that didn’t always agree with Winston Churchill’s.
Labour’s conference showcased a party preparing for government. But the vibrant mood also expressed the strengthening of conference’s role itself.