The Dignity of Labour

Reviews / Votes

'This book seeks to re-establish Labour as the party of work. It is an ambitious and essential read for anyone interested in how our movement can rebuild.'
Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party

'Ranging brilliantly across economics, ethics, politics, even film, this humane and hopeful book points the way to a new politics of the common good. It is essential reading for everyone who cares about repairing our civic life.'
Michael Sandel, author of The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good?

'In this short book Jon Cruddas upends the assumptions of the modern left and offers a route back to relevance. Anchored in the moving story of loss, humiliation and resilience in Dagenham, he revives an exiled political tradition to restore the prospect of dignity and hope. In a time when we've briefly remembered the value of work, Cruddas reminds us there is nothing inevitable about the future. Surely among the most important political works of the coming decade, The Dignity of Labour offers the first, genuinely original answer to the question we are frequently asked: what is Labour for?'
Lisa Nandy MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary

'Humane, intelligent and accessible. This wonderful book shows that dignity for workers must be at the heart of the post-Covid economy - and shape the future of work itself. A must-read for everyone on the left - and far beyond.'
Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

'Work is at the heart of a meaningful life. Its degradation has left people humiliated. Neither liberal technocracy nor far-left "end-of-work" utopias offer radical hope. This is one of the most important books written during the long interregnum since the 2009 financial crisis. It offers a deeper diagnosis than any binary analysis by showing how liberal democracy allied to capitalism commodifies work and incubates authoritarian populism. Played out in the history of his Dagenham constituency, Cruddas' conception of community, nation and citizenship is anchored in a politics of work. Such a renewed public philosophy for the left can give people a more dignified life. A must-read for everyone interested in the future of social democracy and political pluralism.'
Adrian Pabst, Professor of Politics at Kent and author of The Demons of Liberal Democracy