Gair Rhydd

Working Class Disenchantment

Rich Brown traces the changes of the Labour party in the last 15 years, and how their move away from socialist values has affected the representation of the working classes in national politics

When Tony Blair became leader of Labour in 1994, few could have predicted the effect that it would have on Britain’s political structure.

Since its inception in 1900, the Labour Party was traditionally the party of the working classes. With close ties to the unions and an emphasis on the working man. The Labour’s party ‘sorigins were unashamedly rooted in socialism. The Labour Party offered representation for the working man, which offered the working classes a party that would defend their interests.