Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1117836 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 269 pages

Synopsis
Tracing the history of the Labour Party through 100 years since its inception, this book focuses on the pivotal figures whose faith in God has motivated and moulded their politics. Many of these men and women fought against the prevailing attitudes of their day to bring greater dignity to ordinary people through workers' rights, the women's suffrage movement, education and health care. The Christian element in the Labour Party has been strong throughout, but it has sometimes sat uneasily with the philosophy of Marxism, from which Labour has also drawn its principles. This book looks at the dynamism and tensions along the way.

Customer Reviews

God's Politicians- the high and mighty in Labours politics
As a one time political activist for the Labour party, and one that sees many Christian ideas within that party, I jumped on this book with relish. Most of the names of the poliliticians mentioned are very well known within the Labour movement but even some early reforming tories and liberals are discussed.
The history of how 'the revolution' of Christian Socialism came about is told with great excitement and in enough depth to give a broad understanding while showing the determined direction of that movement, from conception in a small chapel around Ely to the great heights of power in the late 20th Century to early 21st Century. The new force at the turn of the century of the Labour party founded by Keir Hardie, the McMillan sisters and Will Crooks amongst others has stood the test of time and that is the general message of the book, of a movement which changed and adapted through wars and changing times but that kept its general principles of ethics within politics and social justice for all.