12 days of Fabian Christmas: The Shape of Things to Come

As we hurry on to a new year, we at the Fabians will be taking many of the lessons learned and fresh thinking with us onwards into 2013. Not least in the form of the contributions to our The Shape of Things to Come: Labour’s New Thinking pamphlet.

The essays contained in The Shape of Things to Come explore where this politics could take Labour – and there is a striking coherence, radicalism and optimism about the future they see.

After the 1970s it was inevitable that the Conservative party would move away from the postwar consensus, but it was Margaret Thatcher who made it Thatcherite. In the 1990s Labour was bound to be centrist; but Blair and Brown gave New Labour its distinctive shape.

After the banking crisis Labour was bound to reflect a public mood more critical of neo-liberal economics, and less confident about big state spending, but Labour in 2012 will also be shaped by the particular politics and personality of Ed Miliband.

Since becoming Labour leader Ed Miliband has successfully opened several new national political debates, from the ‘squeezed middle’ to ‘responsible capitalism’ and concern about diminishing opportunities for the rising generation.

The contributions include:

• Foreword Ernst Stetter
• Introduction John Denham
• Meeting the fiscal challenge Rachel Reeves MP
• Enlightenment Labour Will Hutton
• Stepping up, not stepping back Chuka Umunna MP
• Easing the squeeze Matthew Pennycook
• A new welfare bargain Kate Green MP
• Taking the long view on welfare policy Kitty Ussher
• Social democratic public services Rick Muir
• A modern, humanised state Helen Goodman MP
• Shades of blue Rowenna Davis
• Home affairs: too hot to handle? Andrew Harrop
• Labour’s next foreign policy David Clark
• An age of reassurance Nick Pecorelli
• The personal politics of Ed Miliband Marc Stears