Labour and the British State

This book takes a fresh look at the basic nature of the British government as seen through the eyes of the Labour Party. In recent years, four issues have emerged that underline Labours historically ambivalent attitude toward the State and raise the State as a major political question in its own right: Labours attitude toward the machinery of the State: Labours relationship to the machinery of the State; Labours relationship to the industrial State; Labours identification with the territorial integrity of the State in the face of rising Scottish and Welsh nationalism; and Labours response to the threats posed to the States sovereignty by the Northern Ireland conflict and Britains membership in the European Community. This study explores the implications of these four issues, and examines what influences Labours attitude toward the State and how the Labour Party has adapted to the States institutions.