General Election 2017: Essential Reading
“Strong and stable!” is Theresa May’s slogan for the upcoming election, empty words for most considering the current Tory landscape of soaring cuts, poverty and inequality.
Here we present our essential reading: featuring leading voices dealing with issues ranging from privatisation, inequality, capitalism, neo-liberalism, socialism, migration, and more.
Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics by Richard Seymour
Seymour tells the story of how Corbyn’s rise was made possible by the long decline of Labour and a deep crisis in British democracy. It surveys the makeshift coalition of trade unionists, young and precarious workers, and students who rallied to Corbyn. It shows how a novel social media campaign turned the media’s “Project Fear” on its head, making a virtue of every accusation thrown at him. And finally it asks, with all the artillery that is still ranged against Corbyn, and given the crisis-ridden Labour Party that he has inherited, what it would mean for him to succeed.
The ABCs of Socialism edited by Bhaskar Sunkara
This book steps into this moment to offer a clear, accessible, informative, and irreverent guide to socialism for the uninitiated. Disarming and pitched to a general readership without sacrificing intellectual depth, this will be the best introduction an idea whose time seems to have come again.
Inequality and the 1% by Danny Dorling
Since the great recession hit in 2008, the 1% has only grown richer while the rest find life increasingly tough.
What is to be done? In Inequality and the 1% leading social thinker Danny Dorling lays bare the extent and true cost of the division in our society and asks what have the superrich ever done for us. He shows that inquality is the greatest threat we face and why we must urgently redress the balance.
The Production of Money: How to Break the Power of Bankers by Ann Pettifor
What is money, where does it come from, and who controls it?
“Our livelihoods and ecosystem are deeply affected by the world of money production and finance. But it’s a world largely hidden from us by vested interests. In language we can all understand, Ann Pettifor explains the issues and the debates around money, shadow banking, QE and ‘helicopter money.’ A must-read.” – Caroline Lucas, Co-Leader of The Green Party of England and Wales
Private Island: Why Britain Now Belongs to Someone Else by James Meek
How the British government packaged and sold its people to the world— winner of the Orwell Prize for Books.
“The essential public good that Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and now Cameron sell is not power stations, or trains, or hospitals. It’s the public itself. it’s us.”
Urgent, powerfully written and deeply moving, this is a passionate anatomy of the state of the nation: of what we have lost and what losing it cost us – the rent we must pay to exist on this private island.
The Ministry of Nostalgia: Consuming Austerity by Owen Hatherley
In this brilliant polemical rampage, Owen Hatherley shows how our past is being resold in order to defend the indefensible. From the marketing of a “make do and mend” aesthetic to the growing nostalgia for a utopian past that never existed, a cultural distraction scam prevents people grasping the truth of their condition.
The New Prophets of Capital by Nicole Aschoff
As severe environmental degradation, breathtaking inequality, and increasing alienation push capitalism against its own contradictions, mythmaking has become as central to sustaining our economy as profitmaking. This book is a deft and caustic takedown of the new prophets of profit, from Bill Gates to Oprah.
The Muslims Are Coming!: Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror by Arun Kundnani
A powerful critique of UK and US surveillance and repression of Muslims and prosecution of homegrown terrorism.
Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move by Reece Jones
A major new exploration of the refugee crisis, focusing on how borders are formed and policed.
"This book is the antidote to the world of walls that we live in, an argument for a world of humanity." – Vijay Prashad, author of The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South
Bloody Nasty People: The Rise of Britain's Far Right by Daniel Trilling
The rise and fall of the British National Party and the English Defence League
“Racism and the rise of the far-right in Britain are often discussed but rarely understood. Daniel Trilling is an exception … his voice must be heard.” – Owen Jones
Fortunes of Feminism: From State-Managed Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis by Nancy Fraser
“Nancy Fraser challenges us to reactivate the audacious spirit of second-wave feminism. Analyzing an imaginary aimed at eradicating exploitation as well as subjugation, she offers a rousing conclusion as to how we might mobilize feminism’s best energies against the perils of the neoliberal present.” – Lynne Segal
How Will Capitalism End?: Essays on a Failing System by Wolfgang Streeck
“At the heart our era’s deepening crisis there lies a touching faith that capitalism, free markets and democracy go hand in hand. Wolfgang Streeck’s new book deconstructs this myth, exposing the deeply illiberal, irrational, anti-humanist tendencies of contemporary capitalism.” – Yanis Varoufakis
How Did We Get Into This Mess?: Politics, Equality, Nature by George Monbiot
Leading political and environmental commentator on where we have gone wrong, and what to do about it.
“A dazzling command of science and relentless faith in people … I never miss reading him.” – Naomi Klein
Working Class Politics in Crisis: Essays on Labour and the State by Leo Panitch
Panitch examines the British Labour Party in the 1960s and 70s as a classic example of social democracy in power. He also considers the genesis and development of corporatism in such liberal democracies as Sweden and West Germany, developing a non-corporatist socialist alternative.
State of Insecurity: Government of the Precarious by Isabell Lorey. Foreword by Judith Butler
In State of Insecurity, Isabell Lorey explores the possibilities for organization and resistance under the contemporary status quo, and anticipates the emergence of a new and disobedient self-government of the precarious.
The Origin of Capitalism: A Longer View by Ellen Meiksins Wood
In this classic work of history, Ellen Meiksins Wood offers readers an introduction to the theories and debates concerning the birth of capitalism, imperialism, and the modern nation state. Capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the relationship between humans and nature.
The New Rulers of the World by John Pilger
Pilger tackles the injustices and double standards inherent in the politics of globalization and exposes the terrible truth behind the power and wealth of states and corporations.
The Verso Book of Dissent: Revolutionary Words from Three Millennia of Rebellion and Resistance edited by Andrew Hsiao and Audrea Lim. Preface by Tariq Ali
A compendium of revolt and resistance throughout the ages, updated for 2016 to include resistance to war and economic oppression from Beijing and Cairo to Moscow and New York City.
Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work by Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams
A major new manifesto for a high-tech future, free from work.
“A powerful book: it not only shows us how the postcapitalist world of rapidly improving technology could make us free, but it also shows us how we can organise to get there. This is a must-read.” – Paul Mason, author of Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future
Crowds and Party by Jodi Dean
“In this enthralling and exhilarating book, Jodi Dean shows that, contrary to neo-anarchist cliche, the party form and class struggle are very far from being outmoded. The revival of the party has produced a surge of enthusiasm in contemporary left politics—an enthusiasm that Crowds and Party both explains and stokes up.” – Mark Fisher, author of Capitalist Realism
The Hard Road to Renewal: Thatcherism and the Crisis of the Left by Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall's writings on the political impact of Margaret Thatcher; establishing him as the most prescient and insightful analysts of contemporary Conservatism.
The End of Parliamentary Socialism: From New Left to New Labour by Colin Leys and Leo Panitch
This trenchant account of the last twenty-five years of the British Labour Party argues that Tony Blair's modernizing tendency was profoundly mistaken in asserting that the only alternative to traditional social democracy and narrow parliamentarianism was an acceptance of neo-liberalism. In this new edition, the authors, in collaboration with David Coates, review the debate in light of the Blair government's first three years in office.
A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain by Owen Hatherley
A darkly humorous architectural guide to the decrepit new Britain that neoliberalism built.
Against the Troika: Crisis and Austerity in the Eurozone by Heiner Flassback and Costas Lapavitsas
The Eurozone is in a deep and prolonged crisis. It is now clear that monetary union is a historic failure, beyond repair—and certainly not in the interests of Europe’s working people. This book is a radical anti-capitalist alternative to Eurozone austerity.
The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners by Seumas Milne
"The best book on the Thatcher era", according to Naomi Klein, The Enemy Within reveals the astonishing lengths to which her government and its intelligence machine were prepared to go to destroy the power of Britain’s miners’ union. In this 30th anniversary edition new material brings the story up to date with further revelations about the secret war against organized labour and political dissent, and the devastating price paid for the Thatcher administration's onslaught by communities across Britain.
The Extreme Centre: A Warning by Tariq Ali
Britain’s leading radical delivers an eviscerating attack on the indistinguishable political elite of the UK.
Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy by Peter Mair
"Every so often one comes across a book, a poem or a work of art that is so original, perfectly crafted, accurate and true that you can’t get it out of your head... Peter Mair has written what is by far and away the most powerful, learned and persuasive anti-EU treatise I have come across." - Peter Oborne, Daily Telegraph
Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class by Owen Jones
The book that made his name, Chavs is an acclaimed investigation into the class structure of contemporary Britain through the lens of the "Chav". Exposing the ignorance and prejudice at the heart of the caricature, Jones portrays a far more complex reality. The chav stereotype, he argues, is used by governments as a convenient figleaf to avoid genuine engagement with social and economic problems and to justify widening inequality.
Class War Conservatism and Other Essays by Ralph Miliband
When, in 2013, the Daily Mail labeled Ralph Miliband “The Man Who Hated Britain,” a diverse host rallied to his defense. This book collects together his most significant political essays and shows the scope and brilliance of his thinking.
Border Vigils: Keeping Migrants Out of the Rich World by Jeremy Harding
Searing reportage and analysis of the new politics of immigration in both Europe and America.
The New Old World by Perry Anderson
A magisterial analysis of Europe's development since the end of the Cold War.
Integrating Gender: Women, Law and Politics in the European Union by Catherine Hoskyns
Powerfully argued and strikingly mobilizing, Hoskyns’ study integrates the necessary detail of the EU’s policy on woman’s rights with current feminist theory. This combination provides a powerful critique of the current policy of the European Union.
The Question of Europe edited by Perry Anderson and Peter Gowan
Collects some of the liveliest and sharpest commentary on Europe, across the full political spectrum, from leading authorities in the study of history, economics, philosophy, culture and sociology. Eminent German, Italian, French, Swedish and Irish writers are included, as well as key figures from Britain and the US. Looking paranormically at the past, present and future of integration, The Question of Europe brings polemic and scholarship together to offer us a new way of approaching the Union.