The Ties that Unwind? Social Democratic Parties and Unions in Australia and Britain
Publication: Labour History: A Journal of Labour and Social History
Number 98
Abstract
The ties between social democratic parties and trade unions in recent years have been stretched almost to breaking point. Drawing on evidence from the experience of Australia and Britain, this article argues that a turning point in the deterioration of the relationship was the collapse of the post-war economic boom. This event was important because it ruptured the economic foundations of the policy base of social democracy and led to the adoption by social democratic parties of a pro-business neo-liberal policy framework aimed at restoring rates of investment and profitability. In turn, this new policy emphasis necessarily threatened the interests of organised labour. The current tension in relations is therefore not merely a reflection of the pressures associated with social democrats being in government. Rather, it is rooted in the gradual decline of the health of capitalism since the 1970s - a trend unlikely to be reversed in the near future.
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Biographies
Ashley Lavelle works in the Department of Politics and Public Policy, Griffith University, Brisbane. His research interests include Marxism, comparative politics and social movements. He is currently researching a book on the path from radical to renegade.
This artcle has been peer-reviewed for Labour History by two external referees.
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Published In
Labour History: A Journal of Labour and Social History
Number 98 • 1 May 2010
Pages: 55 - 75
Copyright
Copyright 2010 Australian Society for the Study of Labour history.
History
Published in print: 1 May 2010
Published online: 24 October 2022