Howlin’s challenge is not just political

BRENDAN HOWLIN becomes the 12th leader of the Labour Party at not just a challenging moment for Labour but for all those who, through politics, trade unionism, or social activism, argue for the kind of social democratic principles that honour the empowering and inclusive social contract that has sustained the West since World War II.

That humane and uplifting commitment to try to make egalitarianism real has been under attack by neoconservatism and the very worst excesses of unfettered, conscience-free capitalism for decades. The philosophy is in danger of losing its capacity to inspire and lead change, a capacity behind nearly all the social and material advances made by workers in the last century.

Trade unions have more or less retreated — or been driven back — to public sector redoubts in many western countries leaving a great number of private sector workers in something like an every-man-for-himself dogfight. This has had a profound impact on employees’ job security, access to pension and health benefits, paid holidays, and even the basic capacity to plan a normal life underpinned by a moderate degree of work-life stability.