ONLINE SEMINAR

Thursday 21 May 2020, 6pm-8pm

Andrew Brady will introduce his recent book:

Unions and Employment in a Market Economy, Strategy, Influence and Power in Contemporary Britain (Routledge 2019)

Other speakers included Sir Ian McCartney and Tom Wilson.

The Seminar was chaired by Helen Hague.

Andrew Brady was awarded his PhD from the University of Strathclyde in 2017. He has held various positions within Unite the Union and is currently based in Scotland in the union’s Political, Research & Campaigns Unit.

Sir Ian McCartney was Shadow Minister, Minister of State, and Cabinet Minister 1992–2007 and led the Labour Government’s work on employment and employment rights.

Tom Wilson was Director of Unionlearn at the TUC until 2017. He has also  worked for the GMB, the Labour Party as Trade Union Liaison Officer, the AUT and Natfhe (now UCU).

Helen Hague is a journalist and has recently worked on a history of the Fire Brigades Union.

Talks delivered by an international panel at King's College London on 9 September 2019. See here for more information about the event and speakers.

50 years ago, the conflict between the Harold Wilson Labour Government & the trade unions over the Barbara Castle White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ was one of the pivotal moments of post-war British Industrial Relations. It pitched voluntarist ideas of ‘free collective bargaining’ against ideas of economic planning & public policy concerns about strikes, inflation and restrictive practices. The white paper followed the 1968 Donovan Report & preceded Heath’s Conservative 1971 Industrial Relations Act. In response to Peter Dorey’s new book on In Place of Strife, this seminar has two parts. In the morning there is a historical reassessment of the political episode. In the afternoon, we consider the implications for current Labour Party policy on trade unions, as the Manifesto promises to ‘roll out sectoral bargaining’. The seminar is held at the Modern Records Centre, the largest UK trade union & industrial relations collection, which will be introduced to us.

11 December 2018 - 13:00 pm - 18:00 pm
King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS

History & Policy exists to put historians in touch with policy makers, encourage historically informed comment in public policy debate and put excellent history at the heart of policy making. Although we are the only project of our kind in the UK we are far from being the only one in the world. For this conference, which will be open to policy makers and the public, we are partnering with the American Historical Association and Australian Policy & History for a day of panels and discussion to explore how history informs public policy debate in different countries. What are the success stories, how do policy makers vary in their receptiveness, what can historians learn from each other and from the policy makers they talk to, and have particular topics got more traction in some places than others?

14 November 2018 - 18:00 pm - 19:30 pm
Council Room, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS

The Haldane Report, which sees its centenary this year, was a landmark in early twentieth century thought about how the machinery of modern government should function, the principles that should underpin policy formation, and executive accountability. It famously concluded that: 'in the sphere of civil government the duty of investigation and thought, as preliminary to action, might with great advantage be more definitely recognised.' The report also proposed that Whitehall departments be organised on functional lines; it advocated limited changes in the direction of gender equality within the Civil Service; and tentatively suggested the introduction of specialist committees in Parliament to facilitate more effective oversight of the executive.