Fabian Women

‘Should women reject or embrace Blue Labour?’ was the title of an event promoted by FWN which was held on Monday 27 September at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

BL is, according to the academic and peer Maurice Glasman, a relational politics in which people resist domination and the power of capitalist society, which has reduced individuals to commodities.

Many have voiced their concerns about BL, but its impact on women has been the most neglected aspect of all. FWN has been engaging with BL for a long time, with a view to identifying its faultlines in relation to women’s roles and power in today’s world.

The meeting was an excellent opportunity to discuss where and how women fit in BL. Helen Goodman MP voiced her concerns, arguing BL uses a male-dominated vocabulary and it is built by a male clique.

Marc Stears (Oxford, IPPR) argued BL is about revolutionising the way power is distributed, and argued true equality can be built through grass roots movements and not only through state led initiatives. Rowenna Davis (Guardian journalist and author of ‘Tangled up in Blue’) explained how exploring BL changed her perspective on its ideas and the society it envisages.

Ivana Bartoletti, Editor of Fabiana, acknowledged the positive challenges BL presents to the feminist movements but warned against too quickly dismissing the role of the state, while affirming the need for reform.

Chaired by Seema Malhotra, FWN Director, the meeting made it clear that further debate is needed. FWN welcomes the challenge to reinterpret the role of the state and will develop this further in the next issue of Fabiana magazine, which had its official launch at the Labour Party Conference. FWN is proud to have this new space to call for in depth discussion, enabling it to fully contribute to the debate and to advocate for a feminist perspective as a beacon for progress, modernity and a better future for all.