Documents Coulter, Steve 4 results

"The paper examines why, and under what conditions, certain interest groups adopt positive positions on international economic issues. It provides a case study of how UK trade unions formed their preferences on membership of the EMU. Previous explanations of this have tended to emphasise the international dimension – either the material benefits on offer or whether or not they became ‘Europeanised'. A few authors are now exploring domestic political explanations instead. The paper builds on this growing literature to argue that the TUC, the peak association of organised labour in the UK, became extremely pro-EMU as part of a strategy to demonstrate its moderation to Tony Blair's centrist ‘New' Labour party, which was distancing itself from unions to court business."

"How can trade unions influence policymaking in a world where they are increasingly marginalised in labour markets and frozen out of politics?

Tony Blair's 'New Labour' was outwardly hostile to trade unions and their concerns, yet his government worked closely with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on several key employment reforms.

In this book, Steve Coulter analyses the dimensions of the often fractious Labour-union partnership and shows how the TUC pursued an 'insider lobbying' route to influence the shape of New Labour's policies. Drawing on interviews with key players and extensive archival research, the book critically analyses the political economy, constitutional and political constraints on Labour, highlighting the limited opportunities for unions to bring their influence to bear in spite of the critical role they play in bankrolling Labour."

"The battle to soften the labour market impact of the pandemic has thrown up some unlikely bedfellows, with trade union leaders competing with business chiefs over who can most fulsomely praise the government's economic response. But does this entente really presage a new era of ‘Covid‐corporatism'? Crises like Covid‐19 can provide opportunities for temporary social pacts, even in countries lacking the labour market institutions needed to sustain these in normal times, and the ‘social partners' have shown an unusual willingness to be bold and constructive. But cracks are already appearing over how and when the state should begin its withdrawal from the economy. Unions face structural weaknesses and recruitment problems that will hamper their ability to take full advantage of what will likely prove to be only a temporary lull in hostilities."