Just a quick announcement to say that the first review of our book, Against the Grain: The British Far Left from 1956, has been published by Philosophy Football, written by former CPGB member Mark Perryman. In a round-up of the season’s new releases, Perryman wrote about our book:
A warmongering state in 2001-2003 had to face huge anti-war opposition. Along with the Anti-Nazi League of the late 1970s and the anti-Poll Tax movement of the late 1980s these are instances when a non Labour Left, an outside Left, had a decisive influence in shaping a broad oppositional movement well beyond its immediate, and limited, orbit. The consequences though in all three cases was next to no growth, a retreat into the bunker, splits, fallout and enduring decline. Against the Grain edited by Evan Smith and Matthew Worley is a superb collection cataloguing the whys and wherefores for this decline, along with those moments of breakthrough. Comprehensive and compelling, just a shame the publishers have opted for a very expensive hardback edition for the Library market, this is one for the activists, the old hands for the nostalgia trip of reading of old battles, the new wave to read of past mistakes and dream of not repeating them.
The review/round-up is also up at Counterfire and at the Huffington Post. If this review has inspired you to purchase a copy (or to recommend it for your library), you can get it at a slight discount here.
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