The State We Need: Keys to the Renaissance of Britain

THE STATE WE NEED Keys to the Renaissance of Britain. Michael Meacher. Biteback Books, London 2013 First edition. ISBN 9781849545884. 296pp Hardback. This copy is in mint unread condition in a mint unclipped dust wrapper. Michael Meacher's is a hugely respected voice in Parliament and beyond. The State We Need brilliantly distils decades of research and contemplation from one of Britain's truly original thinkers. This is the crux of politics in the West: how do we get out of a failed business model? How do we create a form of capitalism that benefits the mass of our people, not the few? In The State We Need, Meacher offers a consistent blueprint for the future. The striking ideology of what Meacher calls "national interest capitalism" set out in The State We Need provides a coherent and detailed vision around which progressive forces might group as the first step in the replacement of the failed neo-conservative market model. Its measures press at the limits of capitalism, but will certainly be regarded as falling short of socialism. The belief is that, while the market has its proper place, the fundamental principles underpinning society should be equity, social justice, equality of opportunity, and democratic accountability. It is a rallying call that evokes a universal response. It is a fundamental change of direction which once launched knows no bounds. Ref Z6.…