Home > assh > UNITY > Vol. 1 (1996) > Iss. 2
Article Title
The Contemporary Relevance of Labour History
Abstract
History can provide a sharp tool in the hands of the labour movement. Political commentators have frequently referred to the advantages for the ALP in having a reasonably well-defined sense of history to refer to. Former Prime Minister Keating was commonly recognised for his ability to appeal to this in the electorate. History defines the labour movement and its future. To crudely paraphrase Toynbee: ‘if you have no history, you have no future, and if you have no future, you’re history’. Or to put this another way, ‘you cannot know the direction you’re going in unless you know where you’ve been’.
This paper has been withdrawn.