ABSTRACT
The commitment of the Labour Party to equality is rather like the singing of the ‘Red Flag’ at its gatherings. All regard it as part of a cherished heritage, but those on the platform often seem to have forgotten the words. It serves to rally Party conferences but would not be regarded as appropriate for meetings with the EEC Council of Ministers or the International Monetary Fund. As Tawney once remarked, ‘the degeneration of Socialist parties on assuming office is now an old story’ (1932, p. 325). This observation, which the subsequent half-century has done little to modify, is particularly true of the commitment to equality. Whatever the achievements of recent Labour Governments, no one could claim that the elimination of inequality has been a dominant theme. In this respect perhaps more than any other, the Labour movement appears to have lost its sense of direction.
