Ignore for now what they became and recall the radical vision that fuelled their rise – and made the nation embrace them, writes academic and author Alex Niven

The party’s electoral strategy is based on an outdated stereotype of the northern voter – and it will come back to haunt Starmer, says Alex Niven of Newcastle University

Postwar artists wouldn’t have had a chance without affordable housing or social security, says Alex Niven of Newcastle University

Powerhouses, levelling up, taking back control: the Labour leader says he is done with such ‘sticking plaster’ solutions, says Alex Niven, a Newcastle University lecturer

As in Devon and Cornwall, Whitby’s rise in second homes is fuelling worsening inequality and a housing crisis, says Alex Niven, a Newcastle University lecturer

There’s an astonishing lack of thinking about how to address the radical implications of Britain’s disintegration, asks university lecturer Alex Niven

The defeat in Hartlepool suggests Labour has simply revived the ‘pints and flags’ tactics that failed in the Miliband years, says Newcastle University lecturer Alex Niven

For all its electoral shortcomings, the rise of an alternative leftwing party may signal a realignment in British politics, says academic and author Alex Niven

The party needs vitality to make a breakthrough – not the ‘sensible Labour’ approach that Starmer favours, says English literature lecturer Alex Niven

The prevalence of coronavirus in large urban areas plays into the hands of those prosecuting a rightwing culture war, says academic Alex Niven

Countering conservative patriotism with a liberal version is almost impossible unless England becomes independent, says academic and author Alex Niven

The next leader should focus on building support among young people, families and precarious workers around urban centres, says lecturer Alex Niven

Love of nature may be a party tradition, but the urge to exploit is strong. Boris Johnson is unlikely to go beyond minor tinkering, says Alex Niven, author of New Model Island

Grassroots activism alone won’t address the party’s problems. It needs to commit to devolving power to the region, says Newcastle University lecturer Alex Niven

With the union under unprecedented strain, it’s time for a radical new vision that goes beyond narrow nationalisms, says Alex Niven, author of New Model Island

Alex Niven: University data confounds the post-Thatcher myth of progress – in fact the UK's social and economic divisions are growing wider

Alex Niven: At Millwall and Newcastle the mindlessness of the few is fuelling a vigorous rightwing campaign against working class 'idlers'

Alex Niven: In the past we've seen artists treating awards ceremonies with contempt. Let's see a rekindling of this subversive spirit

Alex Niven: FATM's popularity reveals how the liberal middle classes have abandoned true counterculture for escapist vintage chic