The Papers of Hilary Wainwright

The papers reflect Wainwright's political work and interests including; interviews and research into the changing direction of the Labour Party in 1980s ; material from Wainwright's involvement with the striking miners, including the organisations Women Against Pit Closures and Miners and Families Christmas Appeal; papers on the Popular Planning Unit of the Greater London Council (GLC); reports and leaflets on women and the Labour Party, socialism and feminism including material relating to the 1980, Beyond the Fragments conference; research papers on a study of the Lucas Aerospace open door project including material from the Lucas Aerospace Combine Shop Stewards Committee; papers researching the impact of rationalisation on the workforce of Vickers; miscellaneous material relating to Wainwright's involvement with various socialist organisations including student political activity in the 1960s, correspondence of the Socialist Society, the Socialist Conference and the Broad Left Organising Committee. There is also material on trades councils, trade unionism, Thatcherism, unemployment etc.

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Hilary Wainwright, daughter of Liberal MP Richard Wainwright, was born in 1949. She is a political activist, socialist feminist, sociologist and editor. Although never a member of the Labour Party, Wainwright has for many years been involved with the extra-parliamentary Left. She worked with the shop stewards collaborating with Tony Benn on alternative industrial policies when he was Industry Minister and also with the Greater London Council's Popular Planning Unit during the Margaret Thatcher years. Wainwright describes herself as a socialist feminist and a strong believer in popular democracy combined with parliamentary democracy. She was a founding member of Charter 88 and is on the editorial board of the UK political think tank, The Catalyst Trust. She is currently a Transnational Institute (TNI) Fellow, Senior Research Associate at the International Centre for Labour Studies at the University of Manchester, Senior Research Associate at the International Centre for Participation Studies at the Department for Peace Studies, University of Bradford, and Senior Research Associate at International Centre for Participation Studies', Bradford University. Wainwright is also the editor of Red Pepper, an independent magazine of the green and radical left.