The financial crash of the 2000s and its fallout brought the crisis in global capitalism into every house in the country. Banks, multinational companies, and institutions—big household names and brands—were exposed for their greed and corruption and the abuse of their position. Across Europe youth unemployment soared, austerity was imposed, and public services were cut. The unelected faceless men and women of the Troika moved in to rewrite the budgets of Greece and Ireland while the politicians meant to represent us looked passively on.

This should have been fertile ground for the Left. But early gains made by the likes of Syriza in Greece and campaigns like Occupy—amassed around their slogan ‘We are the 99 percent’—soon fizzled out, and it was the forces of the Right that emerged triumphant. In the US, this triumph was epitomised by Trump; across the Atlantic, Jeremy Corbyn’s victory in the Labour leadership election and the denial of a Tory majority against all odds in 2017 saw all the forces of the establishment unleashed against him – including from many within his own party.

Against this backdrop, it would be easy to throw in the towel. But we must not – and indeed we can’t. The harder the forces of the Right pushes against us, the more the importance of strength and resilience on the Left is made clear. Those qualities have been exhibited by a range of inspiring campaigns in Britain throughout the last fifty years and beyond, stories from which have now been brought together in a new book: If You Don’t Run, They Can’t Chase You.

In this period of rebuilding, affirming our victories is vital for the Left. Over the last few years, I have interviewed people who became key players in various campaigns – industrial disputes, political struggles, and fights for basic rights. Many are ordinary citizens who were going about their daily lives only for personal tragedy, political change, or industrial conflict to drive them into life-changing campaigns – and their often extraordinary stories tell us a great deal about humanity, solidarity, resilience, collective organising, and the eternal fight for justice.

Some, like Jim Swan—an organiser during the British Leyland work-in—and Alistair Mackie—a member of the workers cooperative at the Scottish Daily News—were political mentors to me as a young activist. Some, like Dennis Skinner and Maria Fyfe, are political heroes of mine. And some are people I have had the joy of working with on campaigns: these include Elaine Holmes and Olive McIlroy, who have fought against the use of brutal Mesh implants; Alex Bennett, a representative of the ’84-5 miners’ strike; Dave Smith, who has been outspoken about the longlasting and sinister practice of industrial blacklisting; and ‘Andrea’, one of the women affected by the now notorious Spy Cops scandal and fighting for its true abuses to be brought to light.

Activists recount their struggles and their successes, ranging from the political—Brian Filling looks back on his experience at the forefront of the Scottish anti-Apartheid movement, and Paul Quigley tells of his efforts to contest the criminalisation of football fans—to the industrial: Mark Lyon tells the story of the Grangemouth dispute, a struggle against the loss of eight hundred jobs, while Tony Nelson recalls the Liverpool dockers’ dispute of the late 1990s. Others have spent decades seeking justice for institutional wrongs: Terry Renshaw is a member of the Shrewsbury 24, a group of striking workers whose convictions were overturned last year after almost half a century; Louise Adamson fought for justice for her brother, who was electrocuted on a building site in 2008; Margaret Aspinall has been a leading light of the struggle for justice for those 97 people unlawfully killed as a result of the Hillsborough Disaster in 1989. These are people whose drive, determination, and skill leaves me in awe.

Not all of these campaigns were—or have yet been—successful. Indeed, some of them are remembered as major defeats. But all of them have been rallying points for large sections of the Left, proving the potential of well-organised solidarity – a power just waiting to be unleashed. Brought together, they also demonstrate the myriad injustices working-class people, women, and people of colour continue to face today. That fact should not depress us: it should make us more determined than ever.

Ten years on from the financial crash, a pandemic lasting eighteen months has now exposed the worst of our worsening political system – the violence, the entitlement, the casual disregard for the thousands who dedicate their lives to helping others. But none of us are alone in our current pain. By listening to and cherishing the stories of those on the frontline of the fight for social justice, we give ourselves an antidote to the desperate times in which we live – and remind ourselves that even in times of spectacular defeat, the struggle always continues.