Does work give our lives purpose meaning and status Or is it a tedious necessity that will soon be abolished by automation leaving humans free to enjoy a life of leisure and basic income In this erudite and highly readable book Jon Cruddas MP argues that it is imperative that the Left rejects the siren call of technological determinism and roots it politics firmly in the workplace. Drawing from his experience of his own Dagenham and Rainham constituency he examines the history of Marxist and social democratic thinking about work in order to critique the fatalism of both Blairism and radical left technoutopianism which he contends have more in common than either would like to admit. He argues that especially in the context of COVID19 socialists must embrace an ethical socialist politics based on the dignity and agency of the labour interest.