London’s Ours! is the latest release from one of our favourite publishers (Four Corners Books) that documents the remarkable visual culture of the Greater London Council (GLC), Written by cultural historian and artist Hazel Atashroo and with over 250 images the book provides a sometimes confrontational, frequently humorous and unique picture of a remarkable period in British politics and of London itself.
In the early 1980s London’s city-wide authority, the GLC embarked upon a radical experiment in how to run the capital which transformed British politics. Campaigning and energetic, the organisation made extensive use of poster campaigns, public art and popular events to take aim against racism, sexism, nuclear war and, eventually, their own abolition.
After the 1981 GLC election victory a Labour Party paper ran with the headline, ‘London's Ours!’, both a celebration and a guiding principle of the GLC’s approach to tackling London’s inequality: expanding who could claim their right to the city and its resources, and who got a fair chance to succeed.
Offering an ambitious alternative to Thatcherism, GLC Leader Ken Livingstone was a thorn in the side of central government, famously taunting Westminster with a running total of unemployment figures from the roof of County Hall opposite the Houses of Parliament. This combative attitude, combined with the pioneering work of committees addressing overlooked groups – including women, ethnic minorities and gay rights – put inclusivity and social equality at the GLC’s political core.
Four Corners Books, 232pp, 27cm x 20cm, illustrated paperback, 2026
