New Labour 1983-97 Flashcards
Michael Foot🦶🏼
🔴L leader 1980-83.
❌Strong socialist opinions.
❌Lacked credibility.
❌Struggled deal w/ Party divisions.
❌Saw Party lose touch w/ electorate.
Why did Labour lose the 1983 election?🤼
Labour’s problems
🚫Infiltration of Militant Tendency (Marxist radicals)➡️L too extreme for electorate.
🚫Labour Election Manifesto dominated by left-wing promises (CND, leave EEC).
🚫L closely associated w/ Winter of Discontent ‘78-9 + losing elections.
🚫L relationship w/ TUs + industrial strife of ‘70-80s➡️doubt on their ability to govern.
🚫1981 key personalities broke away to form SDP (driven out by left extremists).
How did Neil Kinnock start to reform Labour 1983-92?
✅Wide-ranging policy review rejecting many programmes inc UND, nationalisation + withdrawal EEC.
✅1985 Party conference speech K denounced Militant Tendency councillors + started move L back to middle ground➡️destroyed SDP (no need).
•Peter Mandelson director of communications➡️L more professional in presentation.
✅1987 K restored Party discipline + L’s political credibility + made organisation more efficient.
•John Smith shadow chancellor➡️L reassuring image of modernisation + competence.
✅1989 end to L support for closed shop agreement w/ TUs (signalled L split w/ TUs💔)➡️L ahead of Cs🔵in polls.
❌Still not seen as reformed enough by 1992 election.
John Smith as Labour leader 1992-94
✅Reassuring political style, trusted on economy.
✅1993 moved to abolish TU block vote by introducing ‘One Member, One Vote’ for parliamentary candidates➡️ ⬇️TU influence + signalled shift in L Party.
❌Didn’t extend OMOV to conference motions.
Tony Blair
✅1994 deal w/ Gordon Brown (main rival) to succeed as PM➡️avoided divisive leadership contest.
✅Promotion of New Labour (demonstrate to electorate L’s dramatic shift in policy).
✅1995 Blair persuaded Party conference rewrite Clause IV of L constitution📝- embraced modern capitalist economy (socialism outdated after collapse communism)➡️L seemed modernised.
✅All-women shortlists👩🏻💼- record no. female candidates➡️attracted women + young voters as L looked new + fresh compared to sleazy Cs.
✅Many new L MPs youthful or female - in tune w/ idea of new beginning.
Gordon Brown
✅Key role modernising L + planning for 1997 election.
✅Gordon Brown promised L follow C🔵 spending plans➡️L no longer seen as ‘tax + spend’ economic policies. Hard for Cs attack L’s economic promises⚔️. Businesses no longer feared L govt.
✅Blair’s strategist + policy expert.
✅Relationship w/ Blair (main competition) tense but powerful team.
Peter Mandelson
✅Spin doctor behind impressive presentation of New Labour.
✅1997 campaign - coordinated public statements + kept all elements of L ‘on message’ w/ up to date info.
✅Effective in refuting C attacks🔵⚔️ + selling L policies.
✅1985 had made L more professional in presentation as Kinnock’s director of communications.
Alastair Campbell
✅Alastair Campbell press secretary, used experience (former journalist) change L’s relationship w/ press + media➡️C🔵support from national press🗞⬇️in favour of L🔴.
✅Great success in improving L’s press coverage through well-organised briefing to journalist.
✅Effective in rebutting hostile news stories as soon as they appeared.
The 1997 general election: Labour’ victory🎉
🎉Large L lead in opinion polls.
🎉Blair secretly discussed possibility of coalition w/ Lib Dem’s leader Paddy Ashdown➡️L Manifesto inc. pledges for referendum on devolution (Lib aim).
🎉Pledge card w/ 5 promises - easy to understand, attracted wide range of voters (cut NHS waiting lists + VAT on heating to 5%).
🎉L organisation + policies➡️C tactics🔵frightening voters away from L’s ‘socialist extremism’ didn’t work anymore🚫.
🎉C message confused🔵between complaining L stole C policies to arguing ‘New L’ = ‘Old L’ in disguise (neither arguments worked).
🎉Accusations of ‘Tory sleaze’🔵👙damaging. Martin Bell’s campaign for clean politics against Neil Hamilton dominated news➡️reminded voters of sleaze + scandal.
🎉Sir James Goldsmith set up Referendum Party 1994➡️C splits🔵on Europe kept in news➡️attracted enough L voters to cause C defeats in marginal seats (David Mellor in Putney).
🎉Enfield: young L candidate Stephen Twigg defeated Michael Portillo (high-profile C MP) - long-term impact on Cs.
🎉Widespread tactical voting maximised anti-C🔵vote by neutralising C advantage of spilt on Left/centre-Left (existed since 1981 formation SDP).
🎉L won by landslide - L🔴418 seats + 43% votes. Half all C MPs🔵lost seats + only 31% votes (lowest figure since 19th century).
