Labour party 1979-1987

Who was on the left of the party?

Michael Foot and Tony Benn

Who is on the right of the party?

Denis Healy

Who won the first Ballot of the 1980 leadership election?

Denis Healy

Results of the second round of the Ballot.

Foot 52%, Healy 48%

What is Foot very good at?

Public speaking; he is very charismatic - this does not help him as leader of the opposition as he gets only limited publicity

What happens in the budget in 1980?

Deflationary budget leads to wide unemployment and welfare cuts. Conservatives reduce help for inefficient industries leading to unemployment in the industrial heartlands

How is the SDP formed?

shift of labour to the left means 25 January 1981 ‘gang of four’ form the SDP

Who was in the ‘Gang of four’

Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers, Roy Jenkins, and David Owen

When was Tony Benn elected as deputy party leader?

September 1981

How did the SDP outline their policies?

Limehouse decleration

How many labour MPs defected to the SDP?

28

Vote share of the 1983 election.

Labour 8.5 million, Conservative 13 million and SDP 7.7 million

Mp share of 1983 election.

Conservative 397 seats, labour 209 seats, SDP 23 seats

Who came up with the term, ‘the longest suicide note in history.’

Gerald Kaufman - regarding the 1983 Labour manifesto

What were the manifesto pledges of the 1983 labour party?

Abolition of House of Lords, unilateral disarmament, withdrawal from the European Economic Community, withdrawal from NATO and extensions of the states control of economic affairs

Why is leaving Europe not a sensible policy?

only 1/3 of population had voted to leave so there is clearly not broad support. People are starting to see benefits

Why is withdrawal from NATO not politically sensible?

Plays into an impression that Labour was politically inept after the Falklands war

What was the Labour party campaign style

Focusing on meetings while the Conservatives focused on the Media

What were the four major problems Kinnock faced

 

Disastrous 1983 election campaign and policies.The SDP - Liberal Alliance were starting to look like an alternative government.The Miners’ Strike The Militant Tendency.

How many candidates in the 1983 election could be classified as militant?

8

what did militant gain control of?

1985 Liverpool Council

When does Kinnoch take on the militants?

1985 Bourmouth speech - very effective, but makes a public example

Four reasons why Kinnock took on militants

(1) it sent a message that the leadership rejected extremism; (2) it meant those on the right of the party had good reason to stay; (3) it detached the soft left from extremists; (4) by making the labour party more moderate it removed the electoral appeal of the SDP

How did Kinnock transform labour party management

through appointments of Larry Whitty the general secretary of the party and Peter Mandelson as head of communications - focus on media and communications

results of 1987 election?

376 MPs while labour won only 229 MPs