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LABOUR: IN OPPOSITION
(1979-1997)
MICHAEL FOOT (1980-1983)
Labour’s public reputation was damaged by the ‘winter of discontent’ and their
inability to control the trade unions
THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (SDP)
In response to Labour’s shift to the left, a number of Labour MPs broke away in
1981 to form the new Social Democrat Party, notable MPs include the ‘Gang of
Four’. Factors which convinced them to breakaway from the party include:
1. Labour’s 1979 defeat
2. the election of Michael Foot as leader in 1980
3. the Labour Party’s constitutional changes which pushed it further left.
The SDPs formed an alliance with the Liberals, known as ‘The Alliance’, which
contested the 1983 election, winning 25% of the popular vote, but only 23
seats in the commons.
LABOUR: IN OPPOSITION (1979-1997) 1
, THE 1983 GENERAL ELECTION
Reasons for the Labour Party’s heavy defeat in the 1983 election, include:
The party was weakened by its internal disputes
The Manifesto - dubbed ‘the Longest suicide note in history’, which
included pledges to abolish the house of lords, reintroducing
nationalisation, rises in taxation, and unilateral disarmament, was arguably
too radical for the electorate.
Margaret Thatcher’s government enjoyed a surge in popularity during the
Falklands War.
The apparent pacifism of Foot and Kinnock during the war made Labour
appear unpatriotic during a time of crisis.
NEIL KINNOCK
KINNOCK’S REFORMS
Although Kinnock himself had been on the left of the party, he was aware that a
moderate approach was required to regain the public’s support. Kinnock began
a wide-ranging policy review following the 1987 election, which rejected most
of Foot’s proposals. By 1988, much of the 1983 manifesto had been abandoned.
The mastermind behind the reforms was ‘spin doctor’ Peter Mandelson, who
became Kinnock’s director of communications in 1985.
During the 1985 Labour Party conference, Kinnock denounced the ‘Militant
Tendency’ councillors, whose extreme activities soured the party’s reputation.
Kinnock’s reforms and his 1985 conference speech are regarded to have
weakened the SDP, as a reformed Labour Party meant that a more
moderate alternative was no longer needed.
However, Kinnock has sacrificed his own party-political future, as he
executed a number of U-turns in his reforms. This meant that he was never
fully trusted by either his party of the electorate, evidenced by Labour’s
defeats in the 1987 and 1992 election.
LABOUR: IN OPPOSITION (1979-1997) 2
LABOUR: IN OPPOSITION
(1979-1997)
MICHAEL FOOT (1980-1983)
Labour’s public reputation was damaged by the ‘winter of discontent’ and their
inability to control the trade unions
THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (SDP)
In response to Labour’s shift to the left, a number of Labour MPs broke away in
1981 to form the new Social Democrat Party, notable MPs include the ‘Gang of
Four’. Factors which convinced them to breakaway from the party include:
1. Labour’s 1979 defeat
2. the election of Michael Foot as leader in 1980
3. the Labour Party’s constitutional changes which pushed it further left.
The SDPs formed an alliance with the Liberals, known as ‘The Alliance’, which
contested the 1983 election, winning 25% of the popular vote, but only 23
seats in the commons.
LABOUR: IN OPPOSITION (1979-1997) 1
, THE 1983 GENERAL ELECTION
Reasons for the Labour Party’s heavy defeat in the 1983 election, include:
The party was weakened by its internal disputes
The Manifesto - dubbed ‘the Longest suicide note in history’, which
included pledges to abolish the house of lords, reintroducing
nationalisation, rises in taxation, and unilateral disarmament, was arguably
too radical for the electorate.
Margaret Thatcher’s government enjoyed a surge in popularity during the
Falklands War.
The apparent pacifism of Foot and Kinnock during the war made Labour
appear unpatriotic during a time of crisis.
NEIL KINNOCK
KINNOCK’S REFORMS
Although Kinnock himself had been on the left of the party, he was aware that a
moderate approach was required to regain the public’s support. Kinnock began
a wide-ranging policy review following the 1987 election, which rejected most
of Foot’s proposals. By 1988, much of the 1983 manifesto had been abandoned.
The mastermind behind the reforms was ‘spin doctor’ Peter Mandelson, who
became Kinnock’s director of communications in 1985.
During the 1985 Labour Party conference, Kinnock denounced the ‘Militant
Tendency’ councillors, whose extreme activities soured the party’s reputation.
Kinnock’s reforms and his 1985 conference speech are regarded to have
weakened the SDP, as a reformed Labour Party meant that a more
moderate alternative was no longer needed.
However, Kinnock has sacrificed his own party-political future, as he
executed a number of U-turns in his reforms. This meant that he was never
fully trusted by either his party of the electorate, evidenced by Labour’s
defeats in the 1987 and 1992 election.
LABOUR: IN OPPOSITION (1979-1997) 2
