Neil Kinnock

The Right Honourable Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock, PC (born 28 March, 1942) is a British politician. He was an MP from 1970 to 1995, and was the leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992, when he resigned after the 1992 general election defeat. He subsequently served as a member of the European Commission from 1995 until 2004, and is now head of the British Council.

Later Years as Party Leader

The second period of Kinnock's leadership was dominated by his drive to reform the party's policies and so win power. This began with an exercise dubbed the policy review, the most high-profile aspect of which was a series of consultations with the public known as "Labour Listens" in autumn 1987.

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In organisational terms the party leadership continued to battle with the Militant, though by now Militant was in retreat in the party and was simultaneously attracted by the opportunities to grow outside Labour's ranks - opportunities largely created by Margaret Thatcher's hugely unpopular poll tax.

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After Labour Listens the party went on, in 1988, to produce a new statement of aims and values - meant to supplement and supplant the formulation of Clause IV of the party's constitution (though, crucially, this was not actually replaced until 1995 under the leadership of Tony Blair) and was closely modelled on Anthony Crosland's social democratic thinking - emphasising equality and not public ownership.

Related Topics:
1988 - Clause IV - 1995 - Tony Blair - Anthony Crosland - Public ownership

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In 1988, Kinnock was challenged by Tony Benn for the party leadership. Later many identified this as a particular low period in Kinnock's leadership - as he appeared mired in internal battles after five years of leadership and the Conservatives still dominating the scene. In the end, though, Kinnock's victory humiliated Benn, showed how marginal the hard left had become and marked the opening period of extraordinary productive period of leadership.

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The policy review - reporting in 1989 saw Labour move ahead in the polls just as the poll tax row was destroying Conservative support and Labour won big victories in local by-elections. Kinnock also scored hits on Margaret Thatcher in the Commons - previously a area in which he was seen as weak - and finally Conservative MPs voted to remove Thatcher as their leader, installing John Major. Public reaction to Major's elevation was highly positive - many voters clearly feeling that removing the Conservatives at a general election was now no longer necessary. A new Prime Minister and the fact that Kinnock was now the longest serving leader of a major party reduced the impact of calls for "Time For A Change".

Related Topics:
1989 - John Major

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In the 1992 election Labour made some progress - reducing the Conservative majority to just 21 but the reality was that Kinnock was doomed never to get to the promised land of Labour government (at least as party leader). However his legacy was a realistic commitment to party reform, a thorough purge of Trotskyist entryism and a solid platform for his successors.

Related Topics:
1992 - Trotskyist - Entryism

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Having lost the 1987 election, Kinnock remained party leader and was hot favourite to become prime minister in the months leading up to the 1992 election. It came as a shock to many when the Conservatives remained in power, but the perceived triumphalism of a Labour party rally in Sheffield (together with Kinnock's inane performance on the podium) may have contributed to putting off voters. On the day of the 1992 election The Sun ran a famous front page featuring Kinnock (headline: If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.) that he blamed in his resignation speech for losing Labour the election. Kinnock himself later claimed to have half-expected the loss and proceeded to turn himself into a media personality, even hosting a chat show on BBC Wales. In the 1980s he helped set up the Institute for Public Policy Research and remains on its Advisory Council.

Related Topics:
1987 - 1992 - The Sun - Resignation speech - Chat show - BBC Wales - 1980s - Institute for Public Policy Research

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