The Labour Party Since 1979

When Neil Kinnock took over the leadership of the Labour Party in 1983, he inherited a divided organisation, saddled with an array of unpopular left-wing policies. When he resigned in 1992, Labour was a radically different party, tightly organised and committed to working within the framework of a privately-owned market economy. Crisis and Transformation: The Labour Party since 1979 tells the story of Labour's struggle to survive during the turbulent years in opposition. The book charts the internal strife of the early 1980's, the transformation of Labour's structure, strategy and policies under Kinnock's leadership, and the party's rise to a position at the brink of power in the run-up to the 1992 election, at which its hopes were dashed again. Eric Shaw has provided the first systematic analysis of the evolution of Labour's policies, power structure and strategies during the 1980's and up until the present day. Using new sources and documents, he looks at how and why the transformation occurred, examining the pressures and constraints impeding the modernisation process of the party, its shift to the political middle ground and the new professionalism of Labour's campaigning and communications strategies. The book analyses major events in the party's change such as the miner's strike, the expulsion of the hard left and the 1987 Policy Review. Dr Shaw argues that the shedding of key social democratic policies has left Labour bereft of any clear purpose or direction, and that the new moderate' and responsible' image of the Labour Party today is seriously flawed.