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Between 1987 and 1997, Labour began to change to reflect the changing nature of society.

How had Labour developed in the 1980s?. Between 1987 and 1997, Labour began to change to reflect the changing nature of society. The previous two party leaders, Neil Kinnock and John Smith, had begun efforts to modernise the party as a strategy for electoral success, before Smith died in 1994

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Between 1987 and 1997, Labour began to change to reflect the changing nature of society.

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  1. How had Labour developed in the 1980s? • Between 1987 and 1997, Labour began to change to reflect the changing nature of society. • The previous two party leaders, Neil Kinnockand John Smith, had begun efforts to modernise the party as a strategy for electoral success, before Smith died in 1994 • Under Neil Kinnock, Labour had started a ‘Labour Listens’ campaign to find out what policies were popular. • However, Smith's approach was perceived as too timid by modernisers like Blair, Brown and Mandelson. • They felt that his cautious approach, which sought to avoid controversy and win the next election by capitalising on the unpopularity of the Conservative government, was not sufficient.

  2. How did ‘New Labour’ come about? • ‘New Labour’s’ policies were largely shaped by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. • It’s image and PR were controlled by Peter Mandelson MP and Alistair Campbell. • Blair and Brown shared an office together, and often had long conversations into the night on economic and political theory. • Blair aimed to transform Labour from its left-wing, socialist roots in the 1980s. To do this, he wanted a dramatic change in policy to show that Labour was breaking away from its past. • He was very effective at presenting the image of ‘modernity’ and winning over ‘Middle England’. • Compared to the tired and weak Conservatives, Blair’s Labour appeared fresh and vibrant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oDB667TB18

  3. The Spin Doctors • Alistair Campbell had joined Labour as Tony Blair’s Press Secretary in 1994. • It wad Campbell who was Blair’s speech writer and produced the speech which led to the party dropping Clause IV. He also came up with the term ‘New Labour’. • Campbell installed a centralised organisation to co-ordinate government communication and impose a united message to be delivered by minister. • Everything was organised and practiced before going to the public. • Campbell developed a relationship with News International, providing their newspapers with early information in return for positive media coverage. • The party also began to use focus groups to test whether their policy ideas were attractive to swing voters.

  4. Learning Task One • Use the information on pp.178 – 180 to create a political profile on Tony Blair. It should contain: • Background and political ideology • Image • Strategies used to gain political power • Programme of ‘New Labour’

  5. Learning Task Two Cut out the 6 pictures representing important figures of British politics. For each, explain how they contributed to the development of New Labour. Now rank them in order of importance – who was more important in the establishment of New Labour?

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