Why the Labout Party Took Long to Make Itself Electable after 1979 - Essay Example

? Why the Labour Party took long to make itself electable after 1979 The Labour Party is a party with the presence in all the countries forming the United Kingdom. Currently, it is the main opposition party in England and Wales, while it is forming a government in Scotland. The Labour party was founded on democratic socialism. As a result, it had close affiliations with trade unions (Lyman 1957). As a matter of fact, the party was founded so as to fight for the rights of the workers. The party rose from its humble beginnings in 1990 to form its first government under Prime Minister Clement Attlee. Labour party was in office from 1945-1951. This government was the most radical of all British governments to have come into office in the 20th Century. It strived to implement the theories espoused by John Maynard Keynes, among others. This government nationalized key industries where it had majority stake. An example of such industries was banking; where the bank of England was taken back by the government. The same case happened with mining, telecommunications and transport, steel, railway and canals industries. They believed the government had to have a hand in the running of vital industries, an idea that seems so out of place in the era of rapid privatization (Lyman 1957). The Attlee government also instituted the N.H.S (National Health Service). This is a program of socialized medicine that is the envy of the world today. This scheme made affordable healthcare accessible to the extremely poor people in the society. The Attlee government was also behind the slow dismantling of the British Empire. Independence was granted to several colonies, most notably India, the jewel in Britain’s imperial crown. The party went on to lose the 1951 general election to the Conservatives, and spent several years in opposition until Labour’s Harold Wilson was elected Prime Minister in 1964. Harold Wilson’s administration also reinforced the idea of ‘labour’ as the true Leftist party by putting in place sweeping social and educational reforms. Key among them was the legalization of abortion and homosexuality. On the educational front, comprehensive education was made accessible to millions through the creation of the Open University. This is another idea that has been replicated by the rest of the world. Even with such positive changes, Labour party was voted out of office in 1970. The party had inherited a large trade deficit that triggered a currency crisis in which the pound was severely weakened. The party was to return to power again in 1976 under James Callaghan. This administration was tirelessly trying to battle the economic crisis present at that time. It ruled with a slight majority in the Commons. Internally, the party was split down the middle over Britain’s membership of the European Economic Community, E.E.C. The issue had to go to referendum. The public showed its overwhelming support for Britain’s continued membership with a two thirds majority. By this time, inflation stood at a staggering 23%. The government successfully lowered inflation by a policy of wage restraint to a rate of 7%. However, this brought cracks in the relationship between Labour and the trade unions who wanted wages to move only in one direction, up. To shelter ordinary Britons from this economic storm, the Labour government presided an era of rising pensions coupled with massive subsidies on food items (Lyman 1957). This was aimed at to protecting the tiny incomes that had already been decimated by inflation in the rest of the economy. The government sauntered on and introduced several welfare schemes to protect the extremely poor. Pensions of the disabled were significantly increased, and employment legislation ensured that people could be hired even for a short time. Pregnant women were also granted leave. Workplace inspection was prioritized to prevent workers from hazardous working conditions. Unfair dismissal was also curbed through Industrial Tribunals. While the government was busy sorting problems at home, trouble was brewing abroad. Disaffection within the Scottish wing of the party resulted in defections that effectively ensured the Prime Minister was leading a minority government. The nationalist parties in both Wales and Scotland demanded devolution in return for their support for the government. This was rejected outright by the government. Even when the Scottish referendum returned a verdict in favour of setting up the proposed Scottish assembly, the government was non-committal. The Scottish Nationalist Party subsequently withdrew its support for the government and a general election was effectively triggered. Until the election, public opinion was still very much in Labour’s favour. However, the government’s self-defeating decision to extend wage restraints ended up in huge strikes rarely seen before. This was later to be commonly referred to as the ‘Winter of Discontent’. Labour party eventually lost the election to the vibrant Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher. This was the start of the ‘Wilderness Years’ when Labour Party was out of power for almost twenty years. The purpose of giving the long chronology above is to establish two very clear points. One is that the Labour Party, even at its weakest point still managed to secure electoral success. This, in turn, will lead to the main question as to why the party was not able to replicate that same trend after 1979. Second is to register in the mind of the reader that the Labour Party was always a very progressive party. Eventually, this will lead to the inevitable query in the reader’s mind, why did the public lose taste in Labour’s progressive policies after 1979? After all, Labour party was the authors of the N.H.S, an institution that still very much alive today. This paper shall seek to answer the two questions above. In the process, it will assert that Margaret Thatcher, her conservative policies and Labour party infighting had shut off its doors to 10 Downing Street for the better part of two decades. After its electoral loss to the Conservatives in 1979, Labour party underwent serious infighting. There were two main factions, both of whom were waging an ideological battle over the future of the party. There were the left-winger’s, led by Michael Foot and Tony Benn; while the right wingers were led by Denis Healey (Pelling 2005). It was believed that the leader of the party determined the ideological leanings of the party. As a result, when Michael Foot was elected leader in 1980 the party shifted to the left. Consequently, a breakaway faction formed the Social Democratic Party. The party went on to lose heavily at the polls, securing only 27% of the poll and obtaining only five hundred thousand votes more than the breakaway S.D.P. For a party that truly wanted to challenge the unified Conservatives, such infighting was only self defeating. Owing to the break up of the party, the Conservatives were handed a second consecutive term in office on a silver platter. Neil Kinnock replaced Michael Foot as party leader. The party shifted ideologically to the centre under his watch. Thereafter, Labour councils came up purporting to speak up for the rights of women, minorities, workers, decentralization and against neo-liberalism. These councils significantly advanced the right of minorities. However, more members were expelled from the party under Kinnock’s watch (Pelling 2005). They went on to form other parties, and in the process weakened the Labour Party diminishing its support. This ideological battle lasted on for the better part of two decades. As already seen in the divisions, the eventual break-ups in the party severely weakened it, and elections were effectively lost long before they were contested. With all these defeats, Labour party accepted its position as the second party in British politics. To further complicate things for them, the Conservatives were led by an enigmatic Prime Minister whom they rallied around. Thatcherism was the other reason that Labour stayed in the cold for so long. Thatcherism is a collective term for the broad range of reforms brought about by Margaret Thatcher. At the start, Margaret Thatcher inherited a weak economy from Labour Prime Minister, James Callaghan (Forester 1976). She set about reforming the economy with policies that were very unpopular at first. However, there was no huge cause for concern in that. The Labour party was itself split and the possibility of her losing the ballot was non existent. Her policies were everything Labour Party was opposed to, for instance, the privatization. According to Thatcher, the government had no role in providing basic services to the people. Those were best left to the private sector. Consequently, she privatized several industries that had been nationalized during Labour’s years in power. Among them were mining, telecommunications (British Telecoms), transport (British Rail) and even canals. Privatization today is the order of the day. Back then, it was a much more controversial issue. Also, exemplary was her approach to labour relations. Thatcher believed that trade unions power had to be minimized if any real work was to be done. Britain lost several work hours every year to industrial action. To end this, Thatcher formulated the legislation to curb the power of trade unions. This was a hugely controversial move, but she did not relent. This led to various strike such as the miners strike, which stands out among all industrial disputes that happened under her watch. Thatcher realized the government was losing huge sums of money operating mines that were of little or no economic value at all to the taxpayer. She decided to close the mines that were least productive to the outrage of trade unions. This simply meant the loss of jobs. The miners staged an uprising, and at one point two third of the mines in Britain were not functional. Pettinger (2007) claims that Margaret Thatcher stood her ground and stayed true tone of her famous quotes that says, “The Lady is not for turning.” At the end of it all, the miners went back to work, and by this time she had achieved her objective. The loss of hundreds of work hours every year to strikes were now a thing of the past. Labour party, obviously owing to their close affiliation to the trade unions, could not have successfully carried such legislation (Forester 1976). Margaret Thatcher also strengthened Britain’s standing in the world. The Falklands war happened under her watch. The ruling military, junta, in Argentina, sanctioned an attack on the British administered islands off the coast of Argentina. Thatcher sanctioned the British navy to go off to Argentina and repel this attack a few days later. The war lasted a few months until the Argentines surrendered (Pelling 2005). By the end of it all, the casualty count on both sides was in the hundreds. Regardless of that, the British had declared themselves forcefully and looked like a real military power. Thatcher’s approach to the Cold War and Soviet leader Gorbachev is also worth exploring. Although, strongly opposed to Communism and the imperial tendencies of its leader, she managed to strike a working relationship with him that ensured that the frosty relations that resulted from the Cold War were averted. On the other hand, she strengthened Britain’s defense by pursuing a joint defense with the United States under Ronald Reagan (Pettinger 2007). This ensured that even in the case of an attack from the Soviets, the several American bases located all over Europe could come to the rescue. Despite all her huge successes, one trumped them all. The economy had been a constant sore for all previous governments, both Labour and Conservative. Pugh (2011) asserts that, her monetarist policies advocated for a slash on direct taxes and a corresponding increase in indirect taxes. Interest rates were increased to lower money supply, and as a result, cut back on inflation. Cash limits on spending were instituted, and there was reduced spending on social services most notably housing and education. Thatcher’s economic policies created disharmony and huge riots broke out in 1981. The possibility of a policy reversal or U-turn was touted in the media. Thatcher answered those calling for a U-turn at the Conservative Party conference of 1980; where she uttered the immortal words, telling anyone who wanted to turn back to do so, herself she was not going back. By this, the economy was showing signs of recovery. Inflation was down to 8%. By 1987, the rampant unemployment rate began showing signs of easing. As Thatcher was building the nation, Labour was shifting its ideological position. The success of Margaret Thatcher had triggered a change in the way Labour Party approached politics. Their policies were hugely transformed. Their antipathy toward free market economics had disappeared (Pugh 2011). They were even flirting with traditionally Conservative policies on the economy. In conclusion, the Labour Party lost, not because of any major successes on the part of the Conservatives, but due to huge failures on their part. The first two elections after Thatcher took over could have been won, for instance her policies were still hugely unpopular with the public. There is a lot to learn from Thatcher’s decision to resign as Prime Minister. After a sustained power struggle, she gave up the premiership for the good of the party. John Major took over. If Labour Party, were to learn anything from this hard lesson, it should be that party unity even in times of huge disagreement is a huge strength (King 1998). References Forester, T 1976, “The British Labour Party and the Working,” Holmes & Meier Publishers: New York. King, A. 1998, “New Labour Triumphs: Britain at the Polls: Britain at the Polls, 1997 (Comparative Politics & the International Political Economy),” CQ Press: California. Lyman, R 1957, “The First Labour Government, 1924,” Chapman & Hall: London. Pelling, H 2005, “A Short History of the Labour Party,” Palgrave Macmillan: New York. Pettinger, T 2007, ‘U.K economy under Mrs. Thatcher 1979-1984,’ Economics- Help to Simplify Economics, 30 March 2007, viewed 17 April 2012 from http://econ.economicshelp.org/2007/03/uk-economy-under-mrs-thatcher-1979-1984.html Pugh, M 2011, “Speak for Britain: A New History of the Labour Party,” Bodley Head: London. Yergin, D 2012, ‘The real Margaret Thatcher,’ Wall Street Journal, Jan 26 2012, viewed 17 April 2012 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577172541650545030.html Read More