Labour Party Since 1979

When Neil Kinnock took over the leadership of the Labour Party in 1983, he inherited a divided organization, saddled with an array of unpopular left-wing policies. When he resigned in 1992, Labour was a radically different party, tightly organized 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 1980s, 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 1980s 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 modernization process of the party, its shift to the political middle ground and the new professionalism of Labour's campaigning and o

`For those with ears to hear, Shaw has done the movement a real service. He outlines the challenges facing the party after its 1979 defeat and has persuaded 32 of the key figures in the subsequent transformation to talk about what happened.' - John Booth, Tribune`Eric Shaw is a respected political scientist whose work on the Labour Party is based on meticulous research... he has produced another excellent book which could not have been published at a better moment, since he provides a comprehensive challenge to Labour's political strategy in the years immediately before the 1992 election... All those who desire a Labour government as soon as possible should read this important book.' - Patrick Seyd, New Statesman and Society`...an exceptionally useful and informative book based on extensive interviews with key participants and access to some important internal party papers. It is the most complete and authoritative account so far produced of Labour's journey since 1983 back from the brink of dissolution into a regionalised party far removed from the competition for power.' - Mark Wickham-Jones, Times Higher Education Supplement`Drawing upon internal Labour Party papers and interviews with Labour Party MPs and officials, the book is essential reading for those wishing to make sense of the Labour Party's trnasformation over the last decade.' - - Anthony Boulanger, Public Policy Review