Driver. S & Martell.

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New Labour
Blair first directly elected leader, via an election of Labour party members. New Labour slogan used to distance the party from not just old labour but mainly the New Right during the period when the parties policies were increasingly closer to those of the Conservatives.

Constraints facing the Labour Party: Politically Changing political sociology in modern Britain making it harder for parties to win elections. Socio-Economic: Increasingly unstable, rapidly changing economic environment replacing traditional patterns of industry and employment. Ideologically: Confronted by the New Right, whose ideas for dealing with the challenges of Britains decline led a political debate and appealed to voters. Labours core voter base was declining with old patterns of male, unionised manufacturing was long in decline. Class loyalties were eroding over the period, subject to dealignment and in some cases embourgeoisement. Electorate with more core conservative votes. Labour had to construct a coalition between working and middle class voters. In what is largely a two party system, the voters on the left woud have no real alternatives to voting for Labour despite a shift in policy towards the right. However, later in 2005 election Labour dropped voters, particularly lower middle class and skilled working classes, mainly to the benefit of the Lib Dems. The political branches appeared to be broken during the reign of Thatcher, with the conservatives far from conservative but modernisers, setting in motion considerable changes. Labour on the other hand appeared on the defensive, stuck defending the post-war settlement

What is New Labour: View 1: Revisionist Thread of Social Democratic politics. View 2: Thatcher Mk 2 View 3: Political Composite

Revisionist Social Democracy: Crosland: Future of socialism and capitalism lay in this band of social democracy in which private property was largely retained, but with the state taking a significant and sometimes dominant role as owner, planner, investor and provider. Public regulation to engineer a more equal distribution of rewards and opportunities. Intervention would take the form of: minimum wage, public ownership, planning controls, Keynesian management, universal public services, redistributive tax and benefits system. Policy Review 1987-92: Increasingly pro-market, limiting government role to enforcement of competition and market failures, such as training, R&D and regional development. Removal of Keynesian demand management and EU withdrawal from policy. Universal disarmament also dropped. Stable macroeconomic environment, including commitment to low inflation. Increased welfare spending financed through economic growth. Criticised Thatchers market liberalism and suggested role for state in regulating, selective intervention and compensating for market deficiencies. Labour and the Economy: Previously synonymous with state intervention, nationalised industry and Keynesian demand management. Under Neil Kinnock, labour underwent the policy review as mentioned earlier. 1992 election defeat largely blamed on the remnants of Labours tax and spend policies.