No Left Turn

By Keith Moran

“So, right, ok, we lost” said John Major in 1997, displaying all of his customary understatement in the face of Labour’s landslide. In the same speech the outgoing Prime Minister remarked that his party now had to go into opposition and learn the lessons from defeat. Unfortunately for the Conservatives and fortunately for Labour, his party never did take on board Major’s sentiment. The irreparable damage caused by this failure ensured they are only now emerging from the wilderness.

In 1997, the Conservatives returned to parliament with only 165 MPs, having lost 171. Many people feared that 2010 might see Labour in a similarly desperate position, especially given some of the opinion polls in the latter half of 2009. But with 258 seats won, Labour are in a better position than many people expected and the party has a solid base from which a new leader can operate.

Reading some articles and viewpoints, I am slightly concerned that there are people who believe Labour in 2010 received a rejection on the scale of the Tories in 1997 or Labour in 1983. We did not. The public did not embrace the Conservative alternative with any great gusto and the new coalition government are, for the moment, operating on similar ground to that vacated by New Labour, shunning the impulse of some in Conservative ranks to lurch to the right.

Fourth term governments are exceptionally rare and in the face of the worst financial crisis in living memory, an unpopular Prime Minister, and all of the baggage collected from thirteen years in power, Labour’s defeat should not come as a complete surprise.

The shadows of opposition maybe a comfort to some – it will provide the space for a fundamental review of Labour’s core principles, values and direction, if that’s what people want. But let us be clear, the centre-left is the only territory from which Labour can regain power in five years (or perhaps sooner). Retreating to ideologically more comfortable and less pragmatic ground may satisfy some in the party, but those in society we hope to protect will continue to be governed from the right for many years to come.