May 1994 - John Smith, the Prime Minister that never was
Following the shock of watching victory come so close only to taste defeat in the 1992 General Election the Labour Party was in conflict with itself. If they couldn't win in 1992, when would they be able to? To their surprise, they found immediate hope in the collapse of Conservative support after Black Wednesday and the increasing lack of control by John Major over his party, allowing new leader John Smith to capitalize. A cautious man, Smith balanced the approaches of both modernizers and the old guard, doing his best not to introduce changes in the party with a "one more heave" strategy which assumed the Conservatives would collapse under their own mistakes in the next General Election.
Despite the criticism by some circles that this brought (particularly amongst the modernizing wing), Smith was a beloved leader, and his unexpected death by a heart attack in May 1994 stunned the nation and left Labour without a popular and respected leader. Her Deputy, Margaret Beckett, would preside over the upcoming leadership contest as new candidates prepared their own bids. Some, like Robin Cook, chose not to stand in the belief that Labour needed a leader with huge electoral support, while others agonized over their decision. Particularly crucial was the debate inside the modernizers, with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair both planning to stand.
While an attempted meeting at a restaurant was close to hammering a deal between both contenders, disagreements over the role of the one who would step down proved unsolvable. Both Brown and Blair announced their own bids, followed by Deputy Leader Margaret Beckett and John Prescott (both of whom are also running for Deputy Leader again).
The Candidates:
Tony Blair: Shadow Home Secretary and the popular champion of the Labour modernizers, Blair (backed by the polls) runs with the argument that Labour must move to the center and re-brand itself in order to finally win a general election, running away from the "socialist" label and repealing historic Labour guidelines such as Clause IV (which supports the nationalization of industry). Young and charismatic, with his trademark Cheshire cat grin, some of his supporters have described his vision that of "New Labour", a more center-left party capable of appealing to more voters across the middle and working class.
Gordon Brown: The Shadow Chancellor and the other modernizing candidate on the race, Brown lacks Blair's charisma, but has far more experience and a reputation as an intellectual. Seen as the "lesser of two evils" by those finding a modernizing victory inevitable, Brown also believes in the need of the Labour Party to move towards the center, while retaining more sympathy than Blair with the historical traditions of Labour. One of the main contentions of his campaign is economic policy, with Brown aiming for a more fiscally responsible policy by refusing to support major spending increases.
John Prescott: The brazen and charismatic Shadow Employment Secretary, Prescott used to be a trade union activist, often presented as one of Labour's links with the working class. Famous for his gaffes and unusual delivery, Prescott runs as a champion of the traditionalist Labour soft-left, critical of the modernization efforts of Blair and Brown and supporting policies such as nationalization of the railways and the prison system. He is also the candidate most supported by the trade unions in the leadership contest.
Margaret Beckett: Smith's Deputy Leader, Beckett was once a hard-left Bennite in the late 70's and early 80's, gradually moving towards a more centrist position by supporting Kinnock and later Smith. Beckett is hoping to portray herself as a unity candidate, taking a turn to the left by promising to scrap Conservative trade union legislation and nationalize the water industry (among other pledges) to undercut Prescott. Beckett also opposes the modernization efforts of Blair and Brown, pledging to oppose party reforms until after the next Election. Prominent hard-left MP's like Dennis Skinner and Ken Livingstone have supporter her bid.
You have two days to vote, the two candidates with the most votes go to a final round if no one garners a majority on this ballot. Prescott and Beckett also run for Deputy Leader.
Poll
