27th anniversary of Labour’s 1997 election victory: New Labour, still poor on history
1st May was the 27th anniversary of Labour’s 1997 Election victory. I voted Labour on that day (for the late Bernie Grant) and I doubt there were too many on the left who weren’t pleased that the Tories had suffered a huge defeat. Of course we knew that Blair, whatever his past, was not a man of the left.
Indeed one could hardly miss the New Labour message. History and particularly Labour and labour history was not part of it. Blair was the only Labour leader not to appear at the Durham Miners Gala (Starmer has appeared virtually) despite representing a nearby constituency.
There wasn’t perhaps all that much that was genuinely new about New Labour (if one looks at the history of social democratic parties). However making a peace of sorts with the tabloid press and being friendly to business and its money seemed like a good idea at the time (at least to New Labour). 27 years on the legacies of Murdoch and PFI look less happy.
Labour produced a short video to mark the 25th anniversary fronted up by Blair. Tbh there isn’t much in it that is not at least mildly positive. I think I’ve been in a minority on the left for a long time in arguing that some of the things done in the early (pre-2003) New Labour years were positive.
Blair mentions the minimum wage, improvements in public services and Britain becoming a more tolerant society (his reference to gay equality as opposed to LGBTQ, was a deliberately polemical point tho). He argues that New Labour made a Britain more at ease with itself.
Perhaps but the argument always was, again one that I’ve made for years, is that with two massive Parliamentary majorities in 1997 and 2001 Labour could and should have done more. There was for example modest legislation on employment rights. It should have been more robust but at least unlike from 2010 it pushed things a little in the right direction for working people (its not mentioned in the Blair video).
The impression was that Blair became frustrated that he could not do more, more quickly domestically. Hence in part the 2003 Iraq War. Here dramatic results were achieved quickly and the world is still paying the price for it.
Britain was not a country at ease with itself from 2003 and Blair trashed his own reputation with many, meaning that the record of New Labour which I’ve outlined above was largely forgotten.
That brings us to the 25th anniversary video. Was it in fact a good idea, keeping in mind how bad New Labour was at history? No one much under 40 now will remember the 1997 victory now. Probably rather more would prefer not to be reminded about Blair again and in particular Iraq.
In Early Socialist Days W S Sanders (who went on to be a Fabian leader) wrote about his time in the early Battersea socialist movement in the 1880s. He mentions the presence of some old Chartists, followers of Bronterre O’Brien who had been active in the 1840s and 1850s and were still promoting his theories. Sanders notes that the new generation regarded them as historical survivors- worthy of respect- but also as people whose ideas and strategies belonged to another age. I suspect some will see the May 1997 victory like that now.
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