It has been an historic day in the Party. What Gaitskell attempted in 1960 has been done again.-an attempt to destroy the left, the Conference and the unions. Some people will want a candidature against Kinnock next year, but he would smash his critics and crush the left, probably even expel it. On the other hand, we don’t have any obligation anymore to go along with what is said, and I think it is perhaps the restoration of the freedom to speak out that is more important.
Tony Benn’s diary 1st October 1985. He refers to Neil Kinnock’s leaders speech which attacked the then Militant Tendency (now the Socialist Party). It underlines that the fortunes of the left in Labour have ebbed and flowed. Whether they will flow again is a matter of debate but whether Labour or another structure there is always very likely to be a party in a market economy that has policy of reform for economically and socially progressive reasons (achievable or not)
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