The labour campaign

Parliamentary Affairs

Volumn 54, Issue 4, 2001, Pages 607-623

  Seyd, Patrick ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0035486128     PISSN: 00312290     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/parlij/54.4.607     Document Type: Article

References (18)

1. Speech at the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1999.
2. For Prescott, see Guardian (31.5.00) and for Short, see Tribune (7.4.00). See also, P. Diamond et al, 'Must Labour Choose?', Progress, 2000.
3. For Prescott, see Guardian (31.5.00) and for Short, see Tribune (7.4.00). See also, P. Diamond et al, 'Must Labour Choose?', Progress, 2000.
4. For Prescott, see Guardian (31.5.00) and for Short, see Tribune (7.4.00). See also, P. Diamond et al, 'Must Labour Choose?', Progress, 2000.
5. For a more detailed analysis of this topic see P. Seyd, 'Labour Government-Party Relationships: Maturity or Marginalisation?' in A. King (ed.), Britain at the Polls, 2001, Chatham House, 2001.
6. Twenty-First Century Party, Labour Party, 1999.
7. See E. Shaw, 'New Labour: New Pathways to Parliament', Parliamentary Affairs, 2001.
8. Accurate membership figures are difficult to obtain. The party's latest available official figures record a decline of 44,000 between 1997 and 1999. Tribune (29.6.01) suggests a figure of 254,000 in 2001.
9. The figures are taken from surveys of the Labour Party membership conducted in 1990, 1997 and 1999. For further details see P. Seyd and P. Whiteley, Labour's New Grassroots: The Transformation of the Party Membership, Palgrave, 2002.
10. The task forces were: attack and rebuttal, coordination, external projection, field operations, fundraising and endorsements, leader's tour, legal, media, membership, operations and policy briefing.
11. P. Gould, The Unfinished Revolution, Little Brown, 1998, p. 396.
12. Operation Turnout Explained, Labour Parry, 2000.
13. Ibid.
14. In addition to the 146 seats Labour won in 1997 two seats were added to the list - Dorset South and Boston and Skegness. Within this group of 148 'priority' seats, however, there was a smaller group of 'battleground' seats, which were regarded as the most electorally vulnerable. The Millbank staff operated with some degree of flexibility in choosing the 'battleground' seats. They included the 56 seats which Labour had not targeted in 1997 and had won unexpectedly plus some others believed to be particularly vulnerable. The number therefore varied between 60 and 70. These 'battleground' seats received more central help (for example, more access to the national telephone bank) than the 'priority' seats. In addition, a few other Labour-held seats (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Cardiff Central and Chesterfield), were believed to be possible losses and were therefore accorded some central assistance.
15. In addition to the national manifesto, separate Scottish, Welsh, business and small business manifestos were produced.
16. See Coleman, this volume.
17. 80 full-timers were recruited on short-term contracts in 1999 and then intensively trained in election campaigning over the next 12 months before being sent in Autumn 2000 to particular regions to take responsibility for a group of priority seats.
18. 'Blitzing' involved the MP and a group of members knocking on doors in a strong Labour neighbourhood and inviting people to meet and raise issues with the MP. The belief was that this more direct, face-to-face contact would reinforce people's likelihood of voting in such areas.