A Rebellious Decade: Backbench Rebellions under Tony Blair, 1997–2007

Abstract

Previous Labour leaders used to play down their party’s rebellious streak, arguing either that things were not as bad as people thought (probably true) or that some division was a sign of healthy discussion (probably wishful thinking). On becoming Labour leader in 1994, however, Tony Blair’s strategy was different: he talked up how divided the Labour Party used to be, in order to talk about how united it had become. As with the creation of so much of New Labour, this involved distorting and exaggerating the historical record. It established a caricature of the past compared to which the present was noticeably more attractive. And it allowed the party’s supposed cohesion to be presented as an important part of what made it new, and (just as importantly) what made Labour different from the Conservatives, then in the death throes of the Major government and widely seen by the public as split.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Psalms 133:1