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The media and intra-party democracy: 'new' Labour and the clause four debate
This article considers the role and increasing influence of the media in internal
Labour Party affairs. Consideration is given to the activities of three ‘auxiliary’
institutions that became central actors within party debates during the leadership
of Neil Kinnock. These are the external agenda-setting print media popular
amongst party members; the opinion research based on questioning of the
electorate or, more specifically, those seen as potential Labour supporters; and,
managing both the media and research, the burgeoning cadre of specialist advisers
and aides working for the leader. The latter part of the paper looks at the defining
moment of Tony Blair’s three year period as Labour leader in opposition, that is
his successful attempt to re-write the party’s statements of aims and values
including the revered Clause Four. It will be shown how Blair used the reformed
party structures bequeathed him by predecessor Kinnock to manage discussion
and deliver a victory not certain at the outset of the debate. In winning the
argument, the leadership demonstrated how its powerful position derives not just
from its place in the party hierarchy but also from its ability to use the media to
structure and control debate.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Pages
93878 bytesCitation
WRING, D., 1998. The media and intra-party democracy: 'new' labour and the clause four debate. Democratization, 5(2), pp.42-61Publisher
© Taylor and FrancisPublication date
1998Notes
This article was published in the journal, Democratization [© Taylor and Francis]. The definitive version: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13510347.asp.ISSN
1351-0347Language
- en