In 1987, Labour had lost three elections in a row, two of them in landslides, though they could, at least, comfort themselves that they had gained votes and seats from 1983, finishing decisively ahead of the Alliance (the combined forces of the Liberal and Social Democratic Party). The election had sent the Alliance into a tailspin of infighting and acrimony, with the party beginning talks over whether to merge into one joint party. Labour’s grassroots began to flirt with embracing electoral reform and electoral pacts as a way back to power. But the party’s shadow trade and industry spokesperson, Tony Blair, believed that the row was a distraction. A decade later, he would lead Labour back into government, while the merged “Liberal Democrats” would enter government as part of a coalition with David Cameron’s Conservatives in 2010.
Until now, support for proportional representation was confined to the Liberal/SDP Alliance and to lone voices in the two main parties. But this year no fewer than 15 resolutions for the Labour Party’s annual conference favour proportional representation (PR) or some sort of electoral reform.
Content from our partners
