User:Jttw/New Hope for Britain


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This text was derived from the article The longest suicide note in history in this revision (see for authors). It was written by (deleted revision [admins only]).

New Hope for Britain was a policy document issued by the United Kingdom Labour Party in March 1983, shortly before the 1983 general election. It was over 700 pages long, and called for an end to the sales of council houses, unilateral nuclear disarmament, withdrawal from the European Economic Community, abolition of the House of Lords, and the re-nationalisation of recently de-nationalised industries like British Telecom, British Aerospace and the British Shipbuilding Corporation.

The same title was adopted for the party's 1983 general election manifesto, which had only 39 page. As a statement on internal democracy, party leader Michael Foot passed the edict that the manifesto would consist of all resolutions arrived at the previous party conference. Its foreword opened: "Here you can read Labour's plan to do the things crying out to be done in our country today.

To get Britain back to work. To rebuild our shattered industries. To get rid of the ever-growing dole queues. To protect and enlarge our National Health Service and our other great social services. To help stop the nuclear arms race. Here you can see what Labour is determined to do, and how we shall set about it."

The far-left policies espoused by the manifesto, along with the popularity gained by the current Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher over the Falklands War, contributed to a victory with a substantial majority in Parliament for the incumbent Conservative party. This led to a turning point in the history of the party, which thereafter adopted more free market principles.

The manifesto was later memorably described by Labour MP Gerald Kaufman as "The longest suicide note in history".