The Unfinished Revolution

On 1 May 1997, an event regarded by many as a sea-change occurred in British politics. Not only had the Conservatives been ejected from office after 18 years in power, but the Labour party which replaced them had itself changed irrevocably. Tony Blair's majority of 179 was the culmination of a long, hard struggle to modernize the politics of his country. Philip Gould, a political strategist and polling adviser, has worked with the Labour leadership for 11 years, and has been a key adviser to Bill Clinton in addition to his involvement with the creation of "New Labour". Using this vantage point, he describes the rise of New Labour since 1983 and explains how the transformation was achieved. In the process, he explores the new political climate in Britain and how the real modernization is in the old labels of "Left" and "Right" being transcended.