Sheffield Rally
Encyclopedia
The Sheffield Rally was a political meeting held by the Labour Party
on Wednesday 1 April 1992, a week ahead of the 1992 UK general election
.
The event was held at the Sheffield Arena, an indoor sports venue in Sheffield
, England. It was attended by 10,000 Labour Party members, including the entire shadow cabinet
, and is reported to have cost some £100,000 to stage. The party leader, Neil Kinnock
, was flown into the city by helicopter
.
The rally was modelled partly on American presidential campaign conventions, with sound and light performances on the stage and celebrity endorsements played on a large video screen. It is believed to have been the brainchild of Philip Gould, a political strategist who was also involved in the subsequent election campaigns of Bill Clinton
.
At one point in the proceedings, Kinnock and the shadow cabinet paraded to the stage from the back of the venue, passing through an increasingly enthusiastic audience, with the shadow cabinet being introduced by titles such as "The next Home Secretary" and "The next Prime Minister"; Labour had been in opposition for 13 years and had already lost three consecutive general elections to the Conservatives
.
This culminated in an emotional and animated Kinnock taking the podium and repeatedly shouting "We're alright!", which has often been re-broadcast since as an example of overconfident campaigning. Kinnock followed this by proclaiming "We'd better get some talking done here, serious talking".
However most analysts and major participants in the campaign believe it actually had little effect, with the event only receiving widespread attention after the election.
Jim Parish, Senior Campaigns Officer for the Labour Party 1985-93 and an organiser of the rally wrote, "the catastrophic 6-7 per cent drop in Labour support occurred before the rally and was - I am reliably informed - known in Sheffield that night."
In April 2010, Kinnock said, "It wasn't until about ten days after the election that people started writing about the 'hubristic Sheffield rally' and all the rest of it. Given my time again, I wouldn't repeat it - but the great legend is complete, bloody rubbish."
In the end the election was a victory for the Conservatives who finished 8% ahead of Labour in voting. It was widely regarded as one of the most surprising election results of the 20th century, as most of the pollsters had predicted a narrow Labour majority or a hung parliament
- with the most likely outcome of the latter being a coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats
. Labour had surged ahead in the opinion polls during 1989 and widened their lead in 1990, but the resignation of Margaret Thatcher
as prime minister on 22 November that year and the election of John Major
as her successor had sparked a turnaround in Tory popularity, with the Tories and Labour regularly displacing and then replacing each other at the top of the opinion polls over the next 17 months.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
on Wednesday 1 April 1992, a week ahead of the 1992 UK general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
.
The event was held at the Sheffield Arena, an indoor sports venue in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England. It was attended by 10,000 Labour Party members, including the entire shadow cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
, and is reported to have cost some £100,000 to stage. The party leader, Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, was flown into the city by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
The rally was modelled partly on American presidential campaign conventions, with sound and light performances on the stage and celebrity endorsements played on a large video screen. It is believed to have been the brainchild of Philip Gould, a political strategist who was also involved in the subsequent election campaigns of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
At one point in the proceedings, Kinnock and the shadow cabinet paraded to the stage from the back of the venue, passing through an increasingly enthusiastic audience, with the shadow cabinet being introduced by titles such as "The next Home Secretary" and "The next Prime Minister"; Labour had been in opposition for 13 years and had already lost three consecutive general elections to the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
This culminated in an emotional and animated Kinnock taking the podium and repeatedly shouting "We're alright!", which has often been re-broadcast since as an example of overconfident campaigning. Kinnock followed this by proclaiming "We'd better get some talking done here, serious talking".
However most analysts and major participants in the campaign believe it actually had little effect, with the event only receiving widespread attention after the election.
Jim Parish, Senior Campaigns Officer for the Labour Party 1985-93 and an organiser of the rally wrote, "the catastrophic 6-7 per cent drop in Labour support occurred before the rally and was - I am reliably informed - known in Sheffield that night."
In April 2010, Kinnock said, "It wasn't until about ten days after the election that people started writing about the 'hubristic Sheffield rally' and all the rest of it. Given my time again, I wouldn't repeat it - but the great legend is complete, bloody rubbish."
In the end the election was a victory for the Conservatives who finished 8% ahead of Labour in voting. It was widely regarded as one of the most surprising election results of the 20th century, as most of the pollsters had predicted a narrow Labour majority or a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
- with the most likely outcome of the latter being a coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. Labour had surged ahead in the opinion polls during 1989 and widened their lead in 1990, but the resignation of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
as prime minister on 22 November that year and the election of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
as her successor had sparked a turnaround in Tory popularity, with the Tories and Labour regularly displacing and then replacing each other at the top of the opinion polls over the next 17 months.