The soft left was the name given to the more moderate left wing forces in the British Labour Party in the 1980s. They were first seen as a distinct movement when many previous left wingers such as 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...

 refused to support Tony Benn

Tony Benn

Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...

 in the election for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party in 1981. The term was often used in contrast to hard left

Hard left

Hard left is a name often given to an internal tendency within the British Labour Party. Similar terminology is used also in the context of the Australian Labor Party....

. Similar terminology is used in the Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 (see Socialist Left).

Lately, the terminology of "soft left" has been used by radical leftists to describe the Communist Party USA

Communist Party USA

The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....

 because of its continuing decline and tendency to support Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 candidates and positions as the "lesser of two evils."http://infoshop.org/iportal/left_field_guide.php

Further reading

• What is the Democratic Left?
• John Carvel and Patrick Wintour. Kinnock wins accord on defence switch Guardian May 10, 1989
• Field Guide to the American Left

See also

• Militant Tendency
  Militant Tendency
  The Militant tendency was an entrist group within the British Labour Party based around the Militant newspaper that was first published in 1964...
  
  
• Tribune (magazine)
  Tribune (magazine)
  Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
  
  
• Democratic socialism
  Democratic socialism
  Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
  
  
• Anti-Stalinist left
  Anti-Stalinist left
  The anti-Stalinist left is an element of left-wing politics that is critical of Joseph Stalin's policies and the political system that developed in the Soviet Union under his rule...
  
  
• Social Democratic Party (UK)
  Social Democratic Party (UK)
  The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...