The longest suicide note in history
Encyclopedia
"The longest suicide note in history" is an epithet originally used by United Kingdom Labour Party
MP Gerald Kaufman
to describe his party's left-wing 1983 election
manifesto
.
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 epithet referred not only to the orientation of the policies, but also to their marketing. Labour leader Michael Foot
decided as a statement on internal democracy that the manifesto would consist of all resolutions arrived at its party conference
, making the manifesto over 700 pages long.
The document's far-left policies, along with the popularity gained by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
over the Falklands War
, contributed to a victory with a substantial majority in Parliament for the incumbent Conservative party. The defeat led to a turning point in the history of the party, which thereafter adopted more free market
principles and amended Clause IV
in its constitution.
in his paper "A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection" to describe the Digital Rights Management
schemes in the Windows Vista
operating system.
Dutch VVD politician Mark Rutte
used the phrase in reference to the election program of the Dutch Labour Party, during the May 2010 parliamentary election campaign
, deliberately echoing Kaufman.
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer
compared the 2012 Republican House Budget to the manifesto (in terms of comparable unpopularity) and then remarked about the House Budget, "At 37 footnotes, it might be the most annotated suicide note in history."
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...
MP Gerald Kaufman
Gerald Kaufman
Sir Gerald Bernard Kaufman is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1970, first for Manchester Ardwick, and then subsequently for Manchester Gorton...
to describe his party's left-wing 1983 election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
.
The document
The New Hope for Britain called for unilateralUnilateralism
Unilateralism is any doctrine or agenda that supports one-sided action. Such action may be in disregard for other parties, or as an expression of a commitment toward a direction which other parties may find agreeable...
nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
, withdrawal from the European Economic Community
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
, abolition of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, and the re-nationalisation of recently de-nationalised industries like British Telecom
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
, British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
, and the British Shipbuilding Corporation
British Shipbuilders
British Shipbuilders Corporation was a public corporation that owned and managed the shipbuilding industry in England and Scotland from 1977 and through the 1980s...
.
The epithet referred not only to the orientation of the policies, but also to their marketing. Labour leader Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
decided as a statement on internal democracy that the manifesto would consist of all resolutions arrived at its party conference
Labour Party (UK) Conference
The Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party.-Conference decisions:...
, making the manifesto over 700 pages long.
The document's far-left policies, along with the popularity gained by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
over the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, contributed to a victory with a substantial majority in Parliament for the incumbent Conservative party. The defeat led to a turning point in the history of the party, which thereafter adopted more free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
principles and amended Clause IV
Clause IV
Clause IV historically refers to part of the 1918 text of the British Labour Party constitution which set out the aims and values of the party. Before its revision in 1995, its application was the subject of considerable dispute.-Text:...
in its constitution.
Other uses of the phrase
It has subsequently been used by Peter GutmannPeter Gutmann (computer scientist)
Peter Gutmann is a computer scientist in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Auckland. His Ph.D. thesis and a book based on the thesis were about a cryptographic security architecture...
in his paper "A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection" to describe the Digital Rights Management
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
schemes in the Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
operating system.
Dutch VVD politician Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet...
used the phrase in reference to the election program of the Dutch Labour Party, during the May 2010 parliamentary election campaign
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
, deliberately echoing Kaufman.
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer, MD is an American Pulitzer Prize–winning syndicated columnist, political commentator, and physician. His weekly column appears in The Washington Post and is syndicated to more than 275 newspapers and media outlets. He is a contributing editor to the Weekly Standard and The New...
compared the 2012 Republican House Budget to the manifesto (in terms of comparable unpopularity) and then remarked about the House Budget, "At 37 footnotes, it might be the most annotated suicide note in history."