"John was a product of the Labour Party of Gaitskell, Wilson and Callaghan, and he had a deep commitment to preserving it, realising that certain things had to be done, like introducing OMOV in order to secure that kind of Party. In that sense, he was a moderniser, but it had to be done in a way that would not offend the traditional principles of the Party. He liked the way the Labour Party did things. New Labour felt that they couldn't make that old system work, and made significant changes – like Clause IV – wholesale reform of which John had rejected."
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Members of the Parliament of the United KingdomLawyers from ScotlandLabour Party (UK) politiciansPoliticians from ScotlandLeaders of the Opposition (United Kingdom)
Original Language: English
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Sources
Norman Hogg, quoted in Mark Stuart, John Smith: A Life (2005), p. 408
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Smith_(Labour_Party_leader)
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John Smith (Labour Party leader)
John Smith QC (13 September 1938 – 12 May 1994) was a British Labour politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his death from a heart attack in May 1994.
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