Neil Gordon Kinnock

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Kinnock, Neil Gordon (b. 28 Mar. 1942). British Labour leader 1983–92 Born in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, into a working-class family. He attended University College, Cardiff, where he was President of the Students' Union. He then worked for the Workers' Educational Association, and in 1970 was elected to Parliament for the Labour Party to represent Bedwellty. From the left wing of the party, he opposed British membership of the EEC (European integration), and supported the CND. After the party's defeat in 1979, he became its spokesman on education, and, after a further defeat in 1983, he became leader of the party. He started an arduous process of reforming the party and shifting it to the right. Seeking to reclaim some of the middle ground from Thatcher, he ended Labour's commitments to unilateralism and withdrawal from the European Community, along with its advocacy of nationalization as a major economic strategy. This culminated in a full-scale policy review after a further defeat in 1987. Despite the fact that he was one of the best platform orators of his generation, he often had difficulties performing well in Parliament, such as during the Westland Debate in 1986. This, combined with the fact that he had moved away from some of his earlier convictions, gave him an image of unreliability and weakness. He resigned the leadership after defeat in the 1992 elections, and, ironically in the light of his earlier beliefs, became one of the British representatives on the European Commission. In this position, he was responsible for reforming the bureaucratic apparatus of the Commission and making it more effective, though many of the changes he instituted met with fierce opposition from the Commission staff.

Neil Gordon Kinnock , 1942–, British politician, b. Tredegar, Wales. The son of a miner, he studied at University College, Cardiff. In 1970 he was elected to Parliament as a Labour party member. After Labour's defeat in the 1979 elections, he became party education spokesperson. He became party leader after Labour's overwhelming defeat in the 1983 elections. A gifted orator, Kinnock persuaded the party to abandon some of its traditional left-wing positions, such as unilateral disarmament and widespread nationalization, and adopt more moderate policies. In 1992, the Conservatives again defeated Labour in a national election in which the electorate's questioning of Kinnock's ability to lead the nation was a major factor. After this loss, he resigned the party leadership. He remained in Parliament until 1995, when he was appointed to the European Union's European Commission ; he served as its vice president from 1999 to 2004. He was created Baron Kinnock of Bedwellty in 2005.

Bibliography: See R. Harris, The Making of Neil Kinnock (1984).

Kinnock, Neil G. (b. 1943). Formerly leader of the Labour Party (1983–92), European commissioner from 1995. Having lost two general elections in a row to the Conservatives (1987, 1992), Kinnock disarmingly confessed to being a failure. His left-wing views (particularly support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) alienated many voters, while his rhetorical style was considered verbose even by many of his own supporters. His opponents labelled him ‘the Welsh windbag’. His poor record at university, his lack of much professional experience before entering Parliament, and his lack of experience in government were all factors which handicapped him. Though he demonstrated courage in facing up to left-wing extremists in his party, dropped unpopular policies, and began the process of modernizing Labour, the impression remained that he lacked the gravitas required of a prime minister.

Andrew Sanders

Kinnock, Neil G. (b. 1943). Formerly leader of the Labour Party (1983–92), European commissioner from 1995. Having lost two general elections in a row to the Conservatives (1987, 1992), Kinnock disarmingly confessed to being a failure. His left‐wing views (particularly support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) alienated many voters, while his rhetorical style was considered verbose even by many of his own supporters. Though he demonstrated courage in facing up to left‐wing extremists in his party, dropping unpopular policies, and beginning the process of modernizing Labour, the impression remained that he lacked the gravitas required of a prime minister.

Kinnock, Neil Gordon (1942– ) British Labour politician and Leader of the Opposition (1983–92). Elected to Parliament in 1970, in 1978 he became a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, and after his party lost office in 1979, he was an effective opposition spokesman for Education. In 1983 he was elected Leader of his Party and thus led the Opposition to Thatcher's second administration. Following Labour's electoral defeats in 1987 and 1992 Kinnock resigned. In 1994 he became a European Commissioner.