Remembering John Smith
House of Lords, 19th October 2004

• The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Labour Party Deputy Leader 1992-94)
• Pat McFadden, Director of Political Operations, 10 Downing Street, and Former Adviser to John Smith
• Mark Stuart, Biographer of John Smith

Mark Stuart provided an overview of John Smith’s life and career and. He said that John Smith’s father taught him to be egalitarian in outlook in an idyllic Argyll childhood: “Strong radicalism in a rural setting.”

His Glasgow Union experience equipped him with the debating skills that he later deployed so well in Parliament. These skills preceded his law studies.

He was a supporter of Hugh Gaitskell and the Campaign for Democratic Socialism. Smith – like Gaitskell - believed in the pursuit of power to put principles into practice.

He was elected MP for Lanarkshire North in 1970 and displayed his early independence by voting against the party line on EEC entry in 1971.

He turned down Harold Wilson’s offer of Solicitor General for Scotland in 1974. Instead he was appointed a junior minister at the Department of Energy, serving under Eric Varley and Tony Benn. With the latter he showed he could work with left-wingers.

When Jim Callaghan became prime minister in 1976 he appointed Smith to the Privy Council’s office, as deputy to Michael Foot. He was responsible for steering through the devolution legislation.

He was appointed trade secretary in November 1978 but instead of foreign trips, he spent most of his time on keeping Labour MPs in line.

When he started at the department he asked his official when the PLP meeting was taking place. The official asked him what the PLP was, as his predecessor, Edmund Dell, clearly hadn’t attended the meetings.

He joined Solidarity and was Roy Hattersley’s campaign manager in the 1983 leadership contest. But – in Stuart’s opinion - he was never an organiser like Neil Kinnock or wordsmith like Donald Dewar or Roy Hattersley.

Stuart said that even in the dark days of Thatcherism, Smith never lost faith in the idea that the free market wasn’t the only solution.

He became Mr Prudence as Shadow Chancellor between 1987 and 1992. The Shadow Budget was widely blamed for the 1992 defeat but Mark Stuart believed it stemmed from a distrust of Labour.

When he became leader in July 1992 a family photograph was arranged in Hyde Park. Stuart recalled that bemused photographers wondered what that bald guy was doing with those three models. This was said to be his proudest moment.

Stuart believed Smith restored the morale of the party after its fourth election defeat. He knew where he was headed and what he had to do to win. Stuart said that for every Gaitskell, Kinnock or Blair there has been a Wilson, Callaghan or Smith - party men for whom unity was the priority.

In Stuart’s view, OMOV was a more important battle with Clause IV because it showed the electorate that the Labour Party could organise itself democratically and broke the union barons hold of the party. OMOV was the harder of the two battles. Smith was opposed to tackling Clause IV. Jack Straw set out an alternative Clause IV in a pamphlet. Smith was furious and famously threw Jack Straw’s pamphlet at him.

Mark Stuart finished by saying that when John Smith died in 1994 the public mourned a man of great character. He said that Smith was a normal member of the human race. And that he was extraordinary at being ordinary.

Margaret Beckett

Margaret Beckett said that there was appearance and reality with John Smith. He appeared formidable, he was. There was the other reality: a warm, witty human being. She quoted Donald Dewar from Smith’s funeral, “John could start a party in an empty room.”

Beckett said that he could be ill-tempered but he was immensely hard-working and conscientious. He set high standards. He was also a good team leader who gave his team their head, allowing people to flourish. And he was a good team player too.

She said that he had immense self-confidence. He knew he could do what he needed to do without arrogance or conceit.

John Smith sang the theme tune to Neighbours to Nigel Lawson in the Commons during his dispute with Alan Walters. Margaret Beckett said she was convinced this precipitated Lawson’s exit from the Thatcher government in 1989.

She said that when he died, someone asked what shall we put him down as and Elizabeth Smith said “politician” because he was proud of being a politician.

Margaret Beckett ended with a quote which she believed summed up his philosophy, “What’s the point of being in politics if it isn’t to help people who can’t help themselves.”

Pat McFadden

Pat McFadden said John Smith’s politics were based on simple but deeply held foundations. He was passionately pro-European. He was passionate about educational opportunity. He has a strong belief in social justice, inspired by his Christian Socialism.

He also had a great love of life – partying and a fondness for company. But he also said that we weren’t put on earth to enjoy ourselves.

Pat McFadden discussed the OMOV (One Member One Vote) battle, which he said now seemed unexceptional. He said that the blow to Smith’s authority would have been terrible if he had lost. The battle began in the early summer of 1993, after a review group had looked at the changes. He was advancing reforms in the teeth of opposition from Labour Party staff as well as the trade unions. It wasn’t felt that he could win.

The change was important not only as a symbol but because it was right for the direction that the Labour Party should go and where power in the party should lie. It was important also to show that Labour could change itself as the electorate still had doubts about the party in the early nineties.

Smith organised a campaign in the constituencies by getting key shadow cabinet on his side, which wasn’t easy as they had differing views on how OMOV could work.

On the eve of the conference he was still behind. Canvassing of the constituencies was taking place but most observers felt that Smith should prepare for defeat. However, Smith was focused on winning the vote.

His team visited Smith in his bedroom the night before the vote. His leadership was on the line. It all depended on a union delegation decision by the MSF. He didn’t know what would happen the next day.

The MSF delegation were committed to two things: opposition to OMOV and support for all-women shortlists. Those who supported OMOV in the MSF delegation said that they should abstain and called a vote within the delegation which they won by two.

Then came John Prescott’s speech. John Prescott’s speech changed the atmosphere in which OMOV was received. The first resolution for OMOV was moved by Jimmy Knapp by RMT and seconded by Maggie Jones of Unison. It was 48.926 in favour and 48.127 against. A resolution against OMOV was also won narrowly.

The key thing was the rule change. MSF abstention ensured it was passed by 47.5 per cent to 44.4 per cent. The unions had a 70 per cent block vote in those days. The constituencies voted two to one in favour. Despite his victory, John Smith’s instinctive reaction was to reach out to the unions.

Pat McFadden finished by saying that it would have been interesting to see what John Smith’s positive offer to the electorate would have been. And that he touched the public in a deeper way than he realised – his death affected people beyond the ranks of Labour members and voters.

Summary by Jayant Chavda