PHILIP GOULD An Unfinished Life
In his politics, this warm, exuberant, confrontational man would suddenly ask the spiky question, the really awkward one. His last battle was extraordinarily brave; but it was when he opened his arms to death, and looked it in the face, that he shook everyone he knew and a host of friends he never met. Andrew Marr Philip was simply the best political analyst of his day. His genius was to be able to spot what others couldn t in the mass of data, make sense of it all and then define the way forward. He wasn t just my pollster. He was my pathfinder. Tony Blair The greatest professional compliment I can pay Philip is that he was a disaster for the Conservative Party helping to mastermind campaigns that inflicted three electoral defeats on us. The greatest personal compliment is that he set aside partisan conflict whenever we spoke to each other. It was clear from our conversations that what motivated him was a genuine, passionate desire to improve his world. My last memory of Philip is also my fondest. He and Gail gave me a lift back from a conference which we had all been attending because I didn t have a car, and sitting in the back seat I received a brilliant analysis of all the things the then Conservative Opposition were doing right, and doing wrong. It would be hard to find a better analysis today. George Osborne Philip was a truly exceptional man with extraordinary talents. He was a pathbreaking political strategist as well as a warm, funny, engaging, deeply emotional and loving human being. Nowhere was he more extraordinary than in the final years of his life: battling his cancer like a political campaign that could be mastered and won. Then accepting death with courage and bravery. His contribution to Labour politics was enormous. His work and commitment helped change the lives of millions of his fellow citizens for the better. By helping Labour to win three elections, he helped rebuild our schools, save our NHS and repair the fabric of Britain. Many who benefit will never know his name but will have better lives in part because of his work. In an age when people are cynical about politics, he was someone who was in it for the best of reasons: because of his deep rooted concern for the people of Britain and his wish to make Labour their voice. His memory will live on in his wonderful family and all those who had the privilege to call him their friend. Ed Miliband
PHILIP GOULD An Unfinished Life Edited by Dennis Kavanagh Palgrave macmillan
Editorial matter, selection, and introduction Dennis Kavanagh 2012 All remaining chapters respective authors 2012 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012 978-1-137-28112-8 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2012 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries ISBN 978-1-349-67065-9 ISBN 978-1-137-29160-8 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-29160-8 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12
Contents Preface Dennis Kavanagh Notes on Contributors vii ix Introduction 1 Georgia Gould 1 Philip Gould s Life and Work 8 Dennis Kavanagh 2 Friendship in Politics 27 Alastair Campbell 3 The Start of Labour s Long March: 1985 1992 42 Patricia Hewitt 4 The Unstarted Revolution 62 Peter Mandelson 5 Our Kind of Politics 78 David Miliband 6 The Land and the Sea 92 James Purnell 7 Philip Gould and the Rise of the Scorekeepers 108 Danny Finkelstein 8 Philip Gould and the Art of Political Strategy 117 Peter Hyman
vi Philip Gould: An Unfinished Life 9 How Philip Gould Helped to Save the Conservative Party 132 Andrew Cooper 10 A US perspective on The Philip Gould Project 152 Stanley B. Greenberg 11 Life in the Death Zone 170 James Harding Index 180
Preface Dennis Kavanagh My last conversation with Philip Gould took place a few weeks before he died. At home in his favourite room, overlooking Regent s Park, he did most of the talking. We covered politics, his family, what to do about his papers and diaries, and his preparations for his death. Near the end I asked how he would feel if somebody organised a book about his life and work. He responded with enthusiasm, and Philip, when enthusiastic, was a sight to behold. He started to pace the room and throw out names and ideas. I said that if I was involved, such a book should go beyond the Blair Brown rivalry and the problems of the Labour Party. We agreed on this and planned to meet again. As I left he gave me a signed copy of his revised The Unfinished Revolution. He scribbled an inscription, the last sentences of which read It has been a joint journey, not yet finished. I am sure we will have several opportunities to meet in the future. He thought he had more time. He did not. Without Philip, but with the support of his family, I proceeded. Despite my initial doubts, everybody I approached accepted immediately, two saying they felt honoured. And then I had doubts that everybody would actually deliver. They did, making my task an easy one. That the contributors with their many commitments cooperated so readily was a mark of their admiration and affection for Philip. He would have been delighted and even humbled with this book. Amber Stone-Galilee has been a supportive and encouraging editor. My thanks go to her and the staff at Palgrave Macmillan. vii
viii Philip Gould: An Unfinished Life All proceeds from the Sale of this book will go to the National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Fund, and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Philip Gould s papers have been deposited at Churchill College, Cambridge University.
Notes on Contributors Alastair Campbell became Tony Blair s press secretary in 1994, was his spokesman and strategist full time until 2003, and returned as communications director for the 2005 election. He was a key player in Labour s three election victories and the major issues of the Blair government. He now writes, speaks, consults and works for charities dedicated to mental illness and leukaemia. He has written eight books since leaving Downing Street: five volumes of diaries, two novels and a personal memoir on depression. Andrew Cooper is Director of Strategy to Prime Minister David Cameron. He is co-founder of the research consultancy Populus and previously worked for the Conservative Party from 1995 to 1999 and for the Social Market Foundation. Danny Finkelstein is Executive Editor of The Times and a weekly columnist for the paper. In 1995 he went to work for John Major as the director of the Conservative Research Department and stayed after William Hague became leader, becoming his chief policy adviser. Georgia Gould is Philip Gould s eldest daughter. An Oxford graduate in history and politics, a Labour councillor and former full-time organiser, she has also worked for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and is currently working on a number of projects around educational disadvantage and youth unemployment in Camden. ix
x Philip Gould: An Unfinished Life Stanley Greenberg is a leading US Democrat pollster and strategist and head of Greenberg, Quinlan Rosner. He was pollster for Bill Clinton in the 1992 Presidential campaign and for the Labour Party in 1997, 2001 and 2005 and with James Morris, continues in that role for Labour under Ed Miliband. He has just published, with James Carville, It s the Middle Class Stupid! James Harding has been the Editor of The Times since 2007, having joined the paper in 2006. He previously worked for the Financial Times in London, Shanghai and Washington. Patricia Hewitt was Labour MP for Leicester West from 1997 to 2010. She served in Tony Blair s Cabinet as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Cabinet Minister for Women and Secretary of State for Health. She is now senior independent director of BT, chair of the UK India Business Council and works with a Delhi-based charity, Katha. Peter Hyman is Headteacher of School 21, a new 4 18 school in Stratford, East London. Between 1994 and 2003 he was political strategist and speechwriter to Tony Blair MP, and was Head of the Prime Minister s Strategic Communications Unit between 2001 and 2003. He is author of 1 Out Of 10: From Downing Street Vision to Classroom Reality. Dennis Kavanagh is Emeritus Professor of Politics and Communications at Liverpool University. Before then he was Professor of Politics at Nottingham University. He is the author, co-author and editor of over 30 books. The most recent is (with Philip Cowley) The British General Election of 2010. Lord Mandelson was a Cabinet minister in the governments headed by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, a European Commissioner, Labour s director of campaigns and communications 1985 90 and MP for Hartlepool 1992 2004. He is the author of The Third Man (2010).
Notes on Contributors xi David Miliband is Labour MP for South Shields and was UK Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010. James Purnell was Tony Blair s researcher from 1990 to 1992, and first met Philip Gould then. He subsequently worked in Downing Street between 1997 and 2001, when he was elected MP for Stalybridge and Hyde. He became Secretary of State for Culture, and for Work and Pensions, before standing down from Parliament in 2010. He is writing a book on Britain s Fifty Year Plan.