I did indeed. I stood for the constituency that is now represented so ably by my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz), and did so on the manifesto on which we all fought that election. I learned an enormous amount from the voters to whom I listened during the campaign. I learned that my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) was correct to describe our manifesto as"““the longest suicide note in history””."
It was not a manifesto that any party that was serious about forming a Government should have written. The British people formed their judgment on us, and after that election I went to work for Neil Kinnock when he became leader of the Labour party and began the long march back to reconnecting us with the British people and enabling us to form a Government again.
European Union (Amendment) Bill
Proceeding contribution from
Patricia Hewitt
(Labour)
in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 11 March 2008.
It occurred during Debate on bills on European Union (Amendment) Bill.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
473 c179 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
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Timestamp
2023-12-16 01:05:44 +0000
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