Labour leader Harold Wilson was once asked how difficult he found being prime minister of the
United Kingdom. 'Not half as difficult as being Leader of the Opposition' he replied. Sadly
for the Labour Party much of the last century has been spent in shadow government. But were
these wasted years in the Party's history? Or did they offer vital opportunities for creation
and improvement? In Keeping the Red Flag Flying political historians Mark Garnett Gavin Hyman
and Richard Johnson offer the first in-depth account of Labour's periods out of office since
becoming the Official Opposition in 1922. They argue that far from being barren periods in the
Party's history Labour's opposition years from MacDonald to Starmer have been undervalued and
misunderstood. Across the book's eight chapters they scrutinise Labour's approach to reforming
the party machinery its development of policy proposals its success in appealing to the wider
electorate and its skill in opposing the government to identify the key hallmarks of successful
opposition as well as common mistakes. As the Labour Party prepares for a long-awaited return
to government this insightful book on Labour's past has vital lessons for the Party's future.
