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Walworth Road
Monday 30th March 1992

John Smith: This is too American, Philip. I don't like it. I don't think it will have the effect we want.

Philip Gould: We've been planning this for nearly a year, it will work, the idea is to get maximum TV coverage, show us as winners and give the activists a good time for a night to get them ready for the final week. It will give us momentum.

Roy Hattersley: Some of parts of this script are just too much. This sort of rally doesn't go down well. It's too triumphalist.

PG: We need to convince people we can win. We need a bit of boosting, we are just ahead, we need to make the final effort. We don't need stodgy speeches about policy.

RH: I'm not sure that we wouldn't be better off with having people on the doorstep rather than at a rally. Introducing people as "the next Home Secretary", that will put some people's backs up.

PG: We've spent over 100,000 on this we can't cancel it now.

JS: That would have paid for an agent in five more seats, which would probably do more good than this rally.

Neil Kinnock: We've gone too far down the road to cancel it and Philip is right, it will get maximum TV coverage and you can't buy that.

JS: I agree about the TV, but I'm still worried, can't we at least tone it down a bit.

PG: The point is to get attention, look at the Tories in Wembley, got attention and did them no harm.

RH: We don't know that, we were being obliterated. For all we know it could have cost Mrs Thatcher 5 points in the polls, but she had that to lose, we don't.

NK: All people remember about Wembley is Kenny Everett and "Let's Bomb Russia". Where are we in the polls again, Philip?

PG: We are on average a couple of points ahead, but The Times has a really great poll for us coming out tonight. I've got no other details, but they tell me it gives us a solid lead.

JS: Solid. That's what we need this isn't solid. This is too different

RH: And we've checked the turns out to make sure none of say "Let's Shoot the Queen"

NK; Roy!

RH: Well, Neil, it's all people remember about Wembley. All we need is some off-colour remark and that's what they will remember and will affect their vote.

PG: There's less than two days to go, we can't cancel it at this point.

JS: He's right about that, the media would be all over it if we did.

NK: <nods> Let's tone it down a bit, make it a bit more serious, we still want to make people want to attend and we don't want it to be old and boring, it needs to make the news. But let's make it a bit less American.

Ealing & Hartlepool
Very late Monday, 30th March 1992

Neil Kinnock: How is it going, Peter.

Peter Mandelson: I'm going to be fine, I think we have a small swing to us, I'm now sending people to Langbaurgh to help Ashok.

NK: Not Stockton South?

PM: Langbaurgh is close, I think the Tories may hold Stockton South. People like Tim Devlin and the Liberals are still giving it a good go.

NK: Despite Wrigglesworth going?

PM: What else have they got around here?

NK: About my fax?

PM: Who wrote that?

NK: Philip's team.

PM: It's not you, Neil, its too theatrical. You aren't Bill Clinton.

NK: What do you suggest.

PM: I'll fax you a few ideas. The basic idea is sound.

NK: What do you think of the polls?

PM: The most interesting bit is the turnout, the Tories seem slightly less willing to vote than our people.

NK: But a seven point lead.

PM: In one poll and a one point loss in the other. It's all very close. There will be some more good polls tomorrow evening.

NK: Your contacts?

PM: Yes, you'll like both of them.

NK: So we are going to be alright?

PM: I don't know, Major's campaign has been very effective, more effective than people think. I think the most important thing at the moment is to motivate our people to vote and not to scare the Tory horses so they don't vote.

Sheffield Rally
Wednesday, 1st April 1992

Neil Kinnock: I'm supposed to stand here at this point, wave my hands in the air and tell you all that everything will be alright. I'm not going to do that, because everything won't be alright, it won't be alright unless we spend every minute that we possibly can working for what this country needs, a Labour victory. We can win this but it will take every ounce of effort people can put in, ignore the opinion polls, every door you knock, every leaflet you deliver, every effort you make is what will give us a Labour Government.

Back in 1983, in Bridgend, I made a speech which warned people about what would happen, if the Tories were re-elected. They were re-elected and a lot of those warnings became true. They have had 13 years to sort things out and they have failed for many, many people. Our schools are in some cases literally falling to pieces, the NHS struggles for money every year, our pensioners are still cold in the winter and many people have been unemployed for several years.

The Tories haven't done anything about that and the Tories won't do anything about that. It doesn't matter if is Margaret Thatcher or John Major in charge, the Tories aren't interested in public services except to sell them off. I can say the same for small businesses and the self-employed, the Tories have left them to struggle and will continue to let them struggle, what they need is a proper economic recovery with staying power. If they can't get it right in 13 years, they never will.

What we need is a fresh start for Britain, that means we will make strong and continued investment for economic strength. That means action to help families, fair taxation, incentives for enterprise and support for essential community services. That means greater freedom, security and opportunity. That means change for the better.

There's only one way to make that change and that is to elect a Labour Government next week. So let's celebrate that we've come so far and then go out with a renewed purpose to elect that government so it can serve Britain by making that change.
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