Favorite British Leader of the Opposition that never made it to the Number 10

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

The question is your personal preference, not "who would make best PM".

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I had hard time choosing between Henderson and Foot. Went with Foot, despite opposing his views on the Europe.

[H. Ross Peron]

Gaitskell easily

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I feel some affection for Foot and Lansbury, but I'm a big Kinnock fan.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

Hague.

[RogueBeaver]

Hague.

[BaconBacon96]

Hague.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Foot

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Hauge for his wit, and Kinnock for seeming like a genuinely good and friendly fellow.  

Of course all the commies loves Foot.

[Phony Moderate]

Ideologically Foot, practically Smith. Hague, as Tory right-wingers go, is a good fellow though.

[Lumine]

Hague, I still laugh when I watch his speech in which he wonders about the idea of Tony Blair as President of Europe (and mocks Gordon Brown again and again).

[SWE]

Foot

[Dr. Cynic]

Almost everyone could like Michael Foot the person. The more I learn about him, the more I like him, but I don't think I could have ever voted for him if I was an MP in a leadership contest.

Gaitskell and Smith would be more likely. I'll say Smith because I agree with his views on Europe.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Almost everyone could like Michael Foot the person. The more I learn about him, the more I like him, but I don't think I could have ever voted for him if I was an MP in a leadership contest.

That pretty much sums my fellings. However, once he became a leader, I'd stick with him for the Labour's survival sake against those undermining him from the left (Benn) and the right (Gand of Four) alike.

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There is a lot I dislike about Gaitskell. From his proto-Blarite leanings to his opposition to the EEC.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

From his proto-Blarite leanings

This is a misunderstanding that came about in the 90s from attempts to put Blair 'in context'. Blair was a former Left winger who moved sharply to the right in the usual post Cold War way (his current views - further to the right again - are not relevant here) and accordingly took the view that market mechanisms could be (should be) used to realise traditional socialist goals. Gaitskell, on the other hand, was a convinced believer in (state) economic planning. He was on the Right because he was pro-NATO, pro-bomb, sceptical of mass nationalisation and extremely anticommunist.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Anyway, it would either be Smith, Gaitskell or Henderson. I also have a lot of respect for Kinnock. Lansbury and Foot were decent people and great socialists, but kind of lousy at the whole Party Leader thing (although it's possible that Foot might not have been in better circumstances). Obviously anyone who votes for Carson should be banned from the forum.

[Arturo Belano]

Michael Foot

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

From his proto-Blarite leanings

This is a misunderstanding that came about in the 90s from attempts to put Blair 'in context'. Blair was a former Left winger who moved sharply to the right in the usual post Cold War way (his current views - further to the right again - are not relevant here) and accordingly took the view that market mechanisms could be (should be) used to realise traditional socialist goals. Gaitskell, on the other hand, was a convinced believer in (state) economic planning. He was on the Right because he was pro-NATO, pro-bomb, sceptical of mass nationalisation and extremely anticommunist.

I led myself being influenced by the dangerous "putting in context" thinking. Thanks for correcting me.

I also have a lot of respect for Kinnock.

I must say it's hard not to feel sorry for Kinnock. He had to work under a very difficult conditions, given that, when he took over, Labour just suffered it's worst defeat since 1931 and only narrowly managed to retain the Official Opposition status.

He obviously did a great job rebuilding Labour after a near collapse, but many remembers him now as the longest serving Leader of the Opposition, that never made it to the Number 10, and the one losing an election he was favored to win.