CHANGING IN CLIMATE OF SUSPICION Harold Wilson became leader in 1963 after the unexpected death of Hugh Gaitskell. His speech was an attempt to rally his troops, to reach beyond the faithful to a nation increasingly cynical about the Tory government but suspicious of Labour - and to offer both a utopian vision of a planned, democratic socialist future. The theme was 'Change; the overwhelming need for this country to adapt itself to different conditions'. Wilson talked of 'the white heat of this (scientific, economic and social) revolution' he was predicting, and decried the 'amateurism' and 'snobbery' which was, he said, holding the country back. His 45- minute address captivated activists and the country.'The conscious planned purposive use of scientific progress to provide undreamed of living standards and the possibility of leisure ultimately on an unbelievable scale' was the vision of the Labour leader.He warned of 'the formidable Soviet challenge in the education of scientists and technologists and above all in the ruthless application of scientific techniques in Soviet industry'.He coined the phrase 'the brain drain' to describe the flight to America of technologically-skilled specialists. 'It is not so much a question of salary, it is the poor valuation put on their work by British industry.'I hope this conference can send out (a message) not only to those wondering whether to emigrate or not but to those who have already emigrated. We want you to stay (here).'We want those of you who have left Britain to think about coming back, because the Britain that is going to be is going to need you,' he said.BASHING THE TORIES WITH TORN PARTYTwenty years on, in October 1983, Neil Kinnock, delivered his first conference speech as leader, in the aftermath of Michael Foot's resignation.

His divided party had suffered an overwhelming, potentially shattering, defeat at the general election. Kinnock concentrated on boosting morale and bashing the Tories.'If we give more attention to impressing each other than convincing the people we have to convince, we will not do it (win) We have much to do. We have to win elections at every level; we have to recruit, we have to win over 100 seats in order to give us a Parliamentary majority. They (the Thatcherites) are the enemy: they must be defeated and we must defeat them together.'The nearest Mr Kinnock came to a vision was a paragraph on 'the ageing'. He promised to 'rejuvenate people by giving them pensions that are capable of meeting heating costs, just as a start.