For six minutes the 1,712 delegates to the annual Labor Party conference in the seaside resort of Blackpool stood and roared an ovation for the man they believe has rescued them from political extinction. From Labor's perspective, the tribute was richly deserved. Neil Kinnock, 44, the copper-haired Welshman with a silver tongue, inherited a divided and demoralized party three years ago. Militant leftists threatened his leadership, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives, fresh from a landslide election victory, held a commanding lead in opinion polls. Kinnock has changed all that. At Blackpool he gave a masterly demonstration of his authority over...
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