The party has a life of its own: Labour's ethos and modernisation, 1983-1997

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I have three main aims for the fellowship: first, publishing my original research in the form of academic journal articles, to communicate my findings and to build a publications record, which is essential for future academic jobs; second, utilising my political networks, and engaging with and expanding my academic networks, to deliver impacts from my research increasing both academic, political and public knowledge of the future of the Labour Party - including a large conference on 'Labour in the age of Corbyn'; and third, undertaking a comprehensive training programme to add to my research skills, allowing me to conduct more research in different ways and to prepare me for a wider range of academic posts.My publications plan is based on the feedback and advice I have received from academic colleagues, and my viva examiners, on delivering a wide range of publications on the basis of my PhD thesis. It builds on three elements of my PhD - the interviews and archival research I undertook, which resulted in detailed historical analysis of events during Labour's modernisation period; the contemporary relevance my research has to debates and events happening today within the Labour Party, specifically the legacy of New Labour, today's 'modernisers' and Corbyn's Labour Party; and the theoretical basis for my research, which engaged with recent debates in political science about the role of 'tradition', and debates in historical scholarship on 'nostalgia' and why Labour Party people act in certain ways.Having previously worked in British politics before undertaking my research, I have a well-developed network of political contacts who either already engage with academia, or who would like to. Specifically on the future of the Labour Party, and progressive politics in Britain, I aim to use the time afforded to me as part of the fellowship to deliver impacts from my research, and to bring together political and academic figures to shed light on the successes, failures, and relative unity or discord of the Labour Party, all of which are often simultaneously part of the news and public discourse, but can appear quite random and confused.I also aim to develop my quantitative skills for both new research and for teaching students. I have put together a comprehensive training programme for the fellowship, based on expertise at my host institution, online learning packages and courses provided at other universities. Increasingly, academics in political science aim to use mixed methods in their research, and to use the best tools to answer questions about politics and the state of societies around the world. The fellowship offers the opportunity to enhance my skills as a researcher and teacher.