So what was the effect of the media’s obsession with the ‘Loony Left’?

One of its earliest and most obvious effects was that it rattled Labour’s National Executive Committee. As early as 1981, when Labour released a discussion document The Rights of Gay Men and Women, the media outcry saw the document quickly buried and never mentioned again.

The Labour leadership’s reluctance and subsequent failure to challenge the media’s homophobic onslaught against Peter Tatchell in the Bermondsey by-election was most certainly an element in his defeat.

In 1987, the influence on the National Executive became even more evident when the media acquired a copy of a letter from then Party Secretary Patricia Hewitt to Right-wing Labour MP Frank Dobson. This included the view that:

“‘The Loony Labour Left’ is now taking its toll; the gays and lesbians issue is costing us dear amongst the pensioners.”

This was particularly disappointing given that Patricia Hewitt had been head of Britain’s National Council for Civil Liberties for several years prior to becoming a Labour MP.

For members of the Labour Party, the ‘Loony Left’ issue had another effect; it highlighted the growing rift between the politics of the National Executive Committee and the grassroots parties. One issue in particular was the different views on how to respond to the media’s attacks. Clearly the NEC wanted to play it safe and avoid any contentious issues. The fact that they tried to block the LGBT rights vote at the 1985 Labour Party Conference and their failure to challenge Section 28 are two specific examples of that.

At a local level, however, there was more of a view that the Party’s policies should not be determined by a conservative media. This was particularly true of the Greater London Council, who ploughed ahead with their policies – including an extensive raft of pro-queer policies – despite the media declaring them to be ‘Loony’. In 1985, ‘Red’ Ken Livingstone was able to declare that:

“The GLC is more popular with Londoners than at any time since its establishment in 1965”.

The following year, the ‘Loony Left’ Labour local councils of Camden, Lambeth, Hackney and ‘Barmy’ Bernie Grant’s Haringey were elected with increased majorities.

What is particularly worth remembering is that one of the main reasons these councils were deemed to be ‘loony’ was because they supported queer rights. Things like equality in employment, education, housing, adoption and healthcare. On that basis it would appear that parties of all persuasions have gone ‘loony’ today.

But we don’t hear the tabloids screaming about that.