"I believe that at every point in our history, Labour needs not just a programme but a soul. This Labour party - best when we are boldest, best when we are united, best when we are Labour - " So stated Gordon Brown in a keynote speech at the 2003 Labour Party conference. In Best When We Are Labour? former Labour backbenchers Des Turner and Ian Gibson deliver a blistering critique of the New Labour Government between 1997 and 2010, both defending and condemning its various policies and actions. From the heady early days of 1997 to the dismal showing in the 2010 General Election, it is undoubtedly a record of some remarkable political achievements, but also one of growing public disenchantment, internal plotting and wrangling and, when it came to Iraq, outright deception. Turner and Gibson provide a no-holds-barred evaluation of what went wrong and how it could have been avoided. As the current Labour Party struggles to find a coherent identity in opposition, this is both a very timely review and a rallying call to their Labour cohorts - pay heed to past mistakes or remain in opposition.