1997 general election Flashcards

1
Q

stats (%) for labour cons and lib dem

A

Labour: 43.2%
Conservative: 30.7%
Lib Dem: 16.8%

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2
Q

how did Labour manage to gain more votes?

A

they adopted more centrist policies, which appealed more to the middle class, which were part of the conservatives’ core vote, and the young were also encouraged to vote

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3
Q

what are some other factors that led to labour winning?

A
  • the conservative party had been in power for 18 years
  • the conservatives had a deep economic recession in the early 1990s, which questioned their competence
  • labour appeared to be a younger, fresher party united around the ‘third way’
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4
Q

what impact did party leaders have on the 1997 election? give an example

A

John Major appeared to be grey unexcited and weak, whereas Tony Blair was ‘ young and ‘attractive’ with a clear vision , the Lib Dem leader also had a positive image

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5
Q

what was the turnout of the 1997 election? what is its significance?

A

71%, which is healthy by modern standards, but much lower than typical levels in the past

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6
Q

what were the main political issues at the time? and how did labour respond to this?

A

NHS and the state of education.

labour promised to make huge investments to better both sectors

Blairs: ‘education education education’

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7
Q

the campaigns focus from the 2 parties

A

labour:
- media soundbites: ‘education education education’
- pro-Blair campaign
conservative:
- focused on a negative anti-labour campaign

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8
Q

what policies did conservatives focus on

A

economic recovery

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9
Q

what 4 policies did Labour focus on?

A
  • cut class sizes in schools
  • introduce fast track punishment for young offenders
  • cut NHS waiting lists
  • cut VAT on heating and not raise income tax
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10
Q

what impact did the opinion poll have?

A

the 1992 opinion poll left people doubting the reliability of them as it was so incorrect, therefore labour didn’t trust the 1997 one

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11
Q

trends in region for 1997 election

A
  • labour gained votes across all regions
  • conservatives wiped out in Scotland and Wales and reduced to only 11MPs in london
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12
Q

trends in class for 1997 election

A

labour gained more votes with C1(+19%) and C2 (+15%), although conservatives still kept their AB voters

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13
Q

trends in gender for 1997 election

A

labour closed the gender gap, with men and women equally likely to support labour

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14
Q

trends in age for 1997 election

A

conservatives remained dominant with 65+ but labour won among all other age groups

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15
Q

trends with ethnicity for 1997 election (stats %)

A

labour: 43% white voters . 70% of BAME voters

conservatives: 32% white vote. 18% BAME voters

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16
Q

what was the outcome?

A

a massive defeat for the conservatives. took them 10 years for the party to recover
labour stayed in power for the next 13 years