Election Case Studies Flashcards
1997 - Labour
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
418 Seats
(145 Gain)
43.2% of HoC
13.5 million votes
179 seat majority
1997 - Tories
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
165 Seats
(178 loss)
30.7% of HoC
9.6 million votes
1997 - Lib Dems
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
46 Seats
30 Gain, 2 loss
16.8% of HoC
5.2 million votes
How were votes distributed across the UK in 1997?
- Labour held traditional areas (the north), gained Northern/Midland rural areas
- Tories kept rural areas but lost Scotland (to various) and south-west (to Lib Dems)
What were voter patterns like in regards to class in ‘97?
- Middle Class (ABC1) - 40% Tories, but closely Labour at around 35%
- Skilled Working Class (C2) - 50% Labour not close at all
- Semi/unskilled Working Class (DE) - Almost 60% Labour not close at all
Did gender affect voting patterns in 1997?
Not really
How did different age groups vote in 1997?
18 - 24: almost 50% Labour
25 - 64: almost 50% Labour
65+ : 41% Labour/ 36% Tories
Describe the political context of the ‘97 election
- Black Wednesday saw crash after UK joined the ERM which lead to inflation in interest rates, questioning of Tory competence
- Unemployment peaked at 10.8% in ‘93, seen to be losing control of assuring employment access to all
- Major’s ‘back to basics’ and emphasis on respect of law and self-discipline followed by 9 Tory scandals
- Clause 4 - Blair removed the clause in the Labour manifesto that promised they would stand for common ownership and eschew private enterprise
- Blair rebranded labour and created the ‘third way’
What did the Labour Party manifesto focus on in 1997?
• Education No tax increase for bottom or top brackets • Low inflation • Get 250,000 young people off benefits • Rebuild NHS
What did the Conservative Party manifesto focus on in 1997?
- Keep tight control of public spending
- Keep prices and mortgages low
- Stated jobs were secured by not joining in on the European Unions’s Social chapter
What did the Lib Dem manifesto focus on in 1997?
- Invest additional £2 billion per year
- Invest £200 million a year to recruit more staff for frontline patient care, 100,00 extra nurses or 5000 extra doctors
- Cut VAT and taxes in jobs
How did the media influence the 1997 election?
- No political party had won without being backed by ‘The Sun’, in ‘97 had 3.8 million readers
- The Financial Times (capitalist newspaper) supported Labour for the first time
1979 - Tories
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
339 Seats
(Gain 63/loss 1)
43.9% of HoC
13.7 million votes
43 seat majority
1979 - Labour
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
269 seats
(Gain 4/loss 54)
36.9% of HoC
11.5 million votes
1979 - Liberal
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
11 seats
(Gain 1/loss 3)
13.8% of HoC
4.3 million votes
How were votes distributed across the UK in 1979?
- Labour help traditional urban constituencies but lost heavily in the Midlands, market and suburban seats to Tories
- Tories also gained in rural Scotland taking seats from Liberals and SNP
- Liberals maintained traditional seats
What were voter patterns like in regards to class in 1979?
Middle Class (ABC1) - 60% Tories
Skilled Working Class (C2) - tied at 40% between Tories and Labour
Semi/unskilled Working Class (DE) - 49% Labour
Did gender affect voting patterns in 1979?
Women were slightly more likely to vote conservative
How did different age groups vote in 1979?
18 - 24: 42% Tories/41% Labour
25 - 64: 43% Tories
Describe the political context of the 1979 election
- Economy - Winter of discontent 1978/79 - mass inflation and no GDP growth. A series of strikes form public services (bin collection, gravediggers, hospital) in demand of wage increase - resulted in a drop in GDP
- Callaghan - Labour majority of 4 was constantly threatened, lost it by Nov ‘76 election, entry Lib-Lab pact until it collapsed in ‘78. March ‘79 vote of no confidence triggered an election
- Campaign - Tories appeal to the middle class ‘hardworking people’, ‘Crisis? What crisis?’ , tax reduction and privatisation
What did the Conservative Party manifesto focus on in 1979?
Five tasks
• Control inflation and reduce the power of trade unions
• Restore incentives so hard work pays
• Uphold Parliament and the rule of law
• Concentrating welfare for those who ‘really need it’ (old, sick, and disabled)
• Strengthen Britains defences and work with allies
What did the Labour Party manifesto focus on in 1979?
Five Tasks • Control inflation • Improve industrial relations • Improve employment • Enlarged peoples freedoms • Strengthen world peace and defeat world poverty
How did the media influence the 1979 election?
- Sun supported Tories, a readership of 3.8 million
* All but the Guardian and The Daily Mirror supported Tories
2010 - Tories
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
306 seats
(96 gain)
•
10.7 million votes
2010 - Labour
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
258 Seats
(90 loss)
•
8.6 million votes
2010 - Lib Dems
Seats (Gain/loss)
% of HoC
No. of votes
57 Seats
5 seat loss
6.8 million votes
What was formed in 2010?
A coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats
How were votes distributed in the 2010 election?
- Labour held onto traditional urban constituencies nationwide but lost heavily in the Midlands + rural/suburban North to the Conservatives
- Liberal Democrats held in “Celtic Fringes” but lost a handful of seats despite an increase share of the vote
What were voter patterns like in regards to class in 2010?
- Upper Middle Class (AB) - Con 39%, Labour 26%, Lib Dem 29%
- Middle Class (C1) - 39% Con, 28% Lab, 24% Lib Dem
- Semi Skilled workers (C2) - 37% Con, 29% Lab, 22% Lib Dem
- Working class (DE) - 31% Con, 40% Lab, 17% Lib De
Did gender affect voting patterns in 2010?
Tories - 38% male, 36% female
Labour - 28% males, 31% female
Lib Dem - 22% male, 26% female
Not really, women minimally slightly more left leaning
How did different age groups vote in 2010?
- 18 -24 : 30% to Tories and Life Dems, 31% Labour
* 25 - 64: 34-38% average Tories , 28-31% average Labour, 23%-29% average Lib Dems
Describe the political context of the 2010 election
- Financial crisis of 2008, brought about by sub-prime mortgage lending caused a crash in the banking sector that resulted in the worst downturn of growth in a century under Brown
- Ed Miliband + Labour not taking responsibility, said spending wasn’t reason for crash couldn’t be trusted with economy again
- Brown’s issues with public image - bigotgate
- Tory rebranding - David Cameron, younger. More environmentally friendly patty with new logo, ‘Hug a Huskie’
Name the key aims of the Conservative Party’s manifesto in 2010
- Change the Economy - safeguard Britain’s credit rating, reduce youth unemployment, improve Britain’s international rankings for tax competitiveness
- Build the Big Society - ambition of every adult citizen being a member of an active neighbourhood group, NCS
- Back the NHS
- Vote blue, go green - cut carbon emissions and rebuild our energy security, promote a sustainable farming industry
Name the key aims of the Labour Party’s manifesto in 2010
“50 steps to a future fair for all”
- halve the deficit by 2014 through economic growth, fair taxes and cuts to lower priority spending.
- National Minimum Wage rising at least in line with average earnings
- Spending increased on frontline Sure Start and free childcare, schools and 16-19 learning
- right to cancer test results within one week of referral, and a maximum 18 weeks’ wait for treatment
- the funding to maintain police and PCSO numbers
- Achieve around 40 per cent low-carbon electricity by 2020 and create 400,000 new green jobs by 2015
Name the key aims of the LIberal Democrats’ manifesto in 2010
4 steps to a fairer Britain
• Fair taxes that put money back in your pocket - first £10,000 earnt = tax-free, .6 million low earners and pensioners freed from income tax completely
• A fair chance for every child - cutting class sizes, by investing £2.5 billion in schools targeted to help struggling pupils, not increasing tuition fees
• A fair future creating jobs by making Britain greener
• A fair deal by cleaning up politics - giving the right to sack corrupt MPs, restore British civil liberties with a Freedom Bill, Overhaul Westminster completely: fair votes, an elected House of Lords, all politicians to pay full British taxes
How did the media influence the 2010 election?
- Only Daily Mirror supporting Labour, Guardian and Independent supporting the Lib Dems
- The Sun, Daily Mail, Times all supporting Tories
- Tory media campaign was on the financial crash under Labour , Labour emphasised a threat of returning to Thatcherism under the Tories, Lib Dems highlight Tory plan to increase VAT (which they later did whilst in coalition with Lib Dems)
