Era of New Labour: Political Flashcards

Conservative failings + election defeats

1
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to their own strengths?

A
  • lost only 5 seats (3.7% decrease in vote) + 412 members of parliament
  • Blair’s personal popularity
  • delivered on key election pledges of 1997
  • severe shortage of motor fuel resolved
  • Tory tax policy: “cut here, cut there, cut everywhere” + “20bn of cuts”
  • expansion of global tech bubbles
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2
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to Conservative weakness?

A
  • Hague’s inability to be seen as a better alternative to Blair
  • lack clear set of targets which they could attack + poor campaign eg main line to opposition was adopting the euro which failed to attract the floating voter
  • still widely divided on Europe + party drifted to right
  • Hague publicity stunts backfired eg resigned 3 months after
  • failed to gain any seats in Wales
  • policy gaffe by Oliver Letwin over spending cuts (no clear policy)
  • pregnant Blair: “Four years of Labour and he still hasn’t delivered”, “Never to the euro” + “only five days to save the pound”
  • ignored foot and mouth disease/parliamentary reform
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3
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to other factors?

A
  • voter apathy due to forecast of Labour victory so 59% turnout vs 71% 1997
  • media dubbed it “the quiet landslide”
  • “Hague with Lady Thatcher’s hair” captioned “get out and vote. Or they get in.”
  • Sun backed Labour calling Hague a “dead parrot” during cons party conference Oct 1998
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4
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to their effective social policy? Were there any limitations?

A
  • minimum wage + jobseekers’ allowance
  • winter fuel allowance; financial issue for OAPs
  • tackle social exclusion eg social exclusion unit
  • childcare provision and pension credits
  • longer prison sentences to target crime
    BUT
  • accused of “wasteful spending” eg winter fuel allowance + reliance on state + inefficient
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5
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to their effective economic policy? Were there any limitations?

A
  • low inflation
  • gov expenditure controlled as promised in 1997 eg limit treasury borrowing
  • BofE independent so expert control of interest rates
  • capital improvements for schools and hospitals
    BUT
  • fortunate after ERM withdrawal
  • borrow Thatcherite practices (unoriginal)
  • future debt eg PFI
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6
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to their effective Northern Ireland policy? Were there any limitations?

A
  • 1998 Good Friday Agreement + Blair played significant role
  • it was agreed by SDLP, UUP, Sinn Fein + 71% of citizens who voted for it
    BUT
  • extremists rejected it which led to Omagh bombing 1998 by “real IRA”
  • Gerry Adams (president of Sinn Fein) condemned it and said “violence must be a thing of the past”
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7
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to other constitutional policy? Were there any limitations?

A
  • Scottish parliament + executive (3/4 voters agreed) + welsh assembly
  • house of lords reform which removed hereditary peers BUT Blair created more new life peers in 4yrs than Cons in 18 which raised question to boost Labour support in lords?
  • mayor of London 1999 Ken Livingstone
  • human right acts, 2000 freedom of information act + 1998 data protection act
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8
Q

How did Labour win the 2001 election due to their effective foreign policy? Were there any limitations?

A
  • April 1999 speech (“Blair’s doctrine”) supporting liberal interventionism
  • 1997 abandoned opt-out on EU employment and social policy
  • 1998 withdrew objection to common European defence policy and debates to join euro
  • Balkans curbed Serb aggression + protected Kosovo
  • end to civil war + greater stability in Sierra Leone
    BUT
  • 1998 imposed sanctions on Iraq that damaged ordinary Iraqis and not regime
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9
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to their own strengths?

A
  • comfortable overall majority, seen as outstanding choice
  • Blair experienced political operator, could project image
  • emphasised Howard’s role in unpopular Major gov
  • “Britain’s working don’t let the Tories wreck it again”
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10
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to Conservative weakness?

A
  • supported decision to go into Iraq
  • 3 leaders in 2yrs echo division + incompetence
  • Howard emphasised immigration + law and order; concerns on own record as home secretary
  • colleague Ann Widdecombe said ‘something of the night about him’
  • campaign managed by Australian Lynton Crosby which sparked controversy eg “it’s not racist to impose limits on immigration” + criticised Labour’s “dirty” hospitals and high crime levels asking “Are you thinking what were thinking?”
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11
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to other factors?

A
  • liberal democrats gained nearly 6 mill votes with 22.1% share, nearly 2/3 of Labour’s total + they opposed Iraq
  • knowledge of economic difficulty not widespread enough
  • Charles Kennedy questioned over ability - asked local income tax + appeared confused
  • increased turnout of 61.3% due to extension and promotion of postal voting system
  • Labour failed to gain new seats (unique since 1945) + lost Blaenau gwent their safest seat in Wales
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12
Q

What economic difficulties 2001-2005 weren’t widespread enough to decrease Labour’s chance of election victory?

A
  • inflation 2.6% 1997 to 4.8% 2007
  • fall in pension value by £8bn by 2007
  • savings fell 9.7-3.7% 1997-2007
  • share values £120bn lower
  • “stealth taxes” to avoid increasing tax
  • 37% increase in public sector = “client state”
  • signs of recession due to overseas borrowing
  • Brown sold gold reserves (nearly 1/2) vs China who was buying. So 2x money vs UK who lost £3bn
  • increase trade with China but didn’t criticise human rights records
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13
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to their effective economic policy?

A
  • large scale spending to NHS + education
  • employment increase by 2.5 mill 1997-2007
  • credit cards normalised and encouraged
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14
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to their effective social policy?

A
  • 2003 Section 28 repealed, 2004 civil partnership act + 2005 gender recognition act
  • 2002 police reform act aim to lessen “them and us”
  • reduced child poverty by 25% by 2005
  • to tackle crime ABSO introduced
  • pro-gender in politics eg 101 women elected labour MPs 1997 + Maragret Becket 1st female foreign secretary 2006
  • Labour’s “New Deal” - training + work exp
  • opted into European social chapter (mirrored EU).
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15
Q

Were there any limitations to Labour’s social policy between 2001-2005?

A
  • rural tension due to ban on hunting with dogs
  • controversy over potential radicalisation of Muslims + major riots in Oldham
  • num of NEETS increased to 20% by 2007
  • women earned 87% of men’s earnings by 2007
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16
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to their policy on Europe? Were there any limitations?

A
  • reduced UK rebate by 20%
  • energy security, growth + jobs on EU agenda + focus on world issues
  • relaxed work permit restrictions on immigration
  • allowed immediate right to work
    BUT
  • Iraq led to bad relations with France + Germany
  • “Lisbon agenda” focus on education + migration
  • immigration socially and politically controversial
17
Q

How did Labour win the 2005 election due to Afghan foreign policy? Were there any limitations?

A
  • USA, NATO + UN supported war effort + so installed new gov replacing Taliban
    BUT
  • Al-Qaeda + Taliban leaders escaped there
  • unstable state with weak gov
  • shift in focus to Iraq allowed Taliban to regroup + take on Afghan gov
18
Q

What was Labour’s policy surrounding Iraq? What are the positives and negatives?

A

+ Blair maintained special relationship to protect international security and stability
+ successful war effort in removing Saddam 2003
+ Hutton Inquiry cleared Blair’s gov of including false claims in key “dossier”
- lack of 2nd UN resolution; illegal war?
- didn’t lead to peace or stability
- 4 ministers eg Robin Cook resigned and “stop the war” march 2003 had over 1 mill supporters
- no WMD in Iraq + “45 minute claim” false
- David Kelly suicide

19
Q

How was the Conservative party affected from 1997?

A
  • number of MPs halved
  • 145/165 eurosceptic
  • some eg Hague and Howard wanted no change
  • some eg Duncan Smith and Widdecombe wanted to return to Thatcherite policies
  • and some eg Hesseltine wanted to modernise
20
Q

What was William Hague like as a leader?

A
  • age 16 spoke at party conference
  • 36 in 1997, limited experience but few enemies
  • Portillo lost seat in 1997, Kenneth Clarke committed europhile so ‘anyone but Clarke’ philosophy
  • intent on more socially inclusive but 1999 Peter Lilley warned against Thatcherite forcing Hague to reiterate support
21
Q

What was Ian Duncan Smith like 2001-03?

A
  • introduce compassionate conservatism to try tackle poverty and deprivation
  • aggressive eurosceptic
  • voted against repeal of section 28 + allowing unmarried couples to adopt resulting in Osborne and Cameron refusing to follow
  • Theresa May 2002 labelled cons as ‘the nasty party’
  • supported involvement in Iraq despite criticism from Clarke
  • lost confidence in him + lack of charisma
  • wife’s salary led to vote of no confidence which he lost
22
Q

What was Michael Howard like as a leader 2003-05?

A
  • Home secretary under Major + not popular
  • socially conservative but promoted modernisers eg Osborne shadow chancellor and Cameron shadow education secretary
  • safe pair of hands and stability
  • abandoned compassionate conservative
23
Q

What was David Cameron like as a leader 2005-16?

A
  • socially liberal vs David Davis
  • LT leadership campaign let him become known
  • made well received candidate speech
  • take climate change seriously eg visit Arctic and cycle to work
  • favour of gay rights and increase Britain’s aid budget
  • promised to protect NHS
  • maintain Labour public spending
  • some eg Norman Tebbit criticised modernisation but overall party united and credible