Foreign Policy

Question 1

When was the Euro introduced? Who was reluctant to join?

Answer 1

1999 - Blair wanted to join but Brown didn’t want to

Question 2

Treaty of Amsterdam

Answer 2

1997 - consolidated what was said in the Maastricht Treaty and Treaty of Rome

Question 3

When was there a prolonged NATO bombing in Serbia?

Answer 3

1999

Question 4

Twin Towers - what happened as a result?

Answer 4

11th September 2001 - USA invaded Afghanistan

Question 5

Treaty of Nice 2001

Answer 5

Reformed the institutional structure of the European Union to with stand the challenges of the new enlargement

Question 6

What happened in 2002 with regards to Iraq?

Answer 6

UN resolution forced Hussain to allow weapons inspectors into Iraq

Question 7

When did the Euro become the common currency for member states? Who were the exceptions?

Answer 7

2002 save for the UK, Denmark and Sweden

Question 8

What did Blair push for in 2002?

Answer 8

CAP reform

Question 9

When and on what grounds was the invasion of Iraq?

Answer 9

2003 - Bush convinced Blair that Hussain was harbouring weapons of WMD

Question 10

Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe? Why did it fail to be ratified?

Answer 10

2004 in Rome - brought together the existing EU treaties into one constitution. Referendums in France and Denmark rejected the treaty and as a result it was never ratified.

Question 11

Why did the Treaty of Rome cause uproar in Britain?

Answer 11

They had been promised a referendum however one was never held - arguably because Blair knew the constitution would not be accepted by the British public

Question 12

Who were Blair’s 3 foreign secretaries?

Answer 12

Robin Cook​ (1997-2001​)
Jack Straw​ (2001-2006)
Margaret Beckett​ (2006-2007)

Question 13

When were referendums held in France and Denmark?

Answer 13

2005

Question 14

Treaty of Lisbon - why was no referendum required?

Answer 14

June 2007 - practically a reiteration of the Treaty of Rome. No referendum was required as it was not officially a treaty establishing a constitution and a referendum was promised for treaties concerning the creation of a constitution.

Question 15

‘Stop the War’ rally

Answer 15

February 2003 through London

Question 16

Who took his own life after the invasion of Iraq?

Answer 16

David Kelly after no WMDs were found in Iraq

Question 17

Rebate Issue

Answer 17

Blair said he was willing to pay his ‘fair share of the costs of enlargement’ but he was not willing to give up his rebate.

Question 18

How much CAP did Britain receive in 2004?

Answer 18

9% - much less than other countries like France who received 22%

Question 19

How many directives did the EU impose over in 2006?

Answer 19

over 3000, few of these discussed in Parliament - Britain was one of the most compliant member states

Question 20

When did Blair negotiate away Britain’s rebate and what was the consequence?

Answer 20

2006 - Britain’s annual contribution rose to £7bn

Question 21

Why did Blair want to join the Euro? Why did Brown not want to? What did he do?

Answer 21

Blair believed joining the eurozone would help place Britain at the heart of the EU but Brown was more concerned about the long term impact. As a result, he lay down 5 tests which the euro would have to pass, including judgements about its impact on jobs and inflation.

Question 22

When did the EU expand? Name a state that joined.

Answer 22

Expanded from 15 to 25 states in 2004 - new members included Malta, Poland and Cyprus.

Question 23

2005 bombings

Answer 23

3 coordinated bomb explosions in London killed 56. Some saw this as a direct result of the invasion of Iraq.