Labour Flashcards
Labour party membership
500,000 following Milibands introduction of the £3 membership
1950’s 1.1 million
Labour Party factions
Blairites - Oppose the shift to the left the party took under Corbyn
Key ideas : state should be an enabling state, political and social reform and communitarianism
Momentum - Movement of Corbyn’s leadership (to the left and old labour)
Wanted to move labour to a socialist position
Policies such as redistribution of wealth, public ownership and state regulation
Blue labour - prefers many ideas associated with the tories
Working class
British Jobs for British workers
More socially conservative eg anti immigration
Labour party origins
Est 1900 - social democracy and democratic socialism (old labour)
Sought to create a more just society eg nationalisation, redistribution of taxes, trade unions and an extensive welfare state eg 1948 NHS
Following Tory landslides under thatcher , Labour moved to the left (longest suicide note in history 1983)
Under kinnock and smith , labour moved to the centre
1994 New Labour - Blair influenced by the third way
1995 Clause IV abandoned eg commitments to nationalisation
Top tax rate
Callaghan (83% for the top tax bracket)
Policy of Foot, Kinnock and Smith
Economy :
F - Major increase in public investment incl housing and transport
K - Top tax rate of 50%
Welfare :
F - Stop selection in secondary schools and reverse tory cuts to maternity leave
K - £600 million for investment in education
Law and order :
Limits to policing power
Strengthen equal pay and sex discrimination acts
Foreign policy :
F - Cancel Trident, protect refugees and withdrawal from the EEC
Blair/Brown policies
Economy :
- Introduce a national minimum wage
- Keep taxes the same as the tory ministers (40%)
- continuation of privatisation
Welfare :
- FSM for all primary school children
- Job seekers allowance
Law and order :
- Major reform eg civil partnership act 2004, HRA 1998 and HL reform 1988
FP :
- Good Friday Agreement
- 2003 involvement in the Iraq war
Miliband
Economy :
- Back the 50p tax and raise the minimum wage
Welfare :
- Ensure all young people study maths and English to 18
Law and order :
- Safeguard over 10,000 police officers
- Set a max level of sugar permitted in Kids food
FP:
- Reform the EU so it works for Britain
- Allow no further transfer of powers to Brussels without a referendum
Corbyn
Economy:
- Re-nationalisation of the railways and big monopolies
- End Austerity
- Value of the trade union movement
Welfare :
- Scrap the benefit cap
- Abolish tuition fees and prescription fees
Law and order :
- Lower voting age to 16
- Recruit 22,000 new officers
FP :
- Opposed to nuclear weapons
- Renegotiate to get a softer brexit
Starmer
Economy :
- Common ownership of rail, mail etc
- Increase tax 5% for top earners to 45%
Welfare :
- Abolish tuition fees
Law and order :
- Repeal trade union act
- devolve powers
FP :
- End indefinite detention
Old labour values
Equality and social justice
See society as full of class conflict so the gov. must favour
equality of opportunity
Collectivism
Public ownership
Trade union significance
Welfarism eg every member should be protected by this
Old labour policies
Nationalisation of steel, ship building etc
Comprehensive education system introduced in the 1960s
Outlaw of discrimination against ethnic minorities and women in the 1960s and 1970s
Creation of the NHS and welfare state
Trade unions granted wide powers
