Labour Party Flashcards
Labour - Origins
- founded in 1900 by a group of socialist societies and trade unions, with the original purpose of getting more working class MPs into parliament.
- traditionally, the politically active working class had supported the Liberal Party
- After the expansion of the franchise to include working class men in the 1918 Representation of the People Act, the Labour Party was able to have more electoral success and formed two short-lived minority governments in 1924 and 1929-31 under the leadership of Ramsay Macdonald.
Labour’s post-war social democratic governments
- Clement Atlee’s 1945 government was the first one in which Labour had a parliamentary majority and the first one that was able to make important changes.
- these included nationalisation of coal, railways, power, steel, and the NHS, free at the point of need.
- Labour governments between 1945 and 1979 described themselves as socialist but were a moderate version known as Social Democracy.
- emphasised the importance of redistributing the wealth and creating a fairer society. Wanted Keynesian economic management.
- creation of comprehensive schools
How did new labour follow on from old labour
- in the early 1980’s, the Labour Party began to move away from its hard-left position, so that it could broaden its support.
-it took two more election defeats in 1987 and 1992, as well as a forceful leader in Tony Blair, to complete this process.
How the Labour Party changed under New Labour
- aimed to find a third way between free-market capitalism and old-style socialism, under the influence of progressive thinker Anthony Giddens.
- party dropped unpopular policy proposals, crucially revising clause IV of its constitution in 1995 so that it was no longer committed to nationalisation and the redistribution of wealth.
—— significance and power of the trade unions in the party was also downgraded.
—— party stopped being a purely working-class party. - became more pro EU
- emphasised modernisation and democratisation e.g. devolution and reforming the HoL
How the move to new labour was divisive
- many traditional socialists rejected New Labour’s modernising efforts as a betrayal of their heritage and felt that Blair was too connected with business leaders and too positive about the values of the free market.
- his building close links with the US government, leading to the 2003 Iraq war, further damaged his credentials as a progressive figure.
- Blair supports, however, argued that New Labour was a necessary adaptation to a changing society and that it embodied ‘traditional values in a modern setting’
How Corbyn came to power
- By 2015 there was significant pressure for the Labour Party to take a more radical approach which led to Jeremy Corbyn being elected after Miliband’s resignation.
- due to his left wing agenda, Corbyn struggled to form a united shadow cabinet and opposing MPs forced a 2nd leadership contest in the autumn of 2016, which he won triumphantly.
How Corbyn’s return to old labour policies failed
- Corbyn moved the Labour Party to the left to a significant extent under the slogan ‘for the many not the few’
- Corbyn marginally lost in the 2017 election and was destroyed in the 2019 election, with Labour having their worst electoral performance since 1935
How Starmer came to power
Following the 2019 election defeat, Keir Starmer was elected as Labour leader instead of the most left-wing, Corbynite candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey.
How Starmer has gradually rejected Corbynism and moved the party closer to the new labour again
- following partygate, the failure of Liz Truss’ administration and general dissatisfaction with the Tories, Starmer’s Labour Party overtook the Conservative Party in the polls and have looked likely to win the next election since the spring of 2022.
- Starmer suspended Corbyn from the Labour Party in October 2020 - addressing the issue that Corbyn didn’t effectively deal with anti-semitism as leader.
Labour - economic policy
- new labour aimed to separate themselves from earlier social democratic administrations by not increasing taxes and conserving resources before investing more in key public services.
- new labour governments aimed to reduce poverty
- new labour supported capitalism and the use of Private Finance Initiatives
Labour - law and order policy
- Blair famously said that Labour must be “tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime”.
- some of Labour’s measures to fight terrorism promoted the safety of the community over human rights.
- New Labour broadly encouraged and facilitated immigration, seeing it as economically beneficial.
Labour - welfare policy
- Labour consistently increased spending on the NHS and education
- winter fuel payment introduced for pensioners and free off peak travel for over 65s
- introduced minimum wage and the working families tax credit as part of policies aimed at promoting work
An example of Labour trying to reduce poverty but not wiping out inequality
They introduced a nation minimum wage, but at a less generous level (£3.60) per house than trade unions wanted.
Blair on education - welfare policy
Between 1997 and 2007, the core spend per pupil rose 48% and they were record results in schools. When asked his 3 main priorities in 1997, Blair said ‘education, education, education’
New Labour welfare policy examples
Winter fuel payment was introduced for pensioners and there was free off peak travel for over 65s
