Political Developments: The Formation of New Labour Flashcards
Who became Labour leader after John Smith?
Tony Blair
How efficient was Blair at interacting with the public?
He interacted with them well
Who was one of Blairs close allys in Labour?
Gordon Brown
Was Brown more of a New Labour or Traditional Labour member?
Traditional Labour member
What deal was made between Brown and Blair?
That Blair would serve as Prime Minister first
What did Tony Blair tell Gordon Brown he would do after serving as Prime Minister for 6 years?
Step down and Gordon Brown could then become Prime Minister
What role was Brown given in exchange for not becoming the Prime Minister before Blair?
Chancellor of the Exchequer
When was Gordon Brown Chancellor of the Exchequer from? What did this show?
1997 to 2007. Showed cabinet stability within the Labour government
Who did Kinnock appoint to help with Labour presentation in the media in 1985?
Peter Mandelson
Name 2 individuals that helped Tony Blair create new Labour in terms of media perception
Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbell
What would Mandelson and Campbell do any time a newspaper reported negatively on Labour?
They twisted the message to make it a positive one
What slogan did Blair give for Labour in their 1997 campaign?
New Labour, New Britain
What did New Labour do to high taxes on wealthy individuals and big businesses?
They abandoned high taxation on these entities
What did New Labour embrace economically that Thatcher had brought in?
The Free Market
What was New Labour’s perception of the EU?
They were more open to being a member of it
Which section of Britain did New Labour focus on trying to win the votes of?
Middle England
What was the term adopted by New Labour to portray Britain?
‘Cool Britannia’
Name something Blair did under ‘Cool Britannia’
He invited celebrities to Downing Street
What did Tony Blair do in the Labour Party in 1989?
Stopped Labour’s support for closed shops
What were closed shops?
Businesses that would only employ people if they were part of a trade union
When did Blair get rid of Clause 4 for Labour?
1995
What did Clause 4 commit Labour to?
Nationalisation
Why was it essential Blair relinquished Clause 4 in terms of the state of privatization by the 1990s?
It would be too expensive to re-nationalise all industries that had been privatised
What reputation did Labour have before new Labour in relation to taxing?
They were called the “tax and spend” party
How did Brown stop the “tax and spend” image?
He said Labour would follow Conservative spending policies for the first 2 years Labour were in office
What was a disadvantage for the Conservatives campaigning against Labour in terms of their economic policies because of what Brown announced?
They would not be able to argue against Labour economic policies
What was an element of the Third Way in terms of consensus?
Post-war consensus
What was an element of the Third Way in terms of Democracy?
Social Democracy
What was an element of the Third Way in terms of the market?
Free market
What was the Third Way about?
Finding a political middle ground between the free market, social democracy and post-war consensus
Why did Blair make the Third Way?
To make Labour be less left-leaning
What did Alistair Campbell aim to do with Labour’s media representation?
Improve it
What were Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell called?
Spin doctors
What were Spin Doctors?
People employed by a political party to manipulate the truth about certain issues
When was Campbell able to get Tony Blair a meeting with Rupert Murdoch? (To the month)
July 1995
What did Blair do in the meeting with Rupert Murdoch?
He told him to make The Sun support Labour
