The Labour Party (PP 2.2b) Flashcards
When was Labour formed, and what two organisations formed this original Labour Party?
The Labour Party was only formed in 1900.
It was formed by two sets of organisations.
The trade unions
> Working-class people in Britain
> Demanding better wages and conditions and shorter working hours.
Socialist organisations.
> i.e. the Fabian Society
> Sought to link the trade unions for a project of socialist change in the UK. (i.e. end of capitalism, or reforms to improve the position of the working class through, for example, better housing, sick pay or pensions.)
By the 1922 General Election, what had Labour achieved politically?
Labour had overtaken the Liberals to become the second largest party behind the Conservatives.
What happened with Labour in 1945, and how did they achieve this?
In the 1945 election, Labour under its leader Clement Attlee won a massive landslide victory with a majority of over 140 seats.
> They achieved this on a programme of radical reform.
These policies are often called “Old Labour” policies. Sometimes they are called “1945 socialism” but the policy framework established was followed by both (One Nation) Conservative and Labour governments through the 1960s and 1970s.
What were the main welfare policies that Labour campaigned on in the 1945 election?
Creation of a welfare state
> Introduced the NHS in 1948
> Expanded council housing
> Created a system of welfare benefits
> Introduced free secondary school education
What were the main economic policies that Labour campaigned on in the 1945 election?
Regulated form of capitalism
> Committed to using Keynesian policy to stop unemployment from rising too high.
Nationalisation
> Key industries were taken into state ownership particularly coal mining, iron and steel production, the railways, and some other transport; the production and distribution of energy; and water.
> This was a relatively small proportion of the economy (around 10%) and was seen by the government as a one-off exercise, not the start of a process of nationalising more of the economy.
What were the main foreign policies that Labour campaigned on in the 1945 election?
Sought an alliance with the USA (the “Special Relationship”)
> Central to creation of NATO
> Willingness to see the British Empire end
What are these 1945 Labour policies usually seen as?
Old Labour
What happened to Labour by, and within the 1970s, in relation to economic policy and events?
By the 1970s, the policies Labour had pursued since 1945 seemed increasingly ineffective.
> Keynesian policies no longer managed to curb rising unemployment, and inflation soared to alarming levels, peaking at 23% in 1975,
The Labour government of the 1970s also faced the bankruptcy of key industries, leading it to nationalise several, including much of the British car industry.
What happened to Labour within the 1980s and 1990s in relation to internal and external politics?
A robust left-wing faction emerged within the Labour Party
> After 1983, Labour initiated a project to shift the party towards the political centre and to accept some of Thatcher’s reforms.
- Consequently, Labour spent a total of 18 years out of power.
What project was established by Blair, after being elected as Labour leader in 1994, and why was this done?
- Many in the Labour Party’s leadership thought that Labour had not gone far enough in moving the party to the right.
- Tony Blair became Labour leader in 1994 and launched the “New Labour” project, also known as the “Third Way”.
What election result occurred as a result of the establishment of “New Labour”, and why was this important with context?
Blair’s “New Labour” project helped Labour win the 1997 election.
> By this stage, the Conservatives had been in power for 18 years, appeared to have run out of new ideas, and were increasingly embroiled in internal battles over the EU.
What were the key economic policies of “New Labour” under Blair, in terms of maintaining previous economic policy?
Maintain the New Right/Thatcherite policies on the economy.
> Promised no return to the “old Labour” policies of state regulation and Keynesianism, believing that Thatcher had created a more prosperous economy that did not require interference.
What were the key welfare policies of “New Labour” under Blair?
Spend more on welfare and public services.
> Increased funding
> Reform public services (i.e. in education)
- Improved constitutional reform
> Human Rights Act
> Devolution of power to regional governments
What were the key foreign policies of “New Labour” under Blair, and what event changed his foreign policy?
9/11; 2001 changed this trajectory.
> Blair became one of the staunchest allies of the USA in its wars in Afghanistan from 2001 and Iraq from 2003.
> This stance was opposed by many Labour supporters and tarnished Blair’s image.
What were the two events that damaged the reputation of Blair’s government, and the entire New Labour project?
The Iraq War (and general support post-9/11)
2007/8 financial crisis
What ruined Labour’s reputation for economic competence, and what was the result of this?
Labour government had been built on the assumption that a lightly regulated economy would continue to deliver growth and tax income, which would fund public services.
> Model fell apart in 2007 when the financial crisis hit.
> UK economy had grown rapidly by boprrwing heavily in a risky manner, and Labour was forced to spend huge sums of money to keep the economy running.
> Led to high government debt
> Ruined Labour’s economic competence
> Brown eventually lost the 2010 election
Who was Labour leader in 2010-2015, what did they try to do, and what was the result?
Labour elected a new leader, Ed Miliband, in 2010.
> Moved away from Blair’s New Labour back to more traditional Labour policies but lost the 2015 election to the Conservatives by a large margin.
Who was elected in 2015 after Miliband resigned?
Shockingly, Jeremy Corbyn (a left-wing ‘relic’ of the Labour Party) managed to get on the ballot for leadership accidentally, and a huge surge in support for Corbyn and his election as leader by members occurred.
> He was appointed leader in 2015.
Why was the Corbyn leadership problematic from the onset?
Vast majority of MPs did not accept his leadership
> Rejected New Labour and pursued policies which would have undone Thatcher’s reforms
> Proposed radical policies, little different to the policies of the 1950s and 1960s
What were the key policies of Corbyn?
- Nationalisation of gas, electricity, water, railways
- Expanded role for the state in economic development
- Increased NHS funding
- Higher income tax rates
- Abolition of tuition fees for university students
What were Corbyn’s policies a partial return to?
This was a partial return to the kind of policies that had been normal for Labour governments up to 1979
> Fairly standard “Old Labour”/social democratic stance.
How did Labour end up doing in 2017, what happened between 2017 and 2019, 2019, and what happened in early 2020?
Labour did well in the 2017 general election.
> Corbyn’s policies were generally popular
> Default party for those who opposed Brexit.
In the years from 2017 to 2019, Corbyn’s popularity declined, and he was increasingly seen as an ineffectual leader.
> Weak 2019 manifesto and calls of anti-semitism
Labour did badly in the 2019 election, winning only 32% of the vote
> Corbyn resigned in early 2020, with Starmer elected in 2020.
What is the fundamental division in ideology within the Labour Party?
Social democratic ideas (or “Old Labour”)
> 1945 to 1979.
> Corbyn (2015-2020)
Third way ideas (or “New Labour”).
> Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. (97’-10’)
What is socialism?
Socialism is a broad family of ideologies ranging from revolutionary Marxism to moderate parties in the centre of the political spectrum.
> Create greater equality of outcome in society.
