The Prime Minister And The Cabinet: The Power Of The Prime Minister And Cabinet To Dictate Events And Determine Policy-Making Flashcards
What are some Cleary examples of when the prime minister or cabinet have dictated events and policy decisions?
The Poll Tax 1990 by Thatcher
The invasion of Iraq in 2003 by Blair
The early election in 2017 by May
What issue, that caused Thatcher issues, did the Conservative have in their 1987 party manifesto?
To reform the system of domestic rates, as only homeowners or landlords Pau the property-based tax that helped fund local councils
What was the formal name of the poll tax?
Community charge
Where did Thatcher try to implement the poll tax in 1989, before rolling it ut nationally?
In Scotland, and with very poor results
Where did poll tax riots first break out?
In London and elsewhere in March 1990, with 100 injuries and 400 arrest in central London
Why was the poll tax difficult to collect?
Because people could easily move or disappear in a way that bricks and mortar cannot, and with high rates of evasion it proved costly to administer
Who heavily criticised and parodied the poll tax?
The media, with the ‘duke and dustman’ analogy
After Thatcher’s resignation what did Major replace poll tax with?
Council tax
What did the poll tax highlight about Thatcher?
It Highlighted the growing concerns within her own party of her inability and unwillingness to listen to others
What coloured Blair’s legacy?
The Iraq War
What was Blair’s justification of the Iraq War?
In the moral grounds of the removal of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), though no WMDs were found
What was the decision to mobilise UK troop in Iraq a decision based on?
Based on Blair wanting to cement his personal relationship with Bush
Which reports were highly critical of Blair ands governments decisions in Iraq?
The 2004 report by Lord Butler and the 2016 Chilcot Report
Why did Blair’s style of government hurt him in Iraq?
The informal ‘sofa government’ meant there was little by way of informed collective discussion and decision-making, with Blair disregarding security warnings, and criticism that the legal basis for going to war had not been fully evaluated
Which resignations from the cabinet about Raw weakened Blair’s position?
Robin Cook and Clare Short
What did May need to call a snap election in 2017?
The support of Labour to ensure the 2/3 majority in the commons required by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA) 2011 for the election to take place
As an unelected leader, why did May call a snap election?
To get her own personal endorsement from the voters
What did May think she needed to push through Brexit?
Her own personal mandate
What were the opinion polls going into the 2017 general election?
A 20% lead for the Conservatives
In the 2017 general election what was the net loss for the Conservatives?
A net loss of 13 seats
What was the centrepiece policies of the 2017 Conservative manifesto quickly dubbed, due to its unpopularity?
The ‘dementia tax’, a new way of funding care for older people
What phrase that May repeated in the run up to the 2017 general election was crossed as ‘Dalek messaging’?
‘Strong and stable’ government
