Tony Blair Flashcards
what was the significance of the deal between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown?
lead to the longest running feud in British politics
what was the role of Peter Mandelson?
Peter Mandelson was a spin doctor (“director of communications”)
his job was to make Labour appear in a positive light in the media
he worked as a close advisor to Blair and Blair depended heavily on him
what shift took place in Britain with the success of New Labour?
more liberal, compassionate and image-conscious
informal
what was the Bernie Ecclestone scandal?
Bernie Ecclestone donated £1 million to the Labour Party before the election
when Tony Blair took office he exempted Formula One from the ban on tobacco advertisements
although he denied that the donation had any involvement with this decision
what changes did New Labour bring about?
the peace process in Ireland
devolution (the creation of the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament, which he used referendums to gain public backing for)
House of Lords reform (removal of all but 92 hereditary peers)
what mistakes were made by Tony Blair regarding the events post 9/11? what issues surrounded the Iraq War?
he made a deal with George Bush to invade Iraq
the Iraq War was so controversial because there was no real reason to enter a war with Iraq as there was no real evidence of weapons of mass destruction in the country
the decision to invade was also not discussed in Parliament and Tony Blair sidelined his cabinet
election victories
1997 – 179 seat majority
2001 – 167 seat majority
2005 – 66 seat majority
context of rule: BLAIR/BROWN DEAL + ECCLESTONE SCANDAL
Blair/Brown deal – led to the longest-running feud in modern British politics
Ecclestone scandal – leader of F1 donated £1 million to the Labour party and Blair exempted F1 from the ban on tobacco advertising, very controversial as the donation was perceived to be a bribe and demonstrated that power and influence could be purchased
context of rule: IRAQ WAR + NEW LABOUR
Iraq War – entered into a deal with Bush and involved Britain in the Iraq War, extremely controversial and led to his downfall as there was no real reason to enter into a war because no evidence was found of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
furthermore, violence in the Middle East grew following Saddam Hussein’s death as Iraq fell into widespread chaos
New Labour – beliefs that were collectively known as the ‘third way’, rebranded the Labour Party and moved them more so towards a centrist position, rewrote Clause IV and ditched the party’s dedication to nationalisation and other typically left-wing policies
key beliefs
Free market economics – low taxes, inflation control, ditched Labour’s dedication to nationalisation
Social justice – national minimum wage, reduction in child poverty, increased welfare spending
Third Way, New Labour beliefs – rebranded the party and stepped away from Old Labour’s left-wing policies that failed to appeal to enough people
Constitutional reform
Strengthening responsibility
Tough law and order
key policies
Good Friday Agreement – continued the peace process in Northern Ireland to work towards a peaceful end to the conflict, the Good Friday Agreement occurred in 1998
Devolution – used referendums, devolved powers to a Welsh Assembly and a Scottish Parliament
House of Lords – getting rid of all by 92 hereditary peers, thus modernising and democratising the House of Lords
Human Rights Act - sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to, it incorporates the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into domestic British law
Freedom of Information Act - provides public access to information held by public authorities, public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities and members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities
Increased spending – on health and education especially
Increase in welfare benefits
Introduced the National Minimum Wage
leadership style
More informal and relaxed – a strong leader but not overly harsh or out of touch
Sofa politics – preferred working closely and informally with his special advisors rather than collectively making decisions with cabinet, conducted business through bilateral meetings
United vision for the Labour party
Charismatic – very popular and well respected
strengths and weaknesses of leadership style
came across as very respectable, trustworthy and was popular amongst the public
often criticised for his ‘sofa politics’ approach and was perceived to be relying too heavily on unelected special advisors rather than making decisions with his cabinet
EXAMPLES – demonstrating ability to dictate events and determine policy
successful constitutional reform – House of Lords, devolution, etc
Good Friday Agreement – continued the peace process in Northern Ireland to work towards a peaceful end to the conflict, the Good Friday Agreement occurred in 1998
EXAMPLES – demonstrating inability to dictate events and determine policy
Iraq War - extremely controversial and led to his downfall as there was no real reason to enter into a war because no evidence was found of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
furthermore, violence in the Middle East grew following Saddam Hussein’s death as Iraq fell into widespread chaos
the protests by the Stop the War coalition were some of the largest ever seen in the UK, the public turned on him for his actions in the war and his reputation was significantly damaged
