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British History > Topic 6: Domestic Policy (1997-2007) > Flashcards

Topic 6: Domestic Policy (1997-2007) Flashcards

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1
Q

4

Describe education policy under Blair

A
  • ‘education, education, education’
  • Huge increase in investment
  • Emphasis on improving standards rather than old debates over Grammar Schools
  • Retained Major’s league tables and inspections
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2
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7

Describe the positives of education under Blair

A
  • Core ‘per pupil’ funding raised by 44% from 1997 to 2007
  • Increase of 36k teachers and 154k support staff
  • Teacher pay increased by 18%
  • Capital investment increased eightfold (1997 to 2007)
  • Achievement of 5 GCSEs with English and maths up from 36% to 45%
  • By 2007, 43% of 18-30yo went to uni
  • Sure Start programme proved successful
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3
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4

Describe the Sure Start programme

A
  • Introduced by Brown in 1998
  • Provided support for children u4 and families in disadvantaged areas
  • Chldcare, health, education support
  • Aimed to develop equality of opportunity before the start of schooling years
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4
Q

6

Describe the negatives of education under Blair

A
  • Failed to meet target of 50% of students in HE by 2010 (though acheived significant students)
  • 1/4 of 16-18yo not in education or training by 2007
  • employees receiving job-related training unchanged on 15%
  • 2004, university fees upped to £3000
  • 500 of nearly 4000 secondary schools deemed to be failing by 2007
  • Continuing trend of ‘postcode choice’

Tuition fees had been introduced in 1998 and set at £1000. Yet only those with family earnings over £35k threshold paid full amount

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5
Q

3

Describe crime policy under Blair

A
  • As shadow HS in 1992, promised to be ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’
  • Aimed to counter Conservative’s tough law and order policy
  • Measures to reduce social exclusion paired wiith longer prison sentences
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6
Q

4

Describe positives in crime under Blair

A
  • Crime fell by 35% (1997-2007)
  • Steep falls in burglaries (55%) and car crime (51%)
  • Backlog of asylum applications reduced from 60k to 6k
  • ‘Respect’ campaigns transformed lives of vulnerable with 10k asbos and 300k spot fines

asbos - anti-social behaviour orders

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7
Q

4

Describe negatives in crime under Blair

A
  • Prison numbers at record high of 80k by 2007
  • Rises in teenage gun/knife frime despite new police powers
  • 2/3 of inmates reoffended after leaving prison - rehabilitation process weak
  • creeping authoritarianism: Anti-terrorism, crime and security Act 2001 (indefinite detention) and Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 (wanted 90 days, settled at 28 days)
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8
Q

4

Describe the biggest increase in NHS expenditure 2000

A
  • 2000, stealth taxes permitted biggest rise in NHS expenditure
  • Cancer and heart disease saw most investment
  • mental health and maternity saw least
  • Treasury-driven targets to shorten waits on casualty wards
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9
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5

Describe positives in health under Blair

A
  • Spending rose from £34bn (1997) to £94bn (2008)
  • 20k more consultants and GPs and 70k more nurses by 2008
  • Waiting lists for operations fell by 384k in Blair’s tenure
  • Biggest expenditure increase, 2000
  • Public Health Act 2006 (effective 2007)
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10
Q

5

Describe negatives in health under Blair

A
  • Blair did not promise increased health spending to make it level with the rest of Europe until 1999 following spate of deaths
  • 43% of additional funding channeled into staff and pay rises
  • Brought in private sector involvement to allow for competition - yet caused uncertainty among managers whether hospitals would survive growth of private units
  • Drugs bill rose by 13%
  • Number of beds fell by 15k (but there was more day case surgery)
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11
Q

2

Describe increased usage of the NHS under Blair (indicates confidence/pressure)

A
  • number of people using NHS increased by 3% p.a.
  • 75% in number of emergency calls
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12
Q

2

Describe the departmental rebranding to work and pensions

A
  • Rebranding of ‘Department of Social Security’ to ‘Department of Work and Pensions’ in 2001
  • epitomised promotion of work to end poverty
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13
Q

4

Describe work and pensions policy under Blair

A
  • means-tested welfare
  • Blair - ‘work for those who can, security for those who can’t’
  • ‘New Deal schemes’ and tax credits aided young, over 50s into employment
  • Redistribution schemes received little fanfare (to avoid criticism)
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14
Q

5

Descrive the positives of work and pensions policy under Blair

A
  • Spending on child-related benefits increased by 53% (1997-2003)
  • 700k children lifted out of poverty
  • Number of single mothers in work rose from 45% to 56%
  • 2006, announced plans to re-link basic state pension with earnings after Thatcher abolition
  • Redistributive schemes (e.g. tax credits) saw poorest 10% gain 13% of national income (1997-2010)
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15
Q

3

Descrive the negatives of work and pensions under Blair

A
  • Number of people claiming incapacity benefits rose from 2.3m to 2.7m
  • Thousands of companies axed final salary pensions
  • Waited until 2006 to announce re-link earnings and state pensions

final salary pension - a type of pension where annual income is based on final salary

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16
Q

3

Describe the New Deal for young unemployed people 1998

A
  • 1998 programme
  • applied to 18-24yos who had been on jobseekers’ allowance for 6 months
  • mandated them to be part of scheme to find employment
17
Q

3

Describe positives in transport under Blair

A
  • 10 year plan promised £180bn of public and private investment into roads/public transport
  • 2003, Livingston announced ambitious congestion charging scheme in London
  • Government on target for 40% reduction in serious car accidents by 2010
18
Q

4

Describe negatives in transport under Blair

A
  • Fatal rail crashes at Southall, Ladbroke Grove and Hatfield across 1998-2001 rocked confidence in public transport
  • blockade at fuel depots in 2001
  • 2001, Railwork collapsed after government withdrew funding
  • Congestion costing economy £15bn a year

Railwork - privatised rail network operator

19
Q

3

Describe positives in environmental policy under Blair

A
  • Britain became international leader on tackling climate change
  • Used British chairing of G8 in 2005 to place climate change at top of agenda
  • UK research influenced global thinking e.g. Stern Report 2006 which argued that climate change limited global economic capacity by 5%
20
Q

3

Describe negatives in biodiversity under Blair

A
  • Biodiversity - the most important indicator of environmental health - declined
  • 2001, 6m livestock slaughtered to control foot and mouth disease
  • 2004, development of commercial GM crops put on hold after mixed results
21
Q

4

Describe negatives in global warming under Blair

A
  • Emmissions rose 5/10 years from 1997 to 2007 despite pledges for cuts
  • DEFRA unable to galvanise other departments into action
  • Clean energy development stalled by planning hold-ups
  • contradictory policies: e.g. real term fall in fuel taxes despite push for climate action
22
Q

2

Describe positives in the arts under Blair

A
  • Spending on arts more than doubled from 1997-2007 (£186m to £412m)
  • Attendance at museums rose by 83%
23
Q

4

Describe positives in competitive sports under Blair

A
  • Increased public funding from £222m to £580m (from Treasury and National Lottery)
  • Britain rose from 36th in medals table (1996) to 10th (2004)
  • Amateur sports clubs benefitted from 80% rate reliefs
  • Blair’s 48hrs of personal diplomacy among IOC members in Singapore in 2005 arguably ensured success of London 2012 bid
24
Q

3

Describe positives in school sport under Blair

A
  • Record investment levels
  • rise of pupils doing recommended minimum level of PE of 2hrs per week from 2m (2001) to 5m (2007)
  • 97% of schools held a competitive sports day by 2007
25
Q

2

Describe negatives in culture/sport under Blair

A
  • Cut sports’ share of lottery revenue from 20% to 16.6%
  • Growth of childhood obesity
26
Q

2

Describe domestic crises under Blair

A
  • Rising fuel prices in 2000 led to blockade by farmers and lorry drivers (Conservatives temporarily took lead in polls)
  • 2001 Foot and mouth outbreak led to culling
27
Q

5

Describe the ban on hunting with dogs

A
  • Labour attempted to ban hunting with dogs
  • People in countryside felt neglected by urban Blair government
  • Opposition in HoL
  • 2002, Countryside Alliance organised march against ban in which 0.5m attended
  • Ban finally passed in 2004

British History (36 decks)

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