UK Government and Politics Key facts Flashcards
Reasons for Thatcher’s success in 1979
- She hired PR specialists
Callaghan’s failure: - 1978-79 ‘Winter of Discontent’
- strikes in February 1979 – London’s rubbish men
- Callaghan held a minority government
–> Labour hadn’t held a majority since 1974
Thatcher’s majority
1979 = 44 seat majority
Vs.
1983 = 144 seat majority
Thatcher’s downfall
She famously called her cabinet in one-by-one and they stated they did not support her
Due to general strikes, Poll Tax riots, and party divisions over Europe
= her supporters were named ‘dries’ whilst her opposition was called ‘wets’
–> 1989-90 British Ambulance strike
Causing her to resign in 1990
New Labour success reasons
- September 1992 = ‘Black Wednesday’
–> UK dropped out of the ERM - 4 MPs implicated in the ‘cash for questions’ scandal in 1994
- Major’s majority dropped to 1 by 1997
Charismatic Blair vs. Middle-man Major who was indiscisive due to disagreements over Europe
+ The Sun endorsed Blair which had previously supported the Tories vs. the Guardian printed 1994 C4Q
Blair’s majority + policy
He achieved a 179-seat majority = Blair-Brown pact helped him
He did not lose a vote in the commons from 1997 to 2005
Sure Start 1999, minimum wage 1999, “education, edication, education” speech 1996, tough on crime,tough on the causes of crime, Private Finance Initative Hospitals
Blair’s reforms
House of Lords 1999 = introduced life peers but 92 hereditary peers remained
Devolution 1998 = Scotland act, Wales Act, and NI Act
Constitutional Reform Act 2005 = Lord Chancellor divided to 3 roles, Judicial Appointment Committee created to pick Law Lords — SC not created until 2009
Human Rights Act 1998 = incorporated rights set out in ECHR
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Gordon Brown = 2010 Wright Reforms — Select committees’ powers were extended + the party whips can no longer influence the appointment of Select Committee members
Blair’s downfall
2005 GE = reduced his majority from 167 seats to 66
Resigned in June 2007
due to the Blair-Brown pact and the controversey surrounding the Iraq war which began in 2003
The coalition government
- 2010 = first televised debate [watched by 10 million] — boosted Clegg’s ratings by 18% but then dissipated, showing debates don’t change opinions
- Coalition forced Cameron to utalise Parliament due to his lacking majority: In 2013 he wanted British military involvement in Syria but his motion was defeated 285 to 272.
- the coalition government faced the most rebellion in the post-war era of Parliament; coalition MPs rebelled in 35% of votes + HOL stepped up scrutiny during the coalition government and delayed the controversial constituency boundaries reform bill in 2012
Lib Dem involvement or lack of in the 2010 coalition
Success:
They directed the Tories towards tax cuts for the poorest, raising the threshold of income tax from £6,475 in 2009 to £11,000 in 2015
Failure:
Clegg compromised his key policies: scarpping tuition fees [increased in coalition and was capped at £9,000 in 2012] and opposing nuclear power
May’s weakness to pass bills
- Her government was defeated 14 times between April and June over her EU Withdrawal bill in the Lords
- Her government was the most rebellious: in January 2019 she suffered the worst defeat in the recorded history of the Commons = defeated by 432 to 202 votes — so a majority of 230 votes, due to a rebellion of 118 Tory MPs
- from2017 to 2019she was defeated on 33 votes in the Commons
May’s minority
Following the 2017 snap election
Tories only having 318 seats after losing 13 [326 needed to win]
Backed by DUP
Boris Johnson’s failure
February 2022 his nationality and borders bill was defeated [4th time] in the HOL by a majority of 78 votes
PARLIAMENTARY PING PONG
so HOC acted on HOL feedback and it was passed
Became an Act in April 2022
vs.
He reversted the defeat of his 2020 Brexit Bill —- January 2020, theHOL passed the bill after approving five amendments to it. However, these amendments were overturned by the House of Commons - it went back to the Lords and they passed it = European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 — royal assent 23rd January
Johnson’s majority + FPTP disadvantages
- 2019 GE he ony got 43.6% of the vote combined with a low turnout of 67.3% so only 29.3% of the entire population backed him
vs. he held an 80-seat majority = WINNERS BONUS - Marginal seats = in 2017, the SNP won North East Fife by 2 votes; majority not needed
- Safe seats = the safest Labour seat was Liverpool Walton with 85.7% voting Labour in 2017
- discrimination against third parties = Green party only had 1 seat in 2019 [but wide support]
Lord quote
Lord Hailsham in 1976
elected dicatorship
Changes to devolution
1998 referendumns for devolution
2012 = Scotland Act and wales Act meant they both gained more tax varying powers
Corporation Tax (NI) ACt 2015 = they can set their own corporation tax
1999 = Greater London Authority Act – London Mayor
More unitary = European Union Withdrawal Agreement 2020 undid The European Communities Act 1972