UK Politics key facts

Question 1

Johnson’s failure + disadvantages of FTPT

Answer 1

• 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]

Question 2

SV

Answer 2

London Mayoral Election 2016
Sadiq Khan
44.2% first round
56.8% second round
— so 43.2% didn’t vote for him

Question 3

AMS

Answer 3

Scottish Parliament election 2016
Constituency = 47% votes vs 81% seats
Combined = 45% of the vote vs 49% seats

Question 4

STV

Answer 4

Northern Ireland 2017
DUP = 28.1%
Sinn Fein = 27.9%

Question 5

Voting Patterns

Answer 5

70% of non-white voters voted Labour in 1997
Labour were 4% behind Tories in top 3 socio-economic groupings in 2017
In 2017 57% of 18-19 year olds voted
Region = SNP won 56/59 seats of the Scottish Westminster seats in 2015
33% get their news from social media = agenda setting theory — echo chamber

Question 6

Pressure groups

Answer 6

5.5 million members
In 2011 the coalition governmnet attempted to sell land run and protected by the Forestry Commission — so pressure groups united and the plan was subsequently stopped
Anti-Common Market League = anti-EU vs. pro-EU group = Britain stronger in Europe

Question 7

Reasons for Thatcher’s success in 1979

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

Thatcher’s majority

Answer 8

1979 = 44 seat majority
Vs.
1983 = 144 seat majority

Question 9

Thatcher’s downfall

Answer 9

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

Question 10

New Labour success reasons

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

Blair’s majority

Answer 11

He achieved a 179-seat majority
Blair-Brown pact helped him
He did not lose a vote in the commons from 1997 to 2005
vs. Greens powerless with 1 seat as of 2019 but lots of overall support

Question 12

Blair’s reforms

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Blair’s downfall

Answer 13

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 [Blair lost 4 ministers over Iraq

Question 14

The coalition government

Answer 14

• 2010 = first televised debate — 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

Question 15

Lib Dems involvement or lack of in coalition 2010

Answer 15

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 through teh coalition and was capped at £9,000 in 2012] and opposing nuclear power

Question 16

May’s weakness to pass bills

Answer 16

• Her government was defeated 14 times between April and June over her EU Withdrawal bill
• 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

Question 17

May’s minority

Answer 17

Following the 2017 snap election
Tories only having 36.9% of the seats = 42.3% of the vote
Backed by DUP

Question 18

Boris Johnson’s failure

Answer 18

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