New Labour, New Century 2001-7: 2 The new deal continued 2001-7

Question 1

what was the Police Reform Act 2002?

Answer 1

measure created police community support officers (PCSOs) who were not legally police officers and therefore had very limited powers
aim was to suggest there was police presence in the local community thereby lessening the ‘them and us’ attitudes existing between the police and public

Question 2

what was the Repeal of Section 28 2003?

Answer 2

the section declared that a local authority ‘shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality or promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’
repeal was achieved in 2003 - many regarded the removal of the stigma as a further movement towards the tolerant society that the progressive policies of Roy Jenkins had begun in the 1960s

Question 3

what was the Civil Partnership Act 2004?

Answer 3

further extension of gay rights under which same-sex couples in a partnership were given the same legal rights and protections as couples in a male-female civil marriage
caused some controversy in the country at large but created little dispute in Parliament

Question 4

what was the Gender Recognition Act 2004?

Answer 4

gave transsexuals the right to change their legal gender and to marry someone of their newly assigned gender
example of New Labour’s socially progressive approach

Question 5

what was the Employment Act 2004?

Answer 5

principally concerned with confirming trade union rights while at the same time improving industrial relations by requiring unions to hold a ballot before taking strike action

Question 6

what criticism came from within the Labour party over the New Deal?

Answer 6

critics on the left pointed to the uncomfortable statistic that during the Blair years the gap between the rich and poor had widened
Frank Field (right of the party) argued that Labour’s attempt at being more generous with social benefits was having the reverse effect from the one intended - Field resigned as minister of welfare reform in 1998 as a result
had the Labour party abandoned genuine socialism whilst reforming itself