Liberal Idea And Policies Today

Question 1

What are the factions within liberal Democratic Party

Answer 1

Orange book liberals and social liberals

Question 2

What are the core ideas of orange book liberals

Answer 2

• traditional liberal values of free market
• individual Liberties
• removal of the state from excessive interference

Question 3

What is the core ideas of the social liberals ?

Answer 3

• policies of social justice
• wealth redistribution from rich to poor by taxation and welfare provision

Question 4

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

With the covid 19 pandemic what happened to the Liberal Democrat leadership contest ?

Answer 4

Liberal Democrat leadership contest was delayed and the party was run on a temporary Co-leadership basis so party was at an uncertain position with lack of clear direction

Question 5

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

By the end of 2020 who become liberal Democratic leader and attempted to steer the party in a new direction ?

Answer 5

Ed Davey

Question 6

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

What are the policies/ideas of liberals ?

Answer 6

1. The economy
2. Law and order
3. The European Union
4. Foreign policies

Question 7

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today : economy

What is the Liberal Democrat view on economic management

Answer 7

Pragmatic (practical) on economic management

Question 8

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today : economy

Example of the Liberal Democrat economic management ?

Answer 8

• goverment budget planning should not favour one section of society over another
• in times of economic recession poor should be protected and the wealth with tight economic policies
• taxation should be fair and based on ability to pay and redistribute from rich to poor

Question 9

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today : economy

Policies introduced by Liberal Democrat’s in 2019 that help the economy

Answer 9

• 1p-in-the-pound tax increase to help fund the NHS and policy of the childcare for all 2-4 year olds

Question 10

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

What is the Liberal Democrat opinion of the European Union ?

Answer 10

• preferred the UK to stay inside the EU
• 2019 election manifesto “stop Brexit”
• protect and maintain freedom of movement,
• safeguarding the rights of UK citizens living elsewhere in the EU and EU citizens in the UK.

Question 11

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

Liberal Democrat’s and welfare

Answer 11

• 2019 pledge to increase number of teachers in England by 20,000
• this would encourage work , fair , favouring those who cannot support themselves especially single parents
• health and education key priority

Question 12

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

Liberal Democrat on foreign policies

Answer 12

• support NATO and its aim (to protect people and territories of members)
• suspicious of excessive interference by UK in conflict abroad

Question 13

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

What did they strongly abandon in regards to foreign policy ?

Answer 13

Renewal of the trident nuclear submarine missile system

Question 14

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

What did Lib Dem’s strongly support in terms of foreign policy

Answer 14

International aid and international conflict settled though the United nation rather than direct military intervention

Question 15

Liberal Democrat ideas and policies today

The SDP merged with liberals, combining values of moderate labour with liberalism to become a centralist party,
What is the current principles of Liberal Democrat ?

Answer 15

• social justice
• personal liberty e.g gender self identification, decriminalisation of cannabis
• internationalism (eventually joining the EU )

Question 16

What did the liberal dems use to overturn a huge conservatives majority in 2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election ?

Answer 16

Nimbyism

Question 17

What is nimbyism ?

Answer 17

‘Not my backyard’ a form of protest against local development

Question 18

The liberal dems used nimbyism to overturn a huge conservatives majority in the 2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election by doing what ?

Answer 18

By protesting against the HS2 rail programme being dug there

Question 19

Liberal Democrat’s use nimbyism to overturn what ?

Answer 19

2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election

Question 20

For the past 3 years since 2021 the Lib Dem’s has beaten the conservatives in by elections , not only by focusing on local issues but what other reason ?

Answer 20

Corruption and sleaze of the Conservative Party and the departing MPS resigning due to this

Question 21

Example of corruption and sleaze of the Conservative Party

Answer 21

In 2021, Boris Johnson the PM was dodging the question of how he paid for his £20,000 for refurbishment of his 10 Downing Street flat

Question 22

What was Boris Johnson breaking and how is he pay for his 200,000 refurbishment leading to corruption ?

Answer 22

By conservatives peer and donor and was clearly breaking ministerial code

Question 23

Example of liberal dems and conservative forming a goverment (coalition) , the liberal dems encouraging principles of individual freedom ?

Answer 23

• Marriage (same sex couple) act in 2013

Question 24

Example demonstrating reformist and meritocratic credentials of Lib Dem and conservatives coalition party

Answer 24

Party did a Forced referendum on the alternative voting system to choose method of electing MPs at general elections

Question 25

Why did the liberal democrats build momentum only to see their support fall of a cliff ?

Answer 25

Partly to do with UK first past the post voting system

Question 26

How does first past the post work ?

Answer 26

Candidates win a plurality of needing to be the most popular than gaining overall majority and system rely on concentrated geographical support so no reward for coming second and the winner represents the entire seat no matter how how small margin of victory

Question 27

For the FPTP there is no reward for coming second as winner present entire seats so what does this mean for votes ?

Answer 27

Votes are wasted on parties unlikely to win so better to vote tactically for the incumbent or nearest rival

Question 28

Why did the SNP do better than Lib Dem’s in 2015

Answer 28

Because their voters were geographically concentrated in Scotland
The Lib Dem’s gained a quarter of the voters but voting system significantly reduced the proportion of seats in parliament

Question 29

When do the Liberal Democrat perform well ?

Answer 29

• When two main parties labour and conservatives
• e.g Blair third way merging into Thatcherism into labour policy and crowding the centre of the political spectrum

Question 30

Might assume that parties better perform when parties are different in their ideologies but why is this false ?

Answer 30

Jeremy Corbyn and May in 2017 so Lib Dem would provide choice for voters as centre party but due to FPTP voters seen choice as waste

Question 31

Why does the liberal dems do better when labour and conservatives have similar views ?

Answer 31

Because they become a protest vote as similar party manifesto means I does not matter who they vote for so those unwilling to vote for the usual opposition party are given decisions to protest with the lib dems

Question 32

The greater the alignment of labour and conservatives policy , what does this mean and give example of alignment of labour and conservatives policy ?

Answer 32

Greater the Lib Dem’s chances , e.g keir starmer’s cutrent economic policy

Question 33

Why will the Lib Dem’s be likely to double, triple their current number of seats in the next general election

Answer 33

As they are likely to target specific constituencies so libs can hold the balance of power

Question 34

Examples of the Scottish national party and what they have done well ?

Answer 34

• 2015 general election , they won 56 out of the 59 Westminster seats offered in Scotland
  Persuading David Cameron to allow a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014