lost by the gov not won by opp Flashcards
(6 cards)
paragraph 1: unpopularity of PM
2024: -51% favourability Sunak -17% Starmer
2010: Brown cowardly and uninspiring 29% saw him as capable 33% saw Cameron as capable
1979: Callaghan winter of discontent so Thatcher won
paragraph 2: opposition win as party’s remove leaders and opposition leaders can be very popular
cons have removed 3 leaders in the past decade (May, Johnson & Truss)
2019 May replaced with Johnson who was charismatic
1997 Blair very popular (capable, strong, charismatic, control over party) Major seen as weak and boring (party tainted by cash for questions scandal)
paragraph 3: incompetence of party in power leads to gov losing
1979: winter of discontent, 5% limit on pay increases led to strikes, cons used slogan “lab not working”
1997: cons “black wednesday” september 1992, labour ahead in monthly opinion polls following this
2024: con party vote share dropped from 43.6 in 2019 to 23.7 (party gate, Liz truss mini budget 2022)
paragraph 4: opposition only benefit from govs incompetence if they are competent themselves
1997: lab successful in presenting themselves as competent (pledged to not increase income tax and prioritise national finance)
1979: cons focused on bringing down inflation which lab did to but they lacked credibility due to failures under callaghan
2024: lab competent so voters defected, lab moved to centre ground promised not to raise income tax or national insurance, promised to return to a gov of service
paragraph 5: lost by the gov due to opposition providing change in leadership
1979: both parties prioritised bringing down inflation but cons won
2010: policies of both were similar (support austerity and bring down deficit) but labs reputation damaged by financial crash
2024: lab party moved to centre (both promised to increase defence spending by 2.5% and invest in the NHS) election fought on gov record not policy
paragraph 6: won by opposition as can offer new policy
1997: Blair rebranded lab, policy of modernisation and abandoned nationalisation and tax increases, “tough on crime tough on causes of crime” (rising crime rates in 1990s)
