New Labour 1990-2001: 5 New Labour 1994-7 Flashcards
where did the term ‘New Labour’ come from?
used as a slogan at the 1994 Labour Party conference, first held under Blair’s leadership
became the name of the party from then on
what was believed by the public about Blair and Brown’s relationship?
that a deal was done before the leadership election ensuring Blair would win as the other contender John Prescott lacked sufficient backing
in return, Blair promised to pass the premiership to Brown no later than 2003 - although both men denied these allegations
may explain their strained political relationship during Blair’s ten years as PM from 1997
what was the New Labour programme?
- nationalisation was to be abandoned
- the City and the business world were to be wooed by the promise that capitalism would be safe in Labour’s hands
- legal restrictions on trade unions to be maintained
- accepting that class-based politics were no longer relevant in Britain, New Labour would no longer present its policies in terms of class struggle
who were New Labour’s policies supposed to appeal to?
middle class Britain were bulk of the electorate were found
by avoiding extremes but adopting progressive ideas New Labour hoped to win over uncertain Conservative and floating voters
why did New Labour move away from traditional Labour values?
previously had made the party unelectable for 18 years
however it upset the socialist wing of the party
concern that New Labour lacked a distinct, radical ideology
what are spin doctors?
term borrowed from the USA to describe the special advisors employed by politicians to present their policies in the best light possible
essentially a form of public relations
most prominent advisors for Blair were Alistair Campbell and Peter Mandelson
what factors aided New Labour’s progressive image?
- ‘Cool Britannia’
- inclusiveness (a society where no one was left out)
- stakeholder society (ordinary people having state protected investments and pensions - people feeling like they belonged collectively in society)
- forces of conservatism (term used by Blair to condemn everything that challenged his idea of progress)
how many female MPs were elected in 1997?
101 female Labour MPs
Labour also adopted all-women shortlists in half the constituencies judged to be winnable in the 1997 election - although successful there were claims that the shortlists were in breach of existing anti-discrimination laws so Blair introduced a Sex Discrimination Act in 2002 which made it legal for all political parties to use all-female shortlisting
(also questions that the shortlisting rather than promoting equality of women was patronising)
what nickname was given to female Labour MPs under Blair?
‘Blair babes’
however many disliked the Commons due to its ‘men’s club’ atmosphere
by 2005 31 of the original 101 MPs were no longer MPs
