Political parties - old vs new labour Flashcards
(5 cards)
law and order
Current labour policy:
* setting up 80 new specialist courts to prosecute rape cases
* banning the “next generation” from buying cigarettes
New labour policy:
* Blair - “tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime”, - willing to punish criminal behaviour, whilst tackling poor social conditions.
* Legal measures to deal with anti-social
behaviour. ASBOs (Anti-Social Behaviour Orders) could be imposed by a magistrate, banning a person from particular activities or entering a specific area.
wellfare
definition of collectivism
Current labour policy:
* febuary 2025 - labour embraced Tory plans to cut £3bn from the incapacity benefits bill by 2028, while also promising to reduce child poverty.
New labour policy:
* supported using welfare as a safety
net for those most in need, rather than rewarding unemployment. Blair + Brown preferred to use public borrowing to enact their policies.
* Welfare targeted to those most in need and
withheld from those who do not seek work.
* Increased spending on health and education.
Traditional labour:
* Collectivism - socialist belief that most people prefer to achieve goals collectively rather than individually.
* should be a welfare state with healthcare,
education, housing, pensions & social care
all paid out of general taxes.
economy
Current labour policy:
* the government expects to nationalise one public train operator every 3 months until they are all in the public setor (by 2027)
New labour policy:
* agreed free-market capitalism, without lots
of state intervention, as the best form of creating wealth. Refused to return tade unions powers
* Not focusing on nationalisation – supporting
privatisation instead (consensus politics).
* Reduced taxes for corporations, to encourage
investment from businesses.
Traditional labour:
* believed that the state could play a role in controlling economy and ensuring social justice.
* Government intervention in the economy to ensure capitalism doesnt take advantage of workers.
foreign policy
Current labour policy:
* Starmer set out reduce aid budget to 0.3% of national income to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5% (by 2027)
New labour policy:
* Britain has a responsibility to care of the poorer parts of the world.
* Increasing foreign aid and campaigning to cancel ‘third world’ debt.
social justice
Current labour policy:
* end zero hour contracts to give more security at work - 2024 manifesto
New labour policy:
* New Labour emphasised wealth creation rather than redistribution, seeking to reduce poverty
* The minimum wage to eliminate unacceptably low wages, welfare state to guarantee living standards.
Traditional labour:
* All in society should have equal opportunities, and access to decent living standard, all should
have equal life chances
* 1960s and 1970s discrimination against women and ethnic minorities was outlawed, and equal pay for women was introduced.
