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British History > The era of New Labour 1997-2007 > Flashcards

The era of New Labour 1997-2007 Flashcards

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1
Q

1997 Pledge Card:

A

Cut class sizes
Quicken justice system
Cut NHS waiting lists
Get youth off benefits
No rise in tax & low interest rates

all promises met by 2001

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2
Q

When was the age of consent equalised?

A

2000

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3
Q

Blair’s background

A

Young upper-middle class lawyer, privately educated

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4
Q

Who were the modernisers in the Labour Party?

A

Blair, Brown and Mandelson

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5
Q

How high did Blair poll after Diana’s death?

A

93% according to internal Labour polls

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6
Q

Third Way

A

Blair’s ideology:
Tried to create a ‘third way’ between Thatcherite capitalism and Old Labour socialism

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7
Q

Constitutional Changes Timeline

A

1998:
-Scotland Act
-Devolution for Wales
-Human Rights Act
-Good Friday Agreement

1999:
-92 hereditary peers

2000:
-Freedom of Information Act
-Mayor of London elected

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8
Q

Regional Devolution

A

1997 referenda in Scotland and Wales created new devolved parliaments (Holyrood and the Senedd), and gave them tax-raising powers

Good Friday Agreement also created a Northern Ireland Assembly

A referendum to devolve the North East of England was rejected

Led to the rise of the SNP and Plaid Cymru

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9
Q

London Devolution

A

London Assembly and position of Mayor of London created in 2000.
Hard-Left Ken Livingstone was elected Mayor of London after being kicked from the party. Blair reluctantly let him back in

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10
Q

House of Lords reform

A

Blair tried to abolish hereditary peers in the House of Lords, but had to compromise to lowering their numbers to 92

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11
Q

Voting Reform

A

Blair promised voting reform in 1997, and the Roy Jenkins Commission recommended replacing FPTP with PR

Despite this no changes were made

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12
Q

Freedom of Information Act

A

FOIA 2000 let citizens request information from public bodies

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13
Q

Human Rights Act

A

HRA 1998 enshrined rights from the European Convension on Human Rights (ECHR), and allowed citizens to take cases to court in protection of their human rights

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14
Q

Blair’s on law & order

A

“Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime”
Extended prison sentences
Introduced ASBOs and emphasised community

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15
Q

Blair on education

A

Promised “education, education, education” and to cut class sizes to 30 in 1997
Tried to encourage higher education
Introduced tuition fees

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16
Q

Bank of England

A

Brown gave the BoE operational independence from the government, so interest rates would not longer be a political tool

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17
Q

Thatcherite influence on New Labour

A

NL accepted privatisation, low taxation and weak unions
Third Wayism tried to mix Thatcherism with socialism
NL rejected ‘tax and spend’ policies
Brown tried to limit government spending by capping borrowing (monetarism) 1997-2001

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18
Q

Basic Tax Rate cut

A

23% -> 20%

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19
Q

When did Labour ramp up spending?

A

After 2001 election

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20
Q

When did Blair bring in the minimum wage?

A

1999

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21
Q

10p tax

A

Lowest band of income tax (10%) brought in under Blair

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22
Q

What did economists Will Hutton warn about the consumer boom?

A

The consumer boom was based on rising house prices and on high levels credit & person debt, instead of better productivity

This could lead to an overvaluation of house prices and the possibility of a financial crash

(He was correct)

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23
Q

How many workers benefitted from the minimum wage?

A

1.5m

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24
Q

Average inflation level under Blair

A

1.5%

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25
When did Blair lose his first vote?
2003
26
PFIs
Private Finance Initiatives Paying private firms to build infrastructure. Difficult for government to determine quality or cost of project. Private companies couldn't be held accountable. Debt paid off over 30 years. Saddled UK with large debt to fund public spending without going over borrowing limits
27
Two factions in the Tory party
Mods: Socially liberal reformers Rockers: Traditionalist Thatcherites
28
John Major (97) William Hague (97-01) Iain Duncan-Smith (01-03) Michael Howard (03-05) David Cameron (05-17)
29
William Hague
Tory Leader 1997-2001 Eurosceptic Rocker on the right of the party Young (mirror Blair) Thatcher said "Vote for William Hague if you want the same type of government that I did" Hard to be taken seriously Claimed to have drunken 14 beers a day Failed to unite the party Lost 2001 election
30
Jobseekers Allowance
Benefit for unemployed people searching for jobs
31
Blair's mindset towards benefits
"Hand-up not hand-out" (meant to incentivise getting jobs)
32
Which elections did Blair win?
1997, 2001 and 2005
33
Which international leaders shared Blair's Third Wayism?
Clinton (USA) and Schroeder (Germany)
34
Blair and the press
Blair and Rupert Murdoch formed a close relationship, with the right-wing Murdoch switching support of his newspapers to support Blair
35
Tax credits
Working Tax Credits: Benefit for those on low incomes Child Tax Credits: Benefit for poor families
36
PCSO
Police Community Support Officers Police officers with a strong emphasis on community-building
37
LBGT reform
Section 28 repealed Civil partnership legalised Age of consent equalised Those with gender dysphoria allowed to transition
38
Workers Rights
Employment Act enshrined / expanded several workers rights (maternity & paternity leave, equal pay,
39
How much did Blair get from selling off mobile phone licenses?
£22.5bn
40
Iain Duncan-Smith
Tory Leader 2001-03 Eurosceptic Rocker from the right of the party Keen on paternalistic social justice Aggressive Eurosceptic, widened divisions Backed Blair on Iraq so couldn't criticise him Won leadership election due to negative voting against Portillo and Clarke Ousted by a vote of no confidence
41
Michael Howard
Tory Leader 2003-05 Experienced and able politician Unifying leader between Mods and Rockers Promoted mods in his cabinet Highly unpopular from his stint as Home Sec in 90s Called on Blair to resign over misleading Parliament over Iraq Lost 2005 election
42
David Cameron
Tory Leader 2005-2016 Etonian moderniser and socially liberal Essentially given leadership by Howard Pro-gay marriage
43
What were Brown's early objectives?
Keep inflation low Keep spending under control Prove to Middle England Labour could be trusted
44
Average growth under Blair
2%
45
Average unemployment under Blair and Major
6% - Blair 9% - Major
46
NI: NI when Blair came to power
Relations had warmed thanks to Major Multi-party talks started in 1996 Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness now believed that a settlement was available
47
NI: Who mediated GFA?
Senator George Mitchell
48
NI: Blair's relationship to the Taoiseach
Blair was friends with Bertie Ahern which helped him shore up support with nationalists
49
NI: How did the government get militant unionists on side
Mo Mowlam (NI Sec) visited paramilitaries in Maze Prison
50
NI: Who were the major politicians in NI during GFA?
David Trimble (UUP) John Hume (SDLP) Ian Paisley (DUP) Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein) Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein)
51
NI: Which party didn't like GFA?
DUP
52
NI: Key elements of GFA?
-UK and RoI give up claims on NI, it is the NI people that can decide -Power sharing in devolved assembly -Ango-Irish links strengthened -Parties would push for decommissioning of arms -Release of prisoners if paramilitaries agree on peace
53
NI: How many in NI voted for GFA?
71%
54
NI: Post GFA bombing
Omagh Bombing 1998
55
NI: When was GFA?
1998
56
NI: Fate of IRA
PIRA: Ceasefire in 1998 Dissolved in 2005 Splinter groups would limp on in a diminished way (Omagh Bombing 1998)
57
NI: Post-GFA unionists
Unionists became disillusioned with GFA, and DUP eventually overtook UUP
58
Which divisions in Labour started to appear in early 2000s?
Blairites v Brownites Brownites were slightly to the left
59
2001 General Election
Blair v Hague Tories gained a single seat Tories divided Blair proved economic ableness Good Friday Agreement Turnout down 12%
60
2005 General Election
Blair v Howard Tory manifesto was out of date Tories gained 30 seats Blair won despite Iraq
61
2005 Tory Manifesto
Restricted immigration Tax cuts Stricter law & order 'Victor Meldrew Manifesto' - Portillo
62
Workers under New Labour
Only 1/4 of workforce unionised by 2007 Anti-union legislation not repealed Privatisation furthered Labour disaffiliated with some unions Opted into EU Social Charter Mimimum Wage
63
What did Blair privatise?
Air Traffic Control Royal Mail (almost) London Underground was made a PPP
64
Which unions did Labour disaffiliate with?
RMT and Transport Workers Union for donating to socialist parties
65
Female MPs 1997
Doubled, 5/6 of which were Labour. Blair used all-women shortlists. Nicknamed Blair's Babes
66
How did Blair promote women in his cabinet?
Margaret Beckett as Foreign Sec
67
Pay gap in 2007
87p/£
68
Childcare
By 2007, all 3 y/os and 4 y/os were entitled to 12.5h of free nursery education per week
69
Percentage of FTSE100 firms with no women on board decrease
36% -> 24% under Blair
70
How much housework did women do in 2007?
Three time more than men
71
Youth under Blair (New Deal for Young People)
Social Exclusion Units to end social exclusion Sure Start Centres gave guidance to families Connexions advised children about careers ASBOs introduced
72
How many people did New Labour want to go to university
50%
73
NEETs by 2007
Risen to 20% for youth
74
ASBOs
Anti Social Behaviour Orders Put limits on where vagabonds could go, tried to limit anti-social crimes such as graffiti and valdalism Half of ASBOs given to under 17y/os by 2005
75
Which years did the EU expand?
2004 and 2007
76
First black cabinet minister
Paul Boateng
77
Met Police report
1998 McPherson Report said that there was a problem with institutional racism in the Met Police. Drafted after Stephen Lawrence's murder
78
BBC and multiculturalism
BBC Chairman Greg Dyke said the BBC was 'hideously white' in 2001
79
7/7
Islamist bombing on 7/7/2005 Highlighted tensions within multicultural Britain and raised questions of if immigrants were being assimilated well Three of the perpetrators seemed to be assimilated and British-born
80
Illiberal counter-terrorism legislation
2006 Terrorism Act Introduction of ID cards
81
How many days could you hold suspected terrorists for without trial?
28 days (Blair wanted 90) 2006 Terrorism Act
82
Increase in number of people thinking immigration was an important issue
3% in 2001 -> 30% in 2007
83
New Labour's foreign policy ideology
Liberal Interventionism
84
Treaty of Nice
EU treaty in 2001 to cope with Eastwards expansion Blair took a leading role in drafting it
85
How many countries joined the EU in 2004?
Ten
86
The Euro debate
Blair was in favour of it, Brown was against it. Blair caved to Brown (Granita)
87
Which EU efforts did Blair spearhead
Climate change, aid to Africa, 'making poverty history', anti-terrorism
88
What did Blair see Britain's place in the world as being?
Major world player Bridge between US and Europe
89
New Europe
Formerly communist states now in EU
90
Which European politicians did Blair have a good standing with?
Sarkozy (France) Merkel (Germany) Ahern (Ireland)
91
Why did Blair care so much about the Special Relationship?
After he saw how ineffective UN and EU were in Bosnia, he turned to the US and NATO as his weapon
92
Blair's military interventions
Bombing of Yugo (1999) Sierra Leone (2000) Afghanistan (2001) Iraq (2003)
93
Blair and Milosevic
Blair convinced Clinton to go after Milosevic NATO started bombing Yugoslavia in 1999 to stop him going into Kosovo Success - Shaped Blair's thinking
94
Sierra Leone
When rebel forces threatened to take the capital, Britain intervened to end the war
95
Afghanistan
In October 2001, NATO invaded Taliban Afghanistan with UN support in the hope that Afghanistan could develop into a liberal democracy After 2003, resources were moved to Iraq, allowing the Taliban to regroup
96
Iraq: Two fears of Iraq
1) Iraq would ally with Al-Qaeda 2) WMDs
97
Iraq: How had Saddam been contained after the Gulf War?
No fly zones and economic sanctions
98
Iraq: UN resolution
UNSC 1441 - Nov 2002 Saddam must allow weapons inspectors into Iraq By 2003 the US didn't think Saddam was complying with it US clashed with UN over if this was a valid justification for war Blair pushed for a second resolution to tide over Europeans, but this never happened
99
Iraq: When did the invasion begin?
March 2003
100
Iraq: How long did the invasion take?
45 days
101
Iraq: Who resigned over Iraq?
4 ministers (inc Foreign Sec Robin Cook)
102
Iraq: Stop the War March
1.5m marched in London
103
New Labour's foreign policy aims
-Make UK a leading player in Europe -Ethical foreign policy -Liberal interventionism
104
Iraq: Difference between military and humanitarian budget going into war
3bn vs 250m
105
Iraq: Saddam Hussein
Ba'athist genocidal dictator of Iraq Went to war with Iran and Kuwait Massacred Kurds and Shiites
106
Iraq: Saddam's son-in-law
Defected to Jordan in 90s and claimed that Iraq was developing WMDs. Executed on return to Iraq
107
Iraq: Iraq Liberation Act
1998 law saying US could invade Iraq for purposes of regime change
108
Iraq: Which report went into the Iraq Dossier
2002Butler Report saying that Iraq was probably developing WMDs, but intelligence was iffy. Britain was criticised for this, but other countries like Russia and Germany found the same thing
109
Iraq: Times Poll
67% of Brits against the war
110
Iraq: How many Labour MPs voted against the war?
84
111
Iraq: Campbell
Alistair Campbell allegedly 'sexed up' the Iraq Dossier to fit with the false American claims
112
Iraq: Chilcott
Chilcott Inquiry would later find that the decision to go to war was based on faulty evidence
113
Which Tory MP crossed the aisle due to New Labour's centrism?
Peter Temple-Morris
114
Which benefit was introduced to deal with fuel poverty amongst pensioners?
Winter Fuel Allowance
115
What was the minimum wage introduced at?
£4.85
116
Cash for Honours
In 2006, party donors would often receive life peerages. Blair was questioned by the police becoming the first PM to ever have this happen to him. Hurt his popularity.
117

British History (6 decks)

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