voting behaviour and the media Flashcards
(11 cards)
what is partisan dealignment?
fewer people feel loyal to one political party over time
what is disillusion and apathy?
people feeling uninterested and not caring about politics
what is a mandate?
the authority a gov has to carry out its policies, given by the voters
what are the functions of a mandate?
- helps hold gov to account as voters can compare from what they have promised to what they have delivered
- for example, in the 2019 GE, cons promised in their manifesto they would build 40 new hospitals
- after the election, people expected them to keep their promise as they had the mandate to do it
- when it was revealed that they didnt, MP’s, the media and the public challenged the gov - helps justify gov actions as it gives them legitimacy to carry out their policies
- for example, after winning the 2019 general election, johnson’s gov claimed a mandate to “get brexit done” - supports representative democracy as it links closely with the will of the people
- for example, the cons 2010 manifesto promised to reduce the deficit and the coalition gov pursued this claiming it had public backing
what are the features of a mandate?
- based on electoral victory
- for example, in 2019, the cons claimed a mandate after winning a large majority to deliver brexit - the mandate is also mainly tied to what’s promised in a party’s manifesto
- for example, the labour party in 1997 had a mandate to introduce minimum wage, which was clearly in its manifesto - mandate is stronger with a clear majority
- for example, tony blair’s 1997 landslide gave labour a very strong mandate to implement reforms
the 1979 election case study: THATCHER (cons)
RESULTS:
- cons won the election with 43.9% of the vote and a majority of 43 seats
- labour earned 36.9% of the popular vote
- turnout = 76%
WIDER POL CONTEXT: (non social )
- 1978 to 1979 was the winter of discontent where callaghan(labour leader) capped wage increases by 5% as he felt it would help the economy but people felt he was out of touch with their needs
- the sun publishing the famous headline,”crisis, what crisis?”
- march 1979, parliament has a vote of no confidence, forcing callaghan to call an election
PARTY POLICIES AND MANIFESTO: (non social)
- thatcher made policies such as the right to buy scheme
- despite labour’s promises to return to full employment etc, cons seemed more likely to deliver their promises
CLASS BASED VOTING: (social)
- there was an 11% swing to cons by C2 voters and a 9% swing by DE voters
- reasons being right to buy and frustration with labours wage policies
GENDER: (social)
- usually, a higher percentage of men vote for labour
- potentially social representation and family policies to appeal to housewives may have contributed to to the increase in female support for cons
1997 election case study: BLAIR (labour)
RESULTS:
- labour got 43.2% share of the votes in comparison to cons’ 30.7% and libdems 16.8%
PART POLICIES AND MANIFESTO: (non social)
- committed to devolution for scotland and wales
- maintaining a “special relationship with the USA
- labour promised to help tackle crime amongst young people, which was one of the policies that enticed middle class that usually vote cons
CAMPAIGN TECHNIQUES: (non social)
- a key element of blair’s campaign was using his spin doctor; alistair campbell
- labour avoided using the term “socialist” and stopped presenting its policies in terms of class struggle
- “new labour, new life for britain” represented the centrist approach
GENDER: (social)
- 45% of men voted labour whilst only 31% of men voted cons
- less women voted for labour (44%) than men
AGE: (social)
- 49% of 18-34 year olds voted labour in contrast to 27% cons
2019 election case study: JOHNSON (cons)
TURNOUT:
- 67%
AGE: (social)
- 59% of those 65+ voted cons, reflecting a preference for stability and get brexit done
- whereas, only 19% of 18-24 year olds voted cons
CLASS: (social)
- many working class D, E voters turned to the cons party in 2019, reflecting their desire for brexit
- johnson broke the red wall by gaining support in constituencies in the north of england that were historically labour strongholds
CAMPAIGNS: (non social)
- cons campaigns slogan was “get brexit done”, which was very clear and straight forward whereas amongst labour’s campaign, brexit became a divisive issue that was unclear
POLICIES: (non social)
- focused on tax cuts for individuals and promised increase spending for public services
- promised to increase NHS funding and improve healthcare services whereas labour’s policies were seen as too expensive or unrealistic
what was the influence of media in the 1979 election?
- positive media coverage helped build thatcher’s image as a “strong woman” and decisive leader in comparison to callaghan struggling gov
- the labour gov had negative media coverage on their handling of public sector widespread strikes
- the sun and daily mail contributed to the portrayal of labour not being able to manage the country
what was the influence of the media on the 1997 election?
- the media focused on the failures of the cons gov, especially regarding public services and the economy
- played a crucial role in shaping the image of tony blair as competent and modern leader
what was the influence of the media on the 2019 election?
- the cons used repetitive slogans to hammer brexit
- corbyn was portrayed unfavorably by mainstream media, which saw him as too far left and unelectable
- media emphasised labours lack of clarity on brexit
- right wing newspapers, like the sun, and daily mail, were openly hostile towards corbyn, focusing on his leadership style and policy proposals that were seen as too radical
