political parties

national health service 1948

• provided free access to doctors, dentists, opticians and hospitals.

• links to old labour values of equality and equal opportunity.

new labour

a revised version of old labours ideas and values. shifts from a focus on the working class to a wider class base, a less robust audience with trade unions

old labour

nationalism, redistributions of wealth, improving welfare and state services

thatcherism

reduce state intervention in the economy, the ‘new right’, restore order to sociality

national insurance act of 1946

• provided financial protection in the event of unemployment and sickness

• links to old labour values of equality and statism + welfare system.

industrial injuries act 1946

• financial relief for those who were temporarily absent from work , due to injury

• also for those absent long-term

• links to old labour values of trade unionism

new towns act 1946

• help rebuild after the devastation of ww2

• twelve new towns were planned in order to reduce overcrowding

• links to old labour values of collectivism and common ownership

education act 1944

• all local authorities had to provide primary, secondary and further education

• free education available until age 15

• links to old labour values of equality of opportunity

school standards and framework act 1998

• reduced class sizes for children aged 5-7 to a maximum of 30

• links to new labour values of equality for opportunity

higher education act 2004

• introduced low tuition fees up to £3000 a year while maintaining grants for low-income students

• links to new labour values of equality for opportunity

tax credits expansion under blair (1999-2003)

• introduced working and child tax credits to reduce child poverty , which fell from 27% in 1997 to 17% by 2010

• links to new labour values of equality for opportunity

blair’s private finance initiative (PFI)

• PFI was used to fund public infrastructure projects by involving private sector investment, with the government repaying costs over long-term contracts (typically 25-30 years)

• links to new labour values of an enabling state

minimum wage act 1998

• blair government introduced the national minimum wage, benefiting low income workers, initially set at £3.60 an hour for adults.

• links to new labour values of equality for opportunity

climate change program 2000

• first UK strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

what are the key old labour values?

• equality - reduce worst inequalities

• class conflict- interests of working class and middle class cannot be reconciled, so government must support the interests of the disadvantaged working classes.

• equality of opportunity- everyone should have the same opportunity to achieve in life, no matter what their family background is

• collectivism and common ownership- many of our goals are achieved collectively rather than individually e.g. welfare state

• trade unions- redress balance between workers and employers

• statism and welfare system- centralised state can and should play key role in controlling economic activity and in securing social goals

what are the new labour values?

• rejection of class conflict- all members of society have an equal right to be supported by the state

• role of capitalism- acceptance that capitalism is a good way of running society

• an ‘enabling’ state- state provides services but allow for tendering through private sector

• acceptance of individualism and communitarianism over collectivism- blair favours community, individuals are prominent but have responsibilities towards communities

• equality of opportunity- everyone should have the same opportunity to achieve in life, no matter what their family background is

• political and constitutional reform- blair introduced agenda of modernising UK political system

evidence fptp is not pr

2024 election- reform uk got 14% of the vote (2% more than lib dems) but only 5 seats, lib dems got 72 seats

2019 election- snp got 4% of the vote and 48 seats, lib dem got 11.5% of the vote and only 11 seats

how does fptp work?

1. constituents vote for an mp

2. mp that wins represents constituents in parliament

3. party with the most mps elected (seats) forms the government

advantages and disadvantages of fptp

advantages:

• constituents have someone to represent them

• encourages people to vote more

• simple system and easy to understand

disadvantages:

• not all constituents would have wanted the elected mp

• over simplified

• some parties get no seats even though they have lots of votes

• tactical voting occurs

how does supplementary vote work? (sv)

1. the ballot. voters vote for a first and second choice. they dont have to make a second choice.

2. first count. votes are counted, first choices are counted, if a candidate has a majority they are elected.

3. elimination. if there is no majority, top two candidates proceed to a second round.

4. redistribution. their 2nd choice votes are added to their total. whoever has the majority wins.

where has sv been used?

london mayoral election may 2021

sadiq khan had a large proportion of second choice votes allowing him to have a majority.

over 1 million 1st choice votes, 192,000 second choice votes.

opponent shaun bailey only had 84,000 second choice votes.

advantages and disadvantages of sv

advantages:

• winning candidate can claim an overall majority

• relatively simple for voters to understand

• voters can support more than one party

disadvantages:

• winning candidate may be chosen as a second choice candidate

• probably will entrench and promote two party system

• third parties will be more excluded from winning seats than under fptp

what is proportional representation

electoral system in which the distribution of seats corresponds closely with the proportion of total votes cast for each party

what are the two examples of pr systems

additional member system (ams)

single transferable vote (stv)

how does ams work

1. the country is divided into constituencies and regions

2. voters have two votes- one for their local constituency representative and one for a regional representative

3. constituency representative is elected using fptp

4. regional representative is elected on a closed party list system

5. constituency results are topped up using regional results to create more proportional results

where is ams used in the uk

scottish parliamentary elections

greater london assembly elections

advantages and disadvantages of ams

advantages:

• produces broadly proportional outcome

• gives voters more choice as they have two votes

• combines preserving constituency representation with a proportional outcome

• helps smaller parties that cannot win constituency contests

disadvantages:

• produces two classes of representative- those with a constituency and those elected through the lists

• more complex than fptp. can be confusing

• can result in the election of extremist candidates

• people cant choose the people in the parties

scottish parliament results may 2021

• snp- 47% of the vote and a total of 64 seats

• conservative- 21% of the vote and a total of 31 seats

• greens got 1% of the vote but still 8 seats in total

how does single transferable vote work (stv)

• designed to minimise wasted votes

• ensures votes are for candidates rather than parties

• each voter ranks candidates in order of preference

• any candidate who has reached or exceeded the quota is elected

• if not enough candidates have been elected the count continues

• if candidate has more votes than the quota, then his or her surplus value is transferred to other candidates according to each voters allocated preferences

• candidate with fewest votes is eliminated and his or her votes are transferred to remaining candidates according to voter’s preferences

advantages and disadvantages of stv

advantages:

• produces broadly proportional outcome gives

• gives voters a broad choice of candidates

• voters can vote for candidates from different parties

• six representatives per constituency so each voter has a choice of who will represent them

• helps smaller parties be elected

disadvantages:

• complex system = not easy to understand

• vote counting is complicated and can take a long time

• can help candidates with extremist views be elected

• six representatives per constituency = lines of accountability not clear

northern island assembly results may 2022

• sin fein 29% of vote and 27 seats

• DUP 21% of vote and 25 seats

examples of referendums

1998 london- are you in favour of a greater london authority made up of an elected mayor and separately elected assembly? LOW TURNOUT- 34%

72% yes

2016 whole uk- brexit. 72% turnout and 52% leave 48% remain