1979

What was the result of the 1979 election?

What impact did this have on the two major parties?

What impact did this have on government?

What triggered the election?

How did the party manifestos of the two compare?

Was there any difference in their campaign approach? Was it effective?

What was the political context/Labour government record that contributed to the outcome of the elction?

How far did class play a role in the voting behaviour of 1979?

What was the voting behaviour and turnout of women?

What was the voting behaviour and turnout of older citizens?

Of minorities?

Of Northerners versus Londoners?

1997

What was the result?

How did the Labour Manifesto represent a departure from traditional socialist Labour values?

How did the changed party manifesto affect their support?

How did Blair improve his party’s stance one law and order?

Peter Mandelson quote about the business community?

What does the endorsement of Rupert Murdoch suggest about the significance of the media?

How did commitment to constitutional reform help the Labour landslide victory?

How important was the election campaign?

What were the main events/failures of the Major administration?

How did the Europe question affect the Conservatives?

2010

Result

How did the parties differ in their approach to tackling the deficit?

How did the Conservatives effectively pin the blame of the recession on the Labour Party?

How successful was Cameron in ‘detoxifying the Conservative Party’?

How did Cameron convince the electorate that public services would be safe in his hands? Did he follow through?

How did 2010 demonstrate the limited impact of campaigns?

What happened in Rochdale with Brown?

How significant was Cleggmania?

Why was Brown dubbed ‘Bottler Brown’?

Why did Brown’s optics affect his success?

How did Brown’s experience weaken Cameron?

Voting Patterns

What is class dealignment?

the movement away from class dictating the lines of support for parties

What is partisan dealignment?

the reduction of voters who stick with one party throughout their lives and increase of people who choose based on the context of the election

What factors impact the outcome of elections?

• PM personality

• economic factors

• support for party

Why did class dealignment occur?

• Labour began appealing to more middle class people such as teachers and nurses, as well as university intellectals, whilst Con began appealing to the white working class nationalist, leading to dealignment

How did decreased union membership affect Labour alignment?

• Labour shifted towards the right in order to gain a broader support base

How did the rise in home ownership under Thatcher affect Conservative alignment?

What effect did privatising state industry have on voting patterns?

How does wealth affect turnout? (stat)

those with grteater wealth and assets benefit more from retaining the status quo, thus increasing support for Cons among the wealthy

What does rational choice theory state about voter behaviour?

What are RCT criticisms?

How does Governing Competency Theory expand upon RCT?

How can GCT be applied to voting patterns 1979-2010

What does the Economic voting theory propose?

What is the ‘feel good’ factor?

What is the consequence of political personalisation?

How is this clearly displayed?

Voting Behaviour

What are the 4 indicators of voting behaviour?

How have trends of partisanship changed since 1979?

How does gender affect voting behaviour? (turnout + leanings)

Why did differences become less pronounced under Blair?

How does age affect voting behaviour?

How did Cameron favour the grey vote?

What did Labour and Lib Dem argue for instead?

What way do ethnic minorities swing? What group is the exception and why?

What does race typically overlap with?

How has Labour prioritised Race?

What percentage supported Labour?

What is turnout like compared to white people?

Why is there a divide in voting patterns from North to South?

What are urban centres more likely to vote for?

How is region linked to class?

What was the South-West and North-West turnout in 2010?

How has national voting behaviour changed and varied over time, according to national data sources?

Why has there been variation?

Media impact on politics

What is the media’s role as a factor in determining the outcome of elections?

How sizeable is the media impact during an election cycle?

how does this compare to their effect between elections?

How important are opinion polls?

Is there an issue of media bias in UK politics?

How powerful is media persuasion, with examples, in influencing public perception? How effective/dangerous is this as a method of scrutiny?

How does the media support democracy? Examples?

How does it undermine it?

How much influence do media moguls have?

Do the media exert too much control over the political system?

What is the media focused on: selling stories or progressing the democratic process?

What was the Leveson Inquiry and what does it suggest regarding the political-media relationship?

In what ways does class + partisan dealignment increase the importance of the media?

What does Blair’s attempts to gain Murdoch’s support say about the perceived importance of the media?

How has online media transformed the media scene? (stats)

Why have young people moved to social media to gain political news?

What does Cleggmania say about the importance of the media?

Did this translate into real change?

What does the introduction of spin doctors and Alistair Campbell’s ‘The Grid’ say about the media?

How has the announcement of decisions changed in nature by ministers?

What was the sun’s headline following Conservative win in 1992?

How much have newspaper daily print circulations declined by?

What does Corbyn’s experience in the media tell you about the true effect of social perception?

Is social media indicative on a personal level of the views of the country?

1979

‘We used to think you could spend your way out of recession. I tell you in all candour, that option no longer exists’ Callaghan 1976 following IMF bailout crisis

overview (3 things)

• beginning of 18 years of continuous Tory rule

• end of postwar consensus

• change in attitude towards the role of the state

What was the prior Labour government’s record? (5 things)

• lost vote of no confidence March 1979

• 26% inflation at time of election (stagflation)

• cap on pay rise above 5% led to Winter of Discontent, portraying Britain as strike-bound + miserable (Tories could capitalise on this + present an alternative)

• mistimed election in hopes of 7% inflation reducing further

• Callaghan seemed out of touch, landing in London from Caribbean to the Sun headline: “Crisis? What crisis?”

• Labour Party was reliant on minor party deals to pass legislation - this made them weak in the Commons + susceptible to defeat

What were both parties’ manifestos like?

• both moderate + pledged to reduce inflation

• Callaghan’s claims that Thatcher woiuld be too extreme seemed unfounded

• Thatcher was held back by the ‘wets’ who opposed austerity in her party

• Callaghan from centre right + resisted left wing demands (infighting)

What were the election campaigns like?

• Thatcher used more modern tactics than Callaghan

• refused televised debate - knew it would portray her badly + as inexperienced

• used specialists Gordon Reece + Tim Bell for photo ops etc.

• Labour was ahead on polls by 20 points ( Callaghan seen as Sunny Jim)

What is significant about the nature of Callaghan’s defeat

• the last gov loss to a VoNC

What was the result and the size of the majority?

• 339 C, 269 L, 11 Lib

• 43

1997

New Labour is “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich, as long as they pay their taxes” Peter Mandelson to business leaders

Results? Majority?

• 418 L, 165 C, 46 Lib

• majority: 179

Significance?

• beginning of post-Thatcherite consensus

• noveau PM gov

• 3 election wins for Blair in a row

• Labour rebranding + 13 year governance

What was New Labour's policy?

• Third Way socialism

• move from nationalisation + traditional values to right wing capitalist economics

• broader voter appeal (partisan dealignment)

How did they stray from traditional Labour?

• no rise in income tax

• removal of nationalisation of industry + common ownership clause

• strict l+O

• smaller welfare state

• restrictions on TUs remained

Who was key to their support as a result of this policy shift?

• the Sun + the Times (Rupert Murdoch)

What did clause IV say and what was it changed to?

• “to secure for the workers the most equitable distribution that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange”

• “To create a community in which the power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many not the few”

  • much more distinctly capitalist in its focus on monetary gain

  • retains some socialists gestures, such as community + opportunity, but focus entirely shifted away from the worker, key to the Labour party originally

What was Blair’s stance on l+o? Why was this important?

• stricter stance: “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” which undermined the Tory hardline stance

• appealed to swing voters

• election pledge card policy: fast track punishment for persistent young offenders'

What was the political context + the prior government’s failings?

• Black Wednesday (ERM) withdrawal

  • Norman Lamont rose interest rate to 18%

  • Labour response: give interest rate control to Bank of England (interest of the Econ not government)

• David Mellor (Sports Minister) affairs + other various scandals

• soft nature of John Major (transactional)

• John Redwood eurosceptic leadership challenge (divided party on Europe following Maastricht Treaty)

What tactics were deployed by Labour during the election campaign? Was it effective?

• pledge cards

• ‘road test’ policies in focus group

• resources aimed at swing seats; gained larger swing in safe seats than marginal + polls narrowed in final days

How did Labour appeal to Lib Dems?

devolution + other constitutional reform pledges provided a middle ground

2010

Results? Majority?

• Coalition majority: 77

• 65% turnout

Significance?

• first coalition since wartime

• end of 13 years Labour rule

Economic backdrop?

• 2008 financial crash

• billions of debt (Con plans for austerity cuts)

Key common policies

• reducing inflation + cutting debt

Differences in nature of policy

• cons wanted hard and fast austerity

• Labour wanted gradual change to ensure stability

What did Cameron blame Labour for?

• economic mismanagement

• spiralling debt

What did Cameron bring to the Conservatives?

• a new young energy

• ability to pull together a party stuck in the past and divided on Europe

• oratory skills and persona reminiscent of Blair

What did Cameron wish regarding Europe? Was this realised?

How important was the election campaign?

• less important

• Cameron seen as too inexperienced by some

• Brown seen as dull + cowardly (Bottler Brown) for mistiming election and inability to address nation eloquently

What happened to Brown in Rochdale?

What was Cleggmania and how did it come about? Did it have any actual effect on the election?

• following the televised debate, Clegg’s ability to navigate between the two opposing leaders led to an increase in support, though this did not materialise into seats gained by the Lib Dems at the election

What mistakes did Brown make prior to the election?

• mistimed the election in 2007, leading to many thinking him cowardly

Was Brown a victim of the political context or his own failings?

• political context: certainly dealt him a bad card, and as chancellor Brown excelled and was in many ways a de facto PM with large control in Blair’s gov

• own failings: failedi n the outreach aspects of new PMs, and was unable to convince the country of his abilities in spite of his success

How did Cameron’s leadership affect their ability to gain a majority? (quotes + polls)

• Cameron as a new and young figure was seen by many as inexeperienced and unfit to lead in an economically tumultous atmosphere