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A level UK politics: AQA 2024 Exam Comprehensive Review
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A level UK politics: AQA 2024 ExamComprehensive Review
1945 Salisbury Convention - Answer>> Lords cannot oppose A
bill in the Manifesto
The Change election - Answer>> • The General Election of
1997 was, what is sometimes referred to as, a change election.
o A change election exists when a period associated with the
dominance of one party ends and a new period begins (such as
1945, 1979 or 1997).
o There was not just a minor shift between parties but a landslide
victory for Labour.
How many seats did labour gain in 1997 - Answer>> 145
43% of vote share
91 seat majority
Changes blair made to the labour party - Answer>> In 1995 the
party abandoned Clause IV of its constitution committing the party
to socialist policies of common ownership.
o Instead the party positioned itself much more in the centre of
the political spectrum and distanced itself from its more left-wing
history and from the trade union movement.
o A number of figures from the left of the party found themselves
marginalised (such as future leader Jeremy Corbyn).
Policy promises Blair made in 1997 Election - Answer>> • Cut
NHS waiting lists by treating an extra 100,000 patients (as first
step by releasing £100 million saved from NHS red tape)
• Get 250,000 under-25 year-olds off benefit and into work (by
using money from a windfall levy on the privatised utilities)
• No rise in income tax rates (cut VAT on heating to 5% and
inflation and interest rates as low as possible).
,• proposals for constitutional reform, such as Lords reform,
• a freedom of information act, referendums on devolution to
Scotland and Wales,
• whether to change the voting system.
This helped to give the campaign a sense of radicalism while
remaining firmly in the political centre ground on economic and
social issues.
Blair speaking about Major in 90s - Answer>> "I lead my party;
he follows his"
Problems with conservative campaign in 1997 election -
Answer>> financial scandals, such as the "Cash for Questions"
affair, where two Conservative backbenchers were alleged to
have accepted payments via a lobbyist, in return for asking
questions in the House of Commons.
• A perception that the Conservative Party was weak, divided,
sleazy and corrupt certainly contributed to the election result.
• Not much is remembered of the Conservative Party manifesto of
1997. While John Major described it as "bold" and "far-reaching"
there were few eye-catching policies
• the most eye-catching policy was probably a tax allowance
proposal to encourage traditional nuclear families
o only contributed to a sense that the Conservative Party in 1997
did not represent where the UK was.
Role of Media in 1997 election and evaluation - Answer>> •
Blair made a conscious decision to court The Sun's notorious
owner, Rupert Murdoch.
o After meeting him, he won the prize: The Sun decided to back
Labour in the 1997 election, while another of Murdoch's
traditionally-conservative papers, The Times, chose not to back
either party, but was more positive about Labour than the
Conservatives.
,• Some argue that the impact of the Sun might be overstated. The
paper has backed the winning party in every UK general election
since the 1970s.
o It had been a Labour paper until famously switching to the
Conservatives in 1979.
o However, it could be argued that the Sun is just good at
predicting election results and backing winners. It is not clear that
their backing actually has that big an impact on the final result.
o 2010 is sometimes presented as an exception to the Sun's
power over election results, as Cameron failed to win a majority,
despite the Sun having loudly switched support back from Labour
to the Conservatives.
spin doctors in 1997 election - Answer>> • significant factor in
the 1997 General Election was the impact of spin doctors.
• New Labour approached the press in a new way, trying to
manipulate the press and the television news
o The key figure on the Labour side who performed this role was
Alistair Campbell.
o Campbell and other figures like Peter Mandelson, carefully
courted journalists and editors and ensured that they got stories
ready-packaged that would put across the message of the day.
o between 1994 and 1997, journalists were wooed, flattered and
rewarded with access, interviews and good stories.
Mondeo Man - Answer>> • Mondeo Man was Tony Blair's idea
of the sort of person who had to switch from Conservative to
Labour in order for Labour to win in 1997. He was in his 30s,
married, owned his home (semi-detached), lived in the South East
and drove a Ford Mondeo.
• Psephologists also talk about C1s - the aspirational lower middle
class. These were identified as swing voters (and also often lived
, in marginal seats) and New Labour targeted them pretty ruthlessly
and effectively.
Evidence of Class voting in 1997 election - Answer>> 41% of
ABs voted Conservative (compared with 31% Labour)
50% of C2s and 59% of DEs voted Labour, compared with 27%
and 21% respectively for the Tories.
1911 Parliament Act - Answer>> Lords can't delay money bills
and power of veto replaced by 2 year delay
1945 Parliament Act - Answer>> Delay changed to one year
"The House of Lords is like a glass of champagne that has stood
for five days" - Answer>> Clement Atlee
Example of how parliament can't be bound by past government -
Answer>> Repealed the 1988 local government act which
made it illegal to promote homosexuality in school
Magna Carta (1215) - Answer>> Nobody deprived of liberty
without law process
Bill of Rights (1689) - Answer>> Regular parliament, free
elections, free speech in parliament
Act of Union (1707) - Answer>> England and Scotland in
Westminister
European Communities Act 1972 - Answer>> Britain into EEC
making EU law president over UK
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