...overseas during the war. The right-wing Conservative leader thought to remain prime mister, expecting public gratitude. However, the English vote for parties, not people. There was a demographic impact within Britain that led to the swing of leadership from a more capitalist based party to a more socialist based party. The people of Britain were haunted by the 1930s, a world in which “seldom the all-importance of food is recognized. You see statues everywhere to politicians, poets, bishops, but none to cooks or bacon-curers or market gardeners”, as described by Orwell. A time in which the poor were overlooked and undermined, a land in which the people “bred in the slums can imagine nothing but the slums.” Why was Churchill, being the national hero that he was, rejected by the Britons? Was it the failure of the Conservatives, which gave rise to Labour; or was it the rise of Labour which led to the failure of the Conservatives? These are some key aspects that this essay will attempt to consider. This paper will focus on how the rise of Labour, through their efforts locally, won over the population in order achieve a significant victory. Conducive to that change in leadership was the lack of Tory focus on social-policy and attention towards the working-class, which emanated from the lack of party politicking on the part of Churchill himself. Churchill was the leader of the Conservative Party, who governed the country in 1940. The Conservative Party is essentially a capitalist...
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...Northern Consortium United Kingdom – Politics Past paper questions for June exam < Module 1 > Section A 1a What are the differences between Public Bills Committees and Select Committees? [5] Public Bills Committee is part of legislative process, whereas Select Committee is part of scrutiny process. In the former committee, the bill is examined by line by line to ensure that its wording and language is clear to allow any amendments on the bill. In the latter committee, there are two departments – governmental and non-governmental. They examine government departments’ expeditures , policies and policies. There are between 16 to 50 members in the PBC who are selected by Committee of Selection whose 7 out 9 members are ships. On the other hand, there are 11 members in the SCs and to eliminate “the conflict of interest, all the members are backbench members who are elected using the Alternative vote system. 2a What are the main functions of Parliament and how well does it perform them? [5] < This question is a 20-mark question > 3a What are the differences between direct and representative democracy? [5] In direct democracy, people are directly involved in decision-making processes, whereas in representative democracy, people elect MPs who will represent and form a government in Parliament. For instance, some qualified members of Athenian society were involved in decision-making and a referendum is a limited form of direct democracy. Also general elections...
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...union. Her leadership over the Conservatives was flourishing as she led her party to a victory over the Labour party. She became Prime Minister in 1979 and portrayed herself as one who could fix the nation’s finances. “She promised to curb the power of the unions and bring stability to the country, while championing free markets and arguing that individuals should be given the power to make their own success” (BBC). Despite her promises, the country still went into decline, struggling with inflation and increased unemployment. That summer riots began to break out and she soon became the most unpopular Prime Minster there had ever been, however she was refusing to back off her...
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...Political Quarterly, Vol. 83, No. 3, July–September 2012 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-923X.2012.00000.x Reluctant Coalitionists: The Conservative Party and the Establishment of the Coalition Government in May 2010 STEPHEN EVANS Introduction According to Michael Laver and Norman Schofield, the study of coalition governments revolved around two central questions: ‘who got in?’ and ‘who got what?’1 The literature on the establishment of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government, in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2010, has also sought to answer these two questions. First, who got in: in other words, options and outcomes. There have been detailed accounts of the chain of events which led to the establishment of the coalition government in the aftermath of the inconclusive general election held on 6 May 2010 which, at the extremes of argument, have emphasised either the logic of numbers or personal chemistry.2 This has been accompanied by well-informed accounts of the five days of intense and sometimes difficult negotiations which followed, between all three main parties, and the twists and turns which took place during that period of time, as both Labour and the Conservatives courted the Liberal Democrats.3 Second, who got what: in other words, policy and personnel. In terms of policy, as Thomas Quinn, Judith Bara and John Bartle have argued, both the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats made important gains in their respective priority areas: fairer taxes, a pupil premium, a...
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...Labour party and the Conservative party. We can see that support for the two main parties never fell below 87.5% between 1950 and 1970, which shows party alignment. However there has been a decline is support for the two main parties, shown in that the support for both parties combined hasn’t been higher than 74% since 1974. This could be because a lot of voters left the two main parties when parties such as the Liberal Democrats or Scottish and Welsh nationalist parties emerged. Voters are also no longer loyal to a single party and so we’ve seen an increase in the ‘floating vote’ as, according to Bruter, many voters decide who they’re voting for shortly before election day. There are various reasons for the decline in class loyalty, but it can be argued that the main one is a decline in class loyalty- class dealignment. Prior to the 1970’s voters stayed loyal to the Labour party or the Conservative party, as they were mostly class based. In the 1960’s Pulzer wrote that ‘class is the basis of British party politics’ meaning that class was the main factor for political views. It is true that most people voted according to their social class for example between the 1940s and 1960s Labour would often get around two thirds of the C2 (skilled manual labour workers) and DE (semi and unskilled workers) working class vote. Around four fifths of the AB (professional/managerial workers) and C1 (other white collar workers) middle class voters would vote for the Conservative party. However...
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...In the early 20th century which party you voted for would usually be determined by which party the persons strongly identify with or infact if they have been brought up around strong certain party supporters Eg both mother and father voting Conservative. Also a person's job could sway how they voted it was typical that middle class business owners would typically vote conservative which is why this party was nicknamed the Political party of the rich whereas lower class working families would tend to vote labour as this party's policies were in the interest of working class families and particularly those involved in trade unions. However, since the turn of the 20th century, this is much less likely to be the case as evidence shows that there is a great decrease in the percentage of people who vote by party identification. It has fallen from 45% in 1964 to 10% in 2010, it is apparent that voting may be becoming an issue of deliberate choice, a rational exercise rather than something decided by your upbringing or you social class group. A reason to argue for the statement is when we take into account party leadership and how this has affected general elections, past elections have demonstrated that the face of a political party is infact of most importance to us and there is evidence of significant swings towards one party due to party leadership.An example of such an occasion was the 1979 general election. Labour leader Michael Foot was a kind-hearted man, an ex-pilot and had...
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...Some people claim that the rice in the quantity of passive political participation is forming democratic crisis in Britain. The main purpose of this essay is to explore the problem of low levels of participation and its connection with crisis of democracy. Firstly, it will highlight the role of parliament. Secondly, it will evaluate drawbacks and benefits of election systems and the devolution. Thirdly, it will illustrate the roles of political parties and low results of participation in elections. Possibilities for and trends of becoming participated in the political process by people is political participation. Generally, political participation contains a number of points such as awareness of current issues, supporting online forums, taking part in all kinds of elections, standing for political office, joining and becoming active in pressure group and political party and participating in physical and e-petitions (McNaughton: 2012). Vlassopoulos (2009:29) mentions that direct popular participation in making decisions is the vital aspect in definition of democracy. One of the main functions of Parliament is representation. This means that elected MPs should represent and defend the interests of their voters. However, in real life citizens have no significant impact on the activities of legislators. Another important function is that it is the origin of political authority and exercising of power is impossible without Parliament’s sanction. Furthermore, the UK government membership...
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...example voting for a leader and having an input in policy making. The Conservative party members have complete power when electing their leaders (aside from the fact they cannot elect the two candidates) whilst all branches of the Labour party are able to vote for their leader. When it comes to policy making in the Conservative party it is the leader who makes policy, in the sense that they have the final say on policy and the contents of the manifesto. In the Labour party there is a wider distribution of power in policy making as the MPs have relatively little power and all the branches play a part instead. Conservative party members did not have a say in the election of the leader until William Hague reformed the procedure in 1998 due to the small number of MPs the party acquired in the 1997 general election. In a contest with only two candidates, there is a ballot of all party members, however, if there is a contest of more than two there is a series of ‘primary elections’ but only with the Conservative MPs to find out which two candidates to put before the party members for election before a one member, one vote (OMOV) of party members then occurs. In this sense, the electing of the leader by ordinary members is not as democratic as it appears although they still get a say between two candidates. Conversely, MPs only have the power to rid of the leader after a vote of no-confidence although the Conservative party members have voted them in the first place. The democratic approach...
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..."How far were conservative scandals the most important reason for their defeat in 1964"! Intro: * The conservative government had involvement in a number of scandals * They also faced social and economic problems * The labour party had its own strengths * The failure of Home as prime minister * Brief intro discussing the above and what is going to be argued for and against Conservative Scandals: * The conservative scandals included: The Profumo affair (briefly say what it was) and issues were raised to national security * Vassal Affair: (briefly say what it was) This led to mistrust and the government was seen as out of control of its departments * Philby Case: (briefly say what it was) The conservative government were held responsible for this international affair with the Soviets. * Argyll Divorce Case: (briefly say what it was) rumors including government ministers and the Duke of Argyll’s wife. * Link back to the question suggesting how these were more or less important than the other factors. Reasons which are possibly more important for the conservative defeat (other reasons) * Strengths of the Labour party- Harold Wilson was succeeding, Labour focused on what was needed to solve the problems the conservatives had brought, this was done by policies and satisfying the public and its opinion. * The failures of Douglas-Home- He wasn’t voted in as Prime minister and he was simply outperformed by Wilson when it came to Parliament...
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...TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY STILL COMMITTED TO ITS TRADITIONAL PRINCIPLES? Since 1979 the conservative party has undergone significant changes from the traditional conservative party which focused on ideas about human nature, order and pragmatism, first with new right conservatism under Thatcher then with the current conservative party. The current conservative party however, can be seen to still be committed to its traditional conservative principles such as Euro-scepticism and that they remain largely traditionalist. However there are many ways in which the conservative party has changed such as taxation, education and the welfare state. One way the conservative party has changed is through taxation. Traditionally, the conservative party was known as believing in low tax however the current conservative party, seems to have changed certain parts of their policies about this perhaps shifting to a more central position on taxation proposing a new tax scheme where people earning under ten thousand pounds a year pay no tax and there would be bigger and more severe crack downs on top earners in offshore bank accounts. This signifies a deviation from traditional conservative principles, perhaps due to the modernisation of the party since Cameron became leader. One way the party has stayed committed to its conservative principles is through continued euro-scepticism. Traditionally the party has been very euro-sceptic initially not wanting to join the EU and later...
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...by putting themselves up for election and gaining the support of the public. • They are grouped together by sharing common values and ideologies • Offer policies across a range of issues. • Examples include Labour and the Conservatives 2. Distinguish between a political party and a faction • A faction is a group of like-minded politicians, formed around a key leader or in support of a set of preferred policies, and operating within the House of Commons. E.g Cornerstone within the Conservatives • Political parties are more disciplined versions of factions • Have wider membership and organisation outside of parliament. 3. What is party government? • A system through which single parties are able to form governments • Parties have clear ideological convictions and develop rival programmes • Governing party is able to claim popular mandate and enjoys sufficient unity and cohesion to make government policies • Government is accountable to electorate through its mandate and opposition parties. E.g Labour won landslide victory n 1997, but in 2005 its majority was decreased 4. What is a two party system? • A two-party system is where there are only two major political parties dominating the system. E.g Labour and Conservatives • Only 2 parties have the chance of winning government power, even with minor parties • The larger of the two parties is able to rule alone, and the other party provides opposition ...
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...Did the Conservatives Loose or Labour Win the 1945 General Election? The 1945 election came quickly after the aftermath of World War Two and few knew how the election was going to turn out with party politics being pushed into the background during the six years of total war that Britain and her people experienced. This came to a surprise when Churchill’s war government was pushed out in favour of Labour instead and there is much debate surrounding this issue as to who lost and who won this election, or an evolution in voter attitudes? The most important factor in determining whether Labour won or the Conservatives lost was the change in voter attitudes that resulted from six years of total war. During the war, a definitive leftward shift had occurred in the electorate and this steady change can be seen through the work Labour had done in the War Coalition on the Home Front in extending state control where people now viewed Labour’s seemingly ‘radical’ policies as beneficial in helping those in poverty and need. This can be linked to the experiences of the middle classes during evacuation where the level of deprivation in urban areas was exposed and now it only can be seen as natural that the middle classes wanted these issues to be dealt with. As well as on the Home Front, the views of socialism had changed due to the help that Stalin’s Russia had in defeating the Germans and thus was seen in good light. So this trend to the left changed the attitude of many to Labour and can...
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...CONSERVATISM Key concepts 1) Hierarchy and organic society * The term ‘organic society’ refers to a belief, which became entrenched in traditional conservative thought in the latter part of the 19th century. * It was a reaction against the rise of liberal individualism. * It proposes that society is more than merely a collection of individuals, but it is a single entity. * We are connected to each other through our humanity and common membership of community. * Organic society is seen as a reality, which is superior to our own, individual interests. * The ideal organic society – where goals and aspirations of individuals coincide with the goals of the whole society. 1980s – Margaret Thatcher famously challenged this remarking that there “is no such thing as society”, implying that the goals of individuals are superior to those of society as a whole. * Traditional conservatives believe that there is a ‘natural’ order into which each individual fits. * It is normal and natural that society should be divided by a number of strata. * The very rigid feudal system had long since disappeared, but there remained a belief that some kind of class system was inevitable. * Hierarchy like this supports organic society in that it creates an order and stability, which the individualistic society lacks. * Different parts of the hierarchy have different roles that complement each other. * This implies inequality, but an ordered inequality, and one in which...
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...Has the Conservative Party abandoned ‘Thatcherism’? Thatcherism was the name given to the type of policies that were put in place, by the then prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The policies primarily involved the idea monetarism, privatization, and strong law and order. Thatcherism put emphasis on the government controlling the amount of money that was in circulation in Britain, so that inflation was kept at a steady level and so it was not a hindrance to economic growth. Moreover, it also involved getting the public sector opened up, so that the private sector could get involved in it. This was done in order to once again stimulate economic growth and create jobs, as private firms run more efficiently than public ones, which allows them to employ more people and so there is more money being spent in the economy. Lastly, Thatcher also put strong emphasis on strict law and order. She believed better law enforcement would therefore create a stronger country. However, when David Cameron came to power, unlike many previous leaders, he was quick to question many of the key ideas of Thatcherism; but it has been widely debated that although he was quick to dismiss them, these ideas of Thatcherism may still be present in the current conservative party. In terms of economic policies, there still seems to be an air of Thatcherism within David Cameron’s Conservative Party. The fact that Cameron has centred his economic policy around massively reducing public spending, and his wish to...
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...in 1984 was the conservative governments determination to reduce trade union power? The fact that the Conservative government wanted to reduce trade union power was indeed a factor which led to the miners’ strike in 1984 but not necessarily the biggest one. It is relevant to state that the Thatcher Government was concerned over the general power that the unions held and had taken action to curb union powers with the introduction of the Employment Act 1982. Source 1 highlights the fact that the strike was the culmination of a long conflict between the Conservative Party and the mineworkers union. The National Union of Minors (NUM) was the strongest and most powerful union and it was widely accepted that it had been responsible for bringing down the Edward Heath Conservative Government following the minors’ strike of 1973-74. In 1972, the NUM led by Arthur Scargill had put forward a joint bid to gain wage increase and to highlight the increasing number of pit closures that threatened its members livelihood. In order to succeed Scargill had used minors from across the country to bring the movement of coal to a standstill. Heath believed that the government would survive the strike longer than the miners. He cut electricity which led to ordinary people being without light and heating for long periods. Heath held an election as to who ran the country, the miners or the government. The answer of the electorate was not what he expected and the Conservatives lost power with the...
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