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New Labour, 1997-2007: Labour governments - Coggle Diagram
New Labour, 1997-2007: Labour governments
Blair as leader
Did not want to revise the policies of Thatcher + major - no re-natioanlisation of privatised industries.
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Domestic policies
2001 election: Labour promised more health + education investment and reforms which would improve their quality,
2001 reforms promises: more tether, doctors + nurses, more accountability to parents and patients to ensure improving exam results + shorter waiting times.
Crime: Blair promised to be 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime' - Measures to reduce social exclusion (cause of crime) and longer prisoner sentences.
2000, blockade: Blockade by farmers and lorry drivers due to rising fuel prices
Education: kept the League tables + inspectors introduced by Major, targets were extended and more specialist schools were encouraged,
Opposition: Ppl in the countryside generally felt Blair was too urban, this was tightened when Labour tried to ban hunting with dogs. This caused a long battle with the House of Lords + the pressure group Countryside Alliance organised a march 1/2 million ppl attended in 2002.
2004, ban on hunting with dogs passed.
After 2001, more public spending in schools, hospitals + pay rises for doctors, nurses + teachers - This led to exam results going up and waiting lists for doctors going down.
Constitutional changes
Reforms to parliament
1988, a commission led by Roy Jenkins recommended that first-past-the-post be replaced with a more proportional system but no change was made.
Blair attempted to reform the House of Lords in 1999, but ended in a messy compromise in which hereditary peers were not abolished but cut to 92.
Citizen's rights
1998, Human Rights Act: Incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into British law - British judges could consider the Convention when making their judgment, good but could be easily misinterpreted.
2000, Freedom of Information Act: gave ppl the right to request info form public bodies, by 2006 over 100,000 requests were made each yer. Blair later said this wa a mistake, as it prevented politicians form making difficult decisions in fear their actions would become public knowledge.
Devolution
1997, devolution referendums were held - the Scottish ppl voted in favour of devolving power to a Scottish parliament - led to a new Scottish Assembly being established, based on proportional representation.
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The 1997 Labour manifesto promised new referendums on devolution - with calls for Scottish independence growing under the conservatives.
2004, referendum held in the northeast - overwhelmingly rejected.
However, these changes did not take away momentum for the Scottish Nationalists which the Labour party had hoped.
Brown's economic policy
After 2001, more public spending in schools, hospitals + pay rises for doctors, nurses + teachers - This led to exam results going up and waiting lists for doctors going down.
Some criticism of funding new projects through the Private Finance Initiative as debts lasted for the future.
Initial aims: keep inflation low, keep gov spending under control, prove Labour was pro-business + that they could be trusted with the economy,
In order to avoid raising taxes, Labour continued to use private sources of funding to improve public services.
There was an agreement that Brown would not run for Labour leadership against Blair and he would have complete control over economic policy.
Critics argues the consumer boom was based on high levels of credit-card spurning + rising house prices not increased productivity - danger that it might not last.
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Brown set the Treasury rules about how much could be borrowed by the gov - following the Thatcheirte belief of controlling the money supply.
Northen Ireland
The GFA negotiations lasted 17 hours after the final deadlined + one of the UUP negotiators walked out in protest at the lack of progress ensuring the IRA would decommission its arms - however negotiations didn't collapse and agreements made on 10 April.
Blair developed a close relationship with Irish preident, which helped keep support of the republicans.
The unionists and republicans both trusted the chairman of talks- Geogre Mitchell, Bill Clinton's special envoy for NI
1998, Good Friday Agreement: NI would be able to decide to stay or leave the UK, a devolves assembly with a power-sharing executive was set up + decommissioning of arms etc.
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May, 1998, referendum held in NI - 71% voted for the agreement
Opposition to the GFA: Omagh bombing in 1998, killed 30ppl carried out by republicans in the 'Continuity IRA'.