“The Historic Legacy of Tony Blair”
1. The author states that Blair “modernized the Labour Party.” How did he accomplish this? Describe “New Labour”.
- Tony Blair modernized the Labor Party by removing the commitment in the party’s constitution to the nationalization of the means of production, distribution, and exchange and introducing a “Third Way”, between socialism and unfettered capitalism. New Labour relies on the idea that in order for public services to improve, the techniques of private business and the market need to be used to increase efficiency. Additionally, the state should not be the sole provider of public services.
2. Explain the “New Constitution” implemented since Labour came to power.
- Reforms include a series of referendums and measures devolving more political authority to the non-English parts of the UK, including introducing proportional representation in elections for these parts. In 1998, the Human Rights Act was implemented, requiring public bodies to comply with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. The 2000 Freedom of Information Act allows people in the UK right to freedom of information. Other acts contribute to this “New Constitution”, including the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act of 2000 (requiring the registration of parties and placing controls on political donations/national campaign expenditures, as well as establishing an Electoral Commission), the House of Lords Act of 1999 (which removed most of the hereditary peers from the House of Lords and more reforms), and the Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 (which restructured the historic office of Lord Chancellor).
3. Explain the motivation behind Blair’s foreign policy. What is “moral imperative”?
- “We need to enter a new millennium where dictators know that they cannot get away with ethnic censing or repress their people with impunity.” This was Blair’s justification for his controversial decision to invade Iraq. His foreign policy is based on values, rather than territory.
- Moral imperative is the belief that Britain has a moral duty to intervene when something bad is happening in another country. It often becomes intertwined with humanitarian arguments.
“Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher
1. Describe Margaret Thatcher’s background. How did her humble beginnings influence her political career?
- Margaret Thatcher was born to an intensely religious family whose life revolved around Methodism, and lived above a grocery store her father owned with her family. She worked in the store, and learned the basics of economics. Her family was incredibly political. Her humble beginnings made her incredibly hard-working, determined to prove herself, and influenced her political beliefs and platforms.
2. Describe Thatcher’s rise to the head of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister.
- In 1959, Thatcher was elected Conservative MP for Finchley. She became secretary of state for education and science in 1970. After the Heath government fell in 1974, Thatcher stepped in to challenge Heath as Conservative leader, winning in 1975. She earned her name as “the Iron Lady” in 1976 when she made a speech criticizing the Soviet Union. On May 4 (my birthday wooooot!), 1979, she was elected Prime Minister.
3. Describe “Thatcherism” or “Monetarism”. What problems did she face as PM? How did she address them?
- Thatcherism/Monetarism was an economic theory that advocated individual enterprise and reduced state intervention. State-subsidized industry/jobs discouraged competition, put too much money into the economy, and caused inflation. Monetarism said that taxes and government spending on welfare should be lower so that individuals could use their money to support themselves as they chose.
- As PM she faced many problems. The National Union of Mine Workers went on strike, threatening the national fuel supply; she responded to this by using coal reserves and not backing down. She responded to the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina by sending ships to retake the islands and winning the war. Additionally, she helped persuade President Reagan away from the “evil Empire” rhetoric used to talk about the Soviet Union and therefore helped to end the Cold War.
4. What domestic programs and policies is Margaret Thatcher best remembered for? Was she successful?
- Tatcher is remembered for the sale of council houses (which allowed a half-million people to become homeowners for the first time), introducing tougher legislation to curb future union power (following the strike of the Nation Union of Mine Workers), and unfavorably for introducing the poll tax. She was successful in the first two, but decidedly unsuccessful with the poll tax. In the end she stayed in power too long and was less favorably remembered than she would otherwise have been.
5. What effect did the Falkland War have on her government and reputation?
- The Falkland war was very good for Thatcher. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, and Thatcher fought back, defeating them and retaking the islands. This instilled a new sense of national confidence and raised her popularity ratings.
