1997 Election

• (1997) was a landslide victory for new labour which opened the door for 13 years of labour government
• (1997) decent turnout 71.3%
• (1997) the tories had been labelled sleazy due to various scandals (sex scandals and cash for qs). Which made Major look weak and having lost control of his government.
• (1997) Labour employed PR experts and focus groups to target marginal seats. To create a presidential campaign for Blair.
• (1997) tories had a unspecific manifesto and were seen as out of touch. Which was over-shadowed by their controversies
• (1997) the economy was recovering from the 1992 recession however this didn't help the tories.
• (1997) Blair was indorsed by the sun (right-winged) due to his new labour moderate view. Whoever the sun endorses is believed to win.
• (1997) Constitutional Reform- Labour & lib dems agree on this issue. Lib dem voters tactically voted for labour as they are more likely to win which the party supported. Blair delivered on this post-election (devolution & good Friday agreement).
• (1997) Labour Policies:

  • no rise in income tax
  • cut class sizes to 30 or under for 5-7yrs
  • get 250,000 under 25s off benefits into work
  • cut NHS waiting list by treating extra 100,000 patients
• (1997) Conservative Policies:

  • greater funding every year for the NHS
  • independence and prosperity
  • "education guarantee" new targets for school improvement
• In 1997, Tony Blair’s New Labour was elected with 418 seats, and the Labour Party remained in power until 2010. The Party achieved a 179-seat majority.
• • The Conservatives were unpopular after John Major government’s failings from the previous 5 years, and only won 30% of the vote.
  • The Conservatives were viewed as weak on economic policy because of ‘Black Wednesday’ in 1992
  • Despite economic improvement since then, many voters had not felt the benefits of the recovery through more investment in public services or tax cuts.
• • Labour used public relations experts and focus groups in order to understand the opinion of the public. Labour’s campaign also involved targeting marginal seats.
• • Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’ had modernised policy, in which the party moved away from traditional Labour policies.
  • New Labour was tough on law and order and Blair emphasised his links to business.
  • Labour emphasised itself as a moderate party that appealed to ‘Middle England’
• • Age has become a more important factor in determining UK voting behaviour.
  • In 1997 many more younger people supported the Labour party with 49% of voters aged 18-24 and 25-34 voting for Labour.
• • In 1997 Labour won 50% of the skilled working class vote, and 59% of the unskilled working class vote. In comparison, the Conservatives won 27% of the skilled working class vote and 21% of the unskilled working class vote.
• • In 1997 more women supported Labour, with 44% voting for the party, and more men also supported Labour, with 45% voting for Labour compared to 31% for the Conservatives.