- Factor - Influence - Example
- Labour won 418 seats (a 93 seat -
majority) with 43.2% of the vote;
Outcomes – margins and majorities Conservatives won 165 seats with
30.7%
- Biggest post-WW2 majority
- 1997 election ended 18 years of - Referendum Party received 2.7% of
Conservative government votes in support of one policy, a
- Turnout for 1997 election was at a referendum for leaving the EU
record post-war low of 71.2%, with - Change in Labour vote was +9.2, and
only 30.9% voting for the new Conservative was –11.3
government - In Scotland, where turnout fell less (-
Turnout – trends against norm - First time that a fourth party fought
4.9%) than in either England or Wales
for seats in Great Britain
(-6.9% and –6.3%), Conservative
- Conservative vote fell more where
turnout fell most support fell less where turnout help
- Turnout fell most in those seats that up most
Labour had taken from Conservative
in 1992 election
Voting behaviour – key factors which - it was claimed that voting behaviour - data from the IPSOS MORI illustrate
influenced voter choice was heavily influenced by the overall the percentages of respondents
images of the political parties. In ranking the Conservative and Labour
1997 the Labour Party had the most Parties according to a range of image
favourable party image according to -related criteria. Clearly the Labour
several criteria which must have Party was preferred to the
contributed to some extent to its Conservative Party according to most
electoral success. issue criteria, but it is also
- The Labour Party ran a more noteworthy that both political parties
professional media campaign scored poorly when ranked according
featuring a Rapid Rebuttals Unit and to some important criteria.
used the latest technology in order to
quickly dismantle their political
adversary’s attacks.
- Standings of the political parties on
, salient issues will have a great impact
on voting behaviour
- Tory scandals – to do with illegal
funding and gift donations – Michael
Heseltine was taking money from the
gov to fund himself
- John Major ran a campaign “back to
basics” return to traditional family
values
- During John Major’s time as Prime - The Labour Party pledged to cut NHS
Minister, several Conservative MPs waiting lists by treating an extra
were involved in corruption scandals, 100,000 patients
which made people lose faith in the - Black Wednesday tarnished
party Conservative governments
- Britain experienced a recession at the reputation
- Major’s government never recovered
beginning of the 80s and 90s, and
after Britain’s exit from the ERM in
economic hardship left the
September 1992
Impact of issues – what were the Conservatives unpopular
most salient issues? Valence or - Black Wednesday five years before
spatial? damaged conservative reputation
- The Labour party pledged not to raise
the basic or higher rate of income tax
- Conservative party was also deeply
divided over the issue of Europe
- There was large tax increases and
cuts in living standards for many
Conservative voters
- EU membership
Party Leaders - Tony Blair became leader of the -
Labour Party in 1994; faced
incumbent John Major, PM since
1990
- Blair is young, exciting, optimistic
- Labour won 418 seats (a 93 seat -
majority) with 43.2% of the vote;
Outcomes – margins and majorities Conservatives won 165 seats with
30.7%
- Biggest post-WW2 majority
- 1997 election ended 18 years of - Referendum Party received 2.7% of
Conservative government votes in support of one policy, a
- Turnout for 1997 election was at a referendum for leaving the EU
record post-war low of 71.2%, with - Change in Labour vote was +9.2, and
only 30.9% voting for the new Conservative was –11.3
government - In Scotland, where turnout fell less (-
Turnout – trends against norm - First time that a fourth party fought
4.9%) than in either England or Wales
for seats in Great Britain
(-6.9% and –6.3%), Conservative
- Conservative vote fell more where
turnout fell most support fell less where turnout help
- Turnout fell most in those seats that up most
Labour had taken from Conservative
in 1992 election
Voting behaviour – key factors which - it was claimed that voting behaviour - data from the IPSOS MORI illustrate
influenced voter choice was heavily influenced by the overall the percentages of respondents
images of the political parties. In ranking the Conservative and Labour
1997 the Labour Party had the most Parties according to a range of image
favourable party image according to -related criteria. Clearly the Labour
several criteria which must have Party was preferred to the
contributed to some extent to its Conservative Party according to most
electoral success. issue criteria, but it is also
- The Labour Party ran a more noteworthy that both political parties
professional media campaign scored poorly when ranked according
featuring a Rapid Rebuttals Unit and to some important criteria.
used the latest technology in order to
quickly dismantle their political
adversary’s attacks.
- Standings of the political parties on
, salient issues will have a great impact
on voting behaviour
- Tory scandals – to do with illegal
funding and gift donations – Michael
Heseltine was taking money from the
gov to fund himself
- John Major ran a campaign “back to
basics” return to traditional family
values
- During John Major’s time as Prime - The Labour Party pledged to cut NHS
Minister, several Conservative MPs waiting lists by treating an extra
were involved in corruption scandals, 100,000 patients
which made people lose faith in the - Black Wednesday tarnished
party Conservative governments
- Britain experienced a recession at the reputation
- Major’s government never recovered
beginning of the 80s and 90s, and
after Britain’s exit from the ERM in
economic hardship left the
September 1992
Impact of issues – what were the Conservatives unpopular
most salient issues? Valence or - Black Wednesday five years before
spatial? damaged conservative reputation
- The Labour party pledged not to raise
the basic or higher rate of income tax
- Conservative party was also deeply
divided over the issue of Europe
- There was large tax increases and
cuts in living standards for many
Conservative voters
- EU membership
Party Leaders - Tony Blair became leader of the -
Labour Party in 1994; faced
incumbent John Major, PM since
1990
- Blair is young, exciting, optimistic
