Can Your Vote Make a Difference? General Election 2024

“There’s no point in voting. They’re all the same. Nothing ever changes anyway.”

In the run-up to general elections past and present, you may have heard various iterations of the above from friends, family, colleagues, and strangers.

Repeated political scandals have seen the public’s distrust of politicians and voter apathy increase. At the 2019 general election, roughly a third (32.7%) of the country didn’t vote.

But here we look back at the changes brought in by both Conservative and Labour governments that have fundamentally changed day-to-day life in the UK—many for the better.

NHS

After two world wars, the UK was in desperate need of reconstruction and economic growth.

Labour leader Clement Attlee had been in a wartime coalition with Sir Winston Churchill’s Conservatives up until 1945 but won a landslide majority that July.

A key part of Labour’s manifesto—Let us Face the Future Together—was the creation of a welfare state, including a free health service.

This followed the 1942 Beveridge Report, compiled by the economist William Beveridge, on a new system of social insurance that would support people in times of hardship while helping to reconstruct society after the war.

The establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) on July 5, 1948, was overseen by Mr. Attlee’s health minister, the Welsh miner and trade unionist Nye Bevan.

It meant hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies, opticians, and dental practices were brought in under a single NHS, and care was offered to everyone based on clinical need, not the ability to pay.

It also made the UK the first Western country to offer such a service—free at the point of use.

Despite overwhelming public support for the NHS, many health and economics experts argue the original model can no longer cope with the demands of the current population, which is resulting in long waiting times, strikes, and retention issues among staff.

Welfare state

It wasn’t just the NHS that was born out of the Beveridge Report in 1942.

The idea was to create a “cradle to grave” welfare system: income for the unemployed, housing for the people experiencing homelessness, and care for the sick and disabled.

Although a Labour project, largely inspired by Attlee’s time volunteering in deprived areas of London’s East End between the wars, it was eventually endorsed by Churchill.

In 1943, he agreed on the need for “national compulsory insurance for all classes for all purposes, from the cradle to the grave.”.

Can Your Vote Make a Difference? General Election 2024

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It was also influenced by the work of liberal economist John Maynard Keynes, who believed a healthy growth rate and full employment would be more likely under a system of state support.

Today, the welfare state takes the form of Universal Credit, state pensions, other benefits, and council housing.

Right to buy

One of the hallmark economic policies of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government was the right-to-buy scheme.

Introduced as part of the Housing Act 1980, the initiative meant council tenants could buy their homes at a significantly discounted price.

It still exists today, offering a 35% discount on homes for social tenants of between three and five years, or a maximum reduction of 70% or £102,400 for tenants of more than five years.

After seven years of it being brought in, the scheme saw one million homes bought by their tenants.

It has been widely credited with helping more people get onto the housing ladder and contributing to an increase in Conservative voters among the aspiring working classes.

By contrast, many, including the Labour Party, have argued it has severely depleted the supply of social housing for those in need, resulting in years-long waiting lists and hundreds of families in each local authority being housed in temporary hostels or bed and breakfast accommodations.Can Your Vote Make a Difference? General Election 2024

Minimum wage

The National Minimum Wage was introduced by Tony Blair’s New Labour government in 1997 after it appeared as a key pledge in his election manifesto. It came into effect on January 1, 1999.

Based on the idea of universal basic income, Labor argued it would reduce inequality and stop the exploitation of workers.

Previous Labour governments had been opposed to the idea, fearing it would reduce the need for trade union membership and possibly disincentivize employers to pay anything above the legal requirement.

It has since, however, received cross-party consensus and was updated by David Cameron’s chancellor, George Osborne, in 2016. He implemented a higher national living wage for workers over 25, which was reduced to 23 in 2021.

Both the minimum and the living wage are legal requirements.

While mayor of London, Boris Johnson introduced a London Living Wage to reflect the higher cost of living in England’s capital. It began just for City Hall workers and contractors but has since been adopted by employers across the city on a voluntary basis.

Devolution

Another key feature of the New Labour manifesto was devolving powers away from the UK government in Westminster.

The Blair government put the idea to voters in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in a series of referendums in 1998.

All three nations voted in favour of their own devolved parliaments, which led to the establishment of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff, and the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive at Stormont.

Devolved issues include health and social care, education, local government, transport, sport and the arts, farming and fishing.

Combined, these devolved powers have created fundamental differences in life across the four nations.

Can Your Vote Make a Difference? General Election 2024

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland offer free prescriptions. Scotland has abolished tuition fees in universities. Over-numeros have the right to vote in local and Scottish Parliament elections.

London received devolved powers with the establishment of the London mayor. This was accomplished with the creation of the London Assembly in 2000.

Under Conservative governments since 2014, nine more regions in England have implemented metro mayor systems.Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Liverpool City, and West Yorkshire are some of the regions in the UK. South Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Tees Valley, the West of England, and the North of Tyne are also regions in the UK.

Good Friday Agreement

Devolution in Northern Ireland was more complex than in Scotland and Wales. The troubles were the cause of this complexity.

Tensions between the Republican and Unionist communities resulted in many deaths in Northern Ireland starting in the 1960s. More than 3,000 people were killed in Northern Ireland due to tensions between the Republican and Unionist communities. This violence began in the 1960s.

Before the Good Friday Agreement, US President Bill Clinton took on a crucial role in the peace process. His special envoy, George Mitchell, also played a significant role.Clinton’s intervention is largely attributed to the smooth progression of dialogue between Irish politicians. Tony Blair, Labour’s prime minister, and Mo Mowlam, his Northern Ireland secretary, are frequently acknowledged for their roles in the peace accord.

Northern Ireland’s political parties put their signatures on the Multi-Party Agreement. On April 1, the British government signed the British-Irish Agreement. On the same day, the Irish government signed an agreement with the British government. One referendum was held in Northern Ireland on May 22 to approve one agreement. Another referendum was held in the Republic of Ireland on May 22 to approve the other agreement.

The Good Friday Agreement led to the establishment of a power-sharing executive at Stormont. This resulted in a ceasefire between paramilitary groups. Hundreds of paramilitary prisoners were released as part of the agreement. The following decades saw a significant decrease in violence.

The power-sharing agreement requires both sides to be represented in government. If one side resigns, the entire executive dissolves. This has happened several times since the Good Friday agreement.

Can Your Vote Make a Difference? General Election 2024

Equal marriage

The Marriage of Same-Sex Couples Act gave the legal right to marry to same-sex couples as of 2014.

Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron introduced the legislation. He later credited his wife, Samantha, for encouraging him to continue with it.

The new act, introduced by Labour in 2004, closed legal loopholes between civil partnerships for same-sex couples and marriages.

Lord Cameron faced vehement opposition from several religious groups. Among them was the Church of England. He also encountered opposition from more traditional members of his own party.

It presented a significant challenge to the established conservative outlook. This was due to Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which banned schools from promoting homosexuality.

Can Your Vote Make a Difference? General Election 2024

The legislation went into effect on the first day. Many couples chose this day for their weddings, celebrating the new rights they would gain.

Starting February 7, 2020, same-sex couples in Northern Ireland will be able to exchange their civil partnership certificates. Later, they will receive marriage certificates in return.

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