The era of New Labour 1997-2007

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When was Tony Blair elected as PM?
1997
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What was his majority?
179 seat majority
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What was significant about Blair's style of leadership?
He preferred to meet with ministers personally rather than long cabinet meetings. He appointed large numbers of political advisers.
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Why was he criticised for his style of government?
Critics thought his style was too presidential.
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When was the referendum for a Scottish and Welsh assembly?
1997
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How many Scots voted in favour of a Scottish Assembly?
60%
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What was this process called?
Devolution
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When did Blair begin reforming the House of Lords?
2000
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What did the House of Lords reform entail?
Hereditary peers were no longer allowed to sit in the Lords and were replaced by more and more life peers selected by the Blair administration.
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When was the Good Friday Agreement?
10th April 1998
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What did the GFA guarantee?
N.Ireland could remain within the UK for as long as its citizens wanted. The IR withdrew all territorial claims to NI. A NI Assembly would be set up with power shared between the largest parties. All paramilitary prisoners - be released within 2 yrs.
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How was the agreement made possible?
British government was able to work closely with Irish gvt. Sinn Fein, political wing of the IRA accepted the need to decommission weapons. The agreement was put to a referendum.
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What were the continued problems after the GFA?
A breakaway IRA group bombed the N.Irish town Omagh in 1998, killing 28. The DUP refused to participate in the Assembly. Assembly was suspended in 2002 due to a lack of trust between parties.
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When was the St.Andrews Agreement and what were the results?
2006 - attempted to restore order in the Assembly with DUP participation.
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When did the DUP win the election? (In Northern Ireland)
2007
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What did Ian Paisley build with Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness?
A strong working relationship.
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Who was First Minister 2007?
Ian Paisley
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Who was Ian Paisley's deputy?
Martin McGuinness
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Who was Blair's Chancellor for the whole of his 10 years as PM?
Gordon Brown
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What characterised the Brown period?
Low inflation and low unemployment.
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How did Brown display responsible management?
He allowed the Bank of England to set interest rates (implying reduced gvt. intervention), and keeping within the previous governments' spending plans.
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What did Labour accept that John Major had opted out of?
The Social Chapter
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What was the result of accepting the Social Chapter?
Introduced a minimum wage and higher pensions as well as greater security for workers and less chance of harassment in the workplace.
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Spending in which areas was maintained under Blair's government?
Education and healthcare.
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Between which years did the value of gold fall on international markets?
1999 and 2002.
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How much gold did Brown sell off in this period?
13 million ounces of British gold.
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Why was this a mistake?
The value of gold recovered.
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How much money did Brown lose through selling off gold reserves?
US $3 billion by 2005.
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What else did Brown do which was a factor in the 2008 recession?
He borrowed heavily from the banks. This became a problem later as the banks demanded the money back.
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When was the foot and mouth disease epidemic?
1999
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How did the Blair administration go about dealing with foot and mouth disease?
Decided on the wholesale slaughter of livestock and closing off much of the countryside.
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What did foot and mouth disease do for the British economy?
Farmers and tourist industry were greatly damaged.
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What did critics suggest was a better idea?
Mass vaccination.
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When was the fuel crisis?
2000
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Who was involved?
Lorry drivers and farmers who believed that petrol prices were too high.
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What were the results?
There was a shortage of fuel - shortages of food, people could not get to work and hospitals were closing.
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What did the government do about it?
A settlement was reached whereby duties on petrol would no longer be automatically increased.
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What had the government been committed to in terms of energy?
Development of renewable energy with a target of supplying 10% of UK energy by 2010.
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What issues did they face with renewable energy?
Their targets were overambitious and controversially, the government began investing in nuclear power to make up the shortfall.
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What was the turnout in 2001?
59%
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What was the turnout in 2005?
61.4%
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Why was the turnout so low?
People thought Blair would win easily so there was no point in voting. Others were disillusioned with politics and lost faith in the political system.
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Who was Conservative leader 1997-2001?
William Hague
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Who was Conservative leader 2001-2003?
Iain Duncan Smith.
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Who was Conservative leader 2003-2005?
Michael Howard.
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What was William Hague like as leader of the Conservatives?
Very anti-Europe but earned widespread support because the party was greatly divided. Associated w/the right of the party. Not seen as a good alternative to Blair.
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What was Iain Duncan Smith like as leader of the Conservatives?
Uncharismatic and performed poorly in Parliament against Blair.
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What was Michael Howard like as leader of the Conservatives?
Commanded widespread respect and performed well in Parliament. The party still lacked substance and agenda.
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Why did the Conservatives lose against Blair?
Couldn't campaign well because Labour were so successful e.g in areas like law and order. They had not recovered from the issues of the 1990s.
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What was the level of child poverty in 1997 (EU)?
1/3 of all EU impoverished children were British (Britain does not even make up 1/3 of the EU).
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By how much did Blair reduce this by?
25%
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What was the population in 2006?
60.5 million
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Between which years did the number of pensioners double?
1956-2006.
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How many Labour MP's were in Parliament under Blair?
101
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Who was Foreign Secretary 2006-07?
Margaret Beckett.
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How many hours of childcare were 3-4 year olds entitled to for free in 2007?
12.5 hours
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By 2007 - women were earning how much in comparison to men?
They only earned 85% of what men were earning.
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Female Labour MP's were nicknamed what by the media?
''Blair's Babes''.
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When was the Freedom of Information Act passed?
2000
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What was the Freedom of Information Act?
Gave people the right to request information from public bodies.
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When was the Human Rights Act passed as a result of the Social Chapter?
1998
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Between which years did spending per pupil double?
1997-2007
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How many extra teachers were employed?
36,000
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By how many percent did the number of GCSEs at C or above increase?
13%
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What percentage of people age 18-30 were attending university?
43%
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What does 'NEET' stand for?
Not in Education, Employment or Training.
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By 2004, Britain was spending what percentage of GDP on healthcare?
8%
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When was the Civil Partnership Act passed and what did it entail?
2004 - allowed same sex couples to ''marry'' in a civil union.
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When was the Gender Recognition Act passed and what did it entail?
2004 - allowed people with gender dysphoria to legally change their gender.
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When was the Police Reform Act passed and what did it entail?
2002 - introduced community support officers and reorganised national intelligence gathering.
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When was the National Minimum Wage introduced?
1998
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When were Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit introduced?
1998.
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When was Job Seekers' Allowance introduced and what did it entail?
1998 - replaced unemployment benefits. To qualify for the allowance - claimants were required to have evidence that they were actively looking for work.
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When was the EU extended to Eastern Europe?
2004
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Which Eastern European countries saw their people moving to England? (2 examples)
Poland, Latvia
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By 2006 - how many Poles were living in England?
1 million
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Who was the first black cabinet minister appointed in 2002?
Paul Boateng.
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Which places of religious worship were popular in towns and cities?
Mosques
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Which carnival is known for being ethnically diverse?
Notting Hill Carnival.
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When was the McPherson Report and what did it find out?
1998 - investigation of Stephen Lawrence and institutional racism.
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How many were killed in the 7/7 attacks in 2005?
52
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When was the National Identity Card Act passed?
2006
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When was the Terrorist Act pass and what did it entail?
2006 - increased the time that a suspect could be held in custody without charge to 28 days.
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Which newspaper claimed that Eastern European immigrants were violent?
The Daily Express
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When was Operation Desert Fox?
Dec 1998.
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What was Operation Desert Fox?
Joint bombing of Iraqi targets (US and UK) to prevent Saddam Hussein's weapons building programme from progressing. Hailed a huge success.
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What was happening in Kosovo in the '90's?
The Serbian people began fighting against ethnic Albanians in the province of Kosovo who wanted independence from Serbia.
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Who was President of Serbia?
Slobodan Milošević.
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When did Blair declare war on Kosovo?
1999.
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When did Blair make his famous speech in Chicago?
1999.
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What was this speech called?
The Blair Doctrine.
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What did Blair set out in his Blair Doctrine?
1) Be sure of your case, 2) Exhaust all other options, 3) Ask if military operations can be sensibly undertaken, 4) Prepare for the long term, 5) Identify if your interests are needed.
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When did the Brits invaded Sierra Leone?
2000
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(Stupid question) When were the 9/11 attacks?
11th September 2001
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Why did US and UK forces invade Afghanistan?
The Taliban government had been allowing terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda to perform training exercises etc. there.
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When did the UK invade Afghanistan?
7th October 2001
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Which organisations supported invasion of Afghanistan?
NATO and the UN.
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What did Blair announce to Parliament in Sept 2002?
He believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
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What was the dossier about Iraq's WMD nicknamed?
''The dodgy dossier".
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What were Blair and his advisers accused of?
''Sexing up'' the evidence (dodgy dossier).
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What had the UN insisted on?
Resolution 1440
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What did Resolution 1440 insist on?
That Saddam destroyed any weapons that he had in his possession - however he did not comply to weapons inspections.
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When did British forces invaded Iraq?
March 2003
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With which PM do Blair's actions contrast with (Labour)?
Harold Wilson - who kept Britain out of the Vietnamese War in the 1960s.
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What was the special relationship like under Blair?
Good - reinforced through diplomatic decisions e.g Iraq.
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What was Blair nicknamed?
''Bush's poodle''
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Was Blair pro-Europe?
Yes - more so than his predecessors.
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What did Blair accept that John Major had ''opted'' out of?
The Social Chapter.
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What did the Social Chapter mean for Britain?
Protection of workers' rights, human rights and a minimum wage.
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What did Gordon Brown not support?
Joining the Eurozone.
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What did Blair fail to achieve with Europe?
Failed to get a rebate on Britain's contribution to the EU budget.
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What powers were given to the Welsh and Scottish Assemblies?
Tax raising powers and domestic controls.
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What was Blair's style of government nicknamed?
''Sofa-style''
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When was the Mayor of London post created?
2000
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What did Blair repeal?
Sec. 28 of the Local Gvt Act.
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When was the Employment Act and what did it entail?
2002 - gave unions more rights.
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What percentage of Irish people voted yes in the Good Friday ''referendum"?
98%
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What percentage of Northern Irish people voted yes in the Good Friday Agreement?
71%
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When was the Minimum Wage introduced?
2001
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What did Child Tax Credit 2003 do?
Gave money to full-time working families.
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How many hospitals were built by the New Labour administration?
218
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What was the GDP spent on health pre-2006?
6.8%
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What was the GDP spent on health by 2006?
8%
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How many new staff were introduced into hospitals 1997-2007?
300,000
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What does prudence mean?
Thinking/being conscious about the future.
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When did the Bank of England gain independence from Gvt?
1997
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What rules were introduce in the Treasury?
Rules were introduced to make sure the government didn't over borrow
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What was inflation between 1997-2007?
2.5%
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What did PFI stand for?
Private Finance Initiative
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Why did Labour raise taxes to cover their spending?
Because they used private institutions, e.g PFI to loan from.
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What was UN resolution 1440?
Saddam Hussein had to cooperate on military inspections.
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What was UN resolution 1441?
Saddam Hussein had to destroy any weapons in his possession.
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What was resolution 1442 (which was never passed)?
Invasion of Iraq
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How many protested against the Iraq War?
1 million
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How many servicemen died in the Iraq War?
179
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Who killed himself over the issue regarding WMD's?
Dr David Kelly
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Which minister resigned over Iraq?
Robin Cook.
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What was his majority?

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179 seat majority

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What was significant about Blair's style of leadership?

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Card 4

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Why was he criticised for his style of government?

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Card 5

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When was the referendum for a Scottish and Welsh assembly?

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