Challenges to Parliament from the 1980s
By the 1980s the power of Parliament was challenged from several directions at once: from below by unions and pressure groups, from above by the Prime Minister, and outwards by devolution and coalition. So where does power really lie?
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Power pulled in several directions
For centuries the great struggle was between the crown and Parliament. By the 1980s the questions had changed. ⭐ The power of Parliament was now challenged from several directions at once: from below by unions and pressure groups, from above by the Prime Minister, and outwards by devolution. ⚠️ Use the theme of challenges to power. The strongest answers weigh these different challenges together and ask where power really lies in modern Britain.
Challenges from below, and from above and outwards
The challenges came from very different directions. Hold them together.
Order the modern challenges by date
Put these challenges to Parliament roughly into the order they came.
- The miners strike challenges the government in 1984 to 1985
- A strong premiership under Thatcher concentrates power at the top
- A strong premiership under Blair follows in the later 1990s
- Devolution in 1999 moves power out to the nations
- Coalition government in 2010 forces power to be shared
How Parliament was challenged
How was the power of Parliament challenged in Britain from about 1980?
- From several directions at once: extra-parliamentary forces like unions and pressure groups, the growth of Prime Ministerial power, and the movement of power outwards through devolution and coalition
- Mainly by a return of the absolute monarch
- It was not challenged at all in this period
- Only by foreign invasion
Words for modern power
Five words that let you explain the challenges, rather than just list them.
Spot the challenges to Parliament
Three of these challenged the power of Parliament from about 1980. Choose the three.
- The miners strike
- Pressure groups like CND and Greenpeace
- The growth of Prime Ministerial power
- The abolition of Parliament
- A return to absolute monarchy
Squeezed from several sides
Use the theme of challenges to power directly: by the modern era, Parliament was squeezed from several sides at once. From below, unions like the miners and pressure groups like CND and Greenpeace tried to shape policy from outside Parliament. From above, strong Prime Ministers concentrated power, so critics warned of an elective dictatorship. Outwards, devolution handed powers to the nations and coalitions shared them. So power flowed away from a single sovereign Parliament in several directions, and weighing that is the grade 9 move.
Match each modern challenge to what it was
- The miners strike
- A pressure group
- Prime Ministerial power
- Devolution
- A major union challenge to the government in 1984 to 1985
- An organisation like CND or Greenpeace campaigning outside Parliament
- Power concentrated at the top under Thatcher and Blair
- Power transferred to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Find the sentence that sees several challenges
A student writes about modern Britain. Select the ONE sentence that captures challenges from SEVERAL directions.
- Parliament was challenged from below by unions and pressure groups, from above by the growing power of the Prime Minister, and outwards by devolution and coalition.
- The only challenge Parliament ever faced was the miners strike.
- Parliament faced no challenges at all in the modern era.
- The monarch took back full control of the country.
A worked example: the squeezed head office
Imagine a company head office that once ran everything. Over time its authority is challenged from several sides. The staff and their union push back from below; a dominant chief executive takes more and more decisions at the top; and the regional branches are handed powers of their own. Head office is still there, but its grip is pulled in three directions. Hold that idea. A central authority can be challenged at the same time from below, from above, and from the parts it once controlled, so the honest question becomes where power really sits.
Complete the account of modern challenges
The major dispute of 1984 to 1985 with the government was the _____. An organisation like CND that campaigns to shape policy is a _____. The concentration of power in the leader at the top is _____. Moving powers out to Scotland and Wales is _____. Two parties sharing government is a _____.
Judge where power lies
Which is the soundest way to understand the power of Parliament in Britain from about 1980?
- Its authority was challenged from several directions at once: below by unions and pressure groups, above by the Prime Minister, and outwards by devolution and coalition
- It was completely unchallenged and all-powerful
- It faced only a single challenge, the miners strike
- It was challenged mainly by the return of a powerful monarch
Pressure from outside, and shifts within
The strongest answers group the challenges. Weigh the pressure from outside Parliament against the shifts of power within the system.
Judge modern power like an examiner
You are marking three claims about Parliament from about 1980. For each, choose the soundest judgement.
- An essay says Parliament faced no challenges in this era. Is that safe?
- An essay says the only challenge was the miners strike. Is that safe?
- An essay says strong Prime Ministers made Parliament stronger. Is that safe?
Write: how Parliament was challenged
How was the power of Parliament challenged in Britain from about 1980? Weigh the challenges from below, above and outwards, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Explain the challenges from below
- Explain the growth of Prime Ministerial power
- Explain devolution and coalition
- Weigh the different directions of challenge
- Reach a supported judgement on where power lies