1979 - 1990 Flashcards
What did Thatcher believe was the key reason for Britain’s economic suffering through the 1970s?
Consensus politics
What general elections did Thatcher win?
won 3 general elections in 1979, 1983 and 1987
What was Thatcher’s class status?
She was firmly middle class - being the daughter of the grocer Alf Roberts and also a councilor
What was Thatcher’s political career / Journey?
- Born in Grantham in 1925
- Studied Chemistry at Oxford where she was active in student politics
- She became a lawyer
- upon entering the political scene in 1950, she was treated as an outsider and was often dismissed by tory grandees due to her not having a traditional conservative background
- was elected head of the conservatives in 1975 after being in heath’s cabinet and removing free milk from primary schools, following 2 successive election defeats from heath.
What type of politician was she and what example proves this?
She was a conviction politician,
This could be seen clearly when during the peak of discontent in 1980, she said ‘You cant turn if you want to, the Lady’s not for turning’ at a conservative party confrence, cementing her as a conviction politician as well as acting as a minor jab towards heath after his 1972 U turn
What is a conviction politician?
a Politician who follows policies based on their beliefs, rather than if they were popular policies or ones that had occurred before.
What was Thatcherism based on / inspired by?
- Based on some traditional conservative thinking by Tories like Enoch Powell
- Thatcher’s own personal outlooks and beliefs
- heavily influenced by a number of ‘New right’ think tanks and academics
What was the new right?
Collective name for a group of academic and theoretical organizations that challenged the ideas of Keynesian orthodoxy, drawing at the works of Milton Friedman and Fredrich von Hayek who both were economists at the Chicago institute for economics.
What did Thatcher support instead of Orthodox Keynesian economics?
They rejected Keynesian economics in favor for free market monetarist policies.
Why did Thatcherites believe against Keynesianism?
- They linked it to the moral decline of Britain due to consensus politics
- They thought the free market was moral because it encouraged individuals to be responsible for their actions
What quote by Norman Tebbit summarizes the beliefs of Thatcherites regarding consensus politics?
The ‘post war funk’ ‘gave birth to the permissive society which in turn generated today’s violent society’
What did Thatcherites beliefs about law and order lead to?
Thatcherites put a great deal of emphasis on law and order, seeing family as a projection of this,
As a result, Thatcherites were supportive of the police and and tough on law and orders and by the mid 1980s it had lead to accusations of the police becoming politicized
Why is it hard to call Thatcherism an ideology?
Because it is so intrinsically linked to Margaret Thatcher’s personality.
What is Monetarism?
An economic theory which argues the best way to control inflation is by the restraint of government spending and borrowing as well as by limiting the money supply ( the amount of currency in circulation )
What were the key problems Thatcher inherited?
- Winter of Discontent and its domination of the media
- Scottish devolution
- increased inflation
- Government spending issues
- rising unemployment
- difficulties with trade unions and strikes
What were Thatcher’s aims summarized by a quote of hers?
She wanted to ‘ turn back the decline of Britain’ and ‘demoralize the country’’
What were Thatcher’s five main beliefs?
- The state was too big
- The trade unions were too powerful
- Britain was facing moral decay
- Britain was hooked on borrowing
- People should focus on self reliance and self improvement
What (4) key things did thatcher do because of her beliefs?
- Tax cuts of the top rate from 83p to 40p and basic rate cut from 33% to 25%
- Privatization of industry
- Cuts in public spending
- Reforms in trade union laws (7 new laws)
What happened to Britain’s industrial output in the first two years of Thatcher’s leadership?
Industrial output fell 25% from 1979 to 1981
Summarise the 1987 general election?
- Conservative majority of 144 seats (up from 143 seats) despite a lower voter share than 1979 election
- LAB lose 60 seats and 3 mil votes
- LIB+SDP gain 3 million votes and hold 25.4% of the voter share
What is some evidence that suggests the falklands war was crucial in reducing the popularity of the LIB SDP alliance?
Before the war, the Alliance polled at 40%, but by the time of the general election of 1983, they received only 25.4%
Why did labour lose 3 million votes and 60 seats?
The leader of the party Michael Foot moved the party to the far left with unpopulous and divisive policies, His 1983 election manifesto was dubbed the longest suicide note in history.
What is the ‘Falklands Factor’?
The idea that Thatcher’s commanding demeanor and conduct during the Falklands war added to her reputation and boosted her popularity.
What did Britain believe regarding the sovereignty of the Falklands?
That the islands had legally been a British dependency since 1833
What did the Islanders believ?
98% of the 2000 islanders wished to remain British, a figure that Thatcher used to justify her invasion and gain support, she stated ‘sovereignty was not negotiable’
Who were the leaders of Britain and Argentina?
Margaret Thatcher and the Argentine dictator was General Galtieri
What event marked the start of the conflict?
Following the HMS endurance move out of the South Atlantic, on the 2nd of April 1982, Galtieri launched 4,000 troops to the islands which quickly overwhelmed the 80 royal marines stationed there.
Why did General Galtieri initiate the conflict?
He wanted to make his increasingly unpopular 4-month regime acceptable to the people and believed the UK would not care about the invasion after the HMS Endurance pulled out of the Atlantic
What were the immediate political responses of the UK parties?
All parties condemned the invasion, but Labour wanted the UK to act through the UN, whilst Thatcher immediately ordered the retaking of the Falklands.
What event ended any diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully?
On May 2nd, 1982, a British submarine sunk the Argentine battleship the ‘General Belgrano’ killing 323 people, although this was outside of the 200-mile exclusion zone set up around the Falklands, despite it also sailing away from the battle
What were the reactions to the sinking of the General belgrano?
The sun’s headline read ‘GOTCHA’
The event caused much controversy, as it was believed the event happened purposefully in order to avoid a peaceful solution
What other event overshadowed the sinking of the Belgrano?
The sinking of the HMS Sheffield 2 days later on May 4th 1982
How did the UK fight the war despite it being 8,000 miles away from home?
The UK used American bases on Ascencion islands and received support from the US (unlike Suez) which strengthened the ‘special relationship’
Summarise how the conflict unfolded?
By the time British ships arrived, they could make way for ground landings in the 21st may 1982, allowing them to land in San Carlos water (between the east and west islands
The victory was made certain by this point, and Goose Green and later Fort Stanley (capital) was captured on June 14th
The Argentine forces surrendered
How many soldiers died?
255 British servicemen
665 Argentine servicemen
3 Falkland Islanders killed by friendly fire
Why did Britain win the ground battles?
The elite SAS had been far more effectively which meant they won most ground battles despite being outnumbered.
What were the Military impacts of the Falklands war?
Delayed cuts in armed forces spending
A permanent British Garrison was established on the islands
What were the social impacts of the Falklands war?
Renewed national pride in Britain and its international position which had been in decline since Suez.
How did Thatcher and the Conservatives benefit from the Falklands war?
- Thatcher was likened to Churchill as a wartime leader thanks to her commanding demeanor and conduct, as well as her decisive actions
- The war was less than a year before the 1983 election, leading to a surge of popularity and an election win, whilst the opposition had to balance attacking the Government and not insulting the armed forces
- Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock saw a large dip in their popularity
- conservative popularity rebounded to where it was (and further) in 1979
- Labour saw their votes fall by 9% (3 million)
- Thatcher’s approval rating increased from just 24% in November 1981 to to 59% in June 1982, whilst conservative popularity doubled to 51%.
How did the Falklands war affect voting intentions for the 1983 general election?
- Thatcher’s approval rating increased from just 24% in November 1981 to to 59% in June 1982, whilst conservative popularity doubled to 51%.
- Before the war, the Alliance polled at 40%, but by the time of the general election of 1983, they received only 25.4%
Who founded the SDP?
The SDP was founded by 4 members of the Labour party who broke away in 1981
They were Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shriley Williams
What 3 main factors caused the SDP split?
- Labour’s 1979 election defeat
- The election of Michael Foot as leader in 1980
- Constitutional changes within the Labour party which pushed it to the left.
Who was Michael Foot?
He was a far-left Unilateralist who won the 1980 labour leadership contest who won ahead of the more obvious moderate candidate Dennis Healey
Foot had strong Socialist opinions and was never able to connect with ordinary voters, pushing Labour further into the electoral wilderness.
Who was Tony Benn and what part did he play in pushing labour further left?
He led the left of the Labour party and interpreted the loss of the 1979 election as a sign that Labour wasn’t far left enough
Benn encouraged the party to follow socialist principles and led a campaign to change the party’s constitution that would require all Labour MPs to seek reselection by their constituencies, which would give left wing activists greater power who had disproportionate influence among ordinary LAB members.
What two events encouraged the breakaway of ‘the four’ to form the SDP?
Benn encouraged the party to follow socialist principles and led a campaign to change the party’s constitution that would require all Labour MPs to seek reselection by their constituencies, which would give left wing activists greater power who had disproportionate influence among ordinary LAB members.
At a party conference in 1981, Far left members of the party heckled speakers, convincing moderates that it was time to give up on Labour.
Why was the SDP created?
Moderates of the Labour party believe they were in a losing battle against the benninite left, so they built a moderate party that would appeal to voters, founded on center ground principles
How many Labour MP’s broke away to the SDP?
‘The Four’ and 28 other Labour MP’s broke away to the new social democratic party
What was a noticeable immediate impact of the SDP’s Creation?
Shirley Williams won the conservative safe seat of Crosby in a Nov 1981 by-election
What was the Liberal-SDP alliance?
The two center ground parties formed the alliance where candidates from each party would stand down in Favour of the other in order to effectively challenge the two main parties.
What were the consequences for Labour of the SDP Liberal alliance?
- Labour was seen as increasingly unelctable and the alliance had overtaken labour as the credible opposition
- Foot was unable to deal with divsions within the party and his 1983 election manifesto was dubbed the ‘longest suicide note in history’
- Labour lost 52 seats at the 1983 election and almost came third place to the alliance in terms of the popular vote. (27.6% to 25.4%)
What social reasons meant Labour was losing support?
The party could no longer rely on its traditional working-class support, and press coverage of Labour was almost universally negative following the chaos of discontent.
The unions were no longer a source of power for Labour after they were blamed for the winter of discontent.
Who was Neil Kinnock?
Neil Kinnock replaced Foot as the labour leader in 1983 following the election defeat and wanted to lead labour back into the middle ground, while he did not win the 1987 election, he did lots to restore the credibility of the labour party.
How did Kinnock restore the reputation of the Labour party?
- He criticised Scargill for not holding a ballot before the 1984 miners’ strike,
- he took on the benninites and militant tendency despite being from the left of the party
- eliminated militant tendency from the Labour party in 1986
What was Militant tendency?
A group who had infiltrated the labour party who derived their name from the militant newspaper that promoted Trotskyite revolutionary socialism.
How was the splintering of the opposition crucial in conservative victory in the 1983 election?
During the election, the anti-conservative vote totaled 16 million, a whole 3 million more than the conservative vote, yet the Tories still had a 144-seat majority, an example of the distorting effect of the first past the post system. Despite the ‘Falklands factor’ anti conservative sentiment was held in the majority of voters, therefore the splintering of the opposition and divided parties were the key reason in Thatcher’s 1983 election win.
What are the three factors regarding the 1973 election?
- Thatcher’s Character and beliefs
- The Falklands war
- The divided opposition (Labour + SDP)
Who were the ‘Wets’?
Nickname given to CON MP’s who opposed Thatcher and her Monetarist policies
What was Thatcher’s first cabinet made up of?
While there were some wets in her cabinet, she made sure all key economic positions were held by dries
Who is Geoffrey Howe?
Thatcher’s Chancellor of the Exchequer from 79-83, he helped apply monetarist principles into the UK economy, also foreign minister from 1983 - 1989.
Who is Nigel Lawson?
Geoffrey Howe’s number 2 in the treasury from 79-83, replaced him as chancellor from 1985-1989, was a dry.
What was the exception from Thatcher only appointing ‘dries’ into her cabinet?
Jim prior was appointed employment minister from 79-81. He had disagreements with Thatcher over anti-union legislation and Thatcher thought he was too friendly with trade unions, as a result he was demoted to the NI office in 1981, replaced by Norman Tebbit.
What was the biggest threat to Thatcher from within her party?
Michael Heseltine who stormed out of a cabinet meeting in 1985 resigning from his position and claiming Thatcher was acting unconstitutional, later called the Westland affair. Heseltine later became the ‘leader’ of conservative MP’s who were against Thatcher.
Which economists founded the principles of monetarism?
Frederich Hayek and Milton Friedman, two senior economists at the Chicago school of economists
What is monetarism?
A set of economic ideas that argues inflation is the biggest threat to an economy and could be attacked by cuts in public expenditure, though this may cause unemployment the economy will eventually self-regulate
This means monetarists are against state support for struggling industries (Thatcher believed in people working hard for what they earned)
What did Thatcher’s introduction of Monetarism signify?
The breaking of the consensus economic policy of Keynesianism that dominated post war economic thinking.
What is secondary picketing?
People picketing at locations that directly connect to the issue of protest, this could be component suppliers or businesses that the picketed business relies on or retail stores that sell the picketed products or the private homes of the businesses management
In many jurisdictions secondary picketing does not have the same legal protections as primary picketing.
What is a closed shop?
A form of union security agreement, under which the employer agrees to hire union members only and employees must remain members of the union at all times to remain employed.
Who did Thatcher appoint as minister of employment in her first cabinet and how did they approach the situation?
James’s prior, the only wet in her cabinet in a major economic position, he was appointed to deal with trade union reform after discontent and approached the situation lightly despite hardened public attitudes
What was the prior employment act of 1980?
The Prior employment act of 1980:
- Outlawed secondary picketing
- Required a higher levels of workers agreement for a closed shop
The act found widespread public support
When was Norman Tebbit made Minister for employment?
in September 1981 during a cabinet reshuffle, this meant that (being an uncompromising Thatcherite) the scope for additional legislation against trade unions widened.
When was the Tebbit employment act passed?
1982
What was included in the Tebbit employment act 1982?
- made it so a ballot was required for strike action
- narrowed the concept of a legal strike
- made unions legally liable for any infringements, making it possible to sue trade unions
- made it harder to sack someone for not being in a union
- gave employees the right to fire employees who were on strike
This tightened legislation tied down the unions and avoided Heath’s mistake of attempting to do too much at once
What other factor weakened the unions?
The rising unemployment brought on by the establishment of monetarism further weakened the unions.
How did the Thatcher Government originally deal with the coal pits?
In 1981 the NCB (National coal board) warned the need to close 23 coal pits, the gov did not want a repeat of 73/74, so they reduced the amount of coal imported to increase demand for domestic coal and protected the subsidy to the NCB to avoid an energy crisis., Thatcher also honored existing pay agreements to avoid a showdown with the NUM
What was happening to strike figures up until 1984?
There was a continual improvement in strike figures until 1984
What were (all) of the reasons for the miners’ strike in brief?
- Large stocks of coal had been built up meaning there was a lesser risk of a energy crisis like 73/74
- The NCB chairman Ian McGregor had taken a hard-line stance on the British steel industry (cutting back on excess capacity in the BSC British Steel Corporation) and had been government backing to do the same with the coal industry
- on Jan 25th 194 there was a ban on trade union membership in the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) with employees being given £1000 in compensation - Thatch said this was in the interest of national security, but it led to mass outcry and protests
- The prior employment act of 1980 and Tebbit act of 1982 had reduced the power of the unions
- The extreme left winger Arthur Scargill was now head of the NUM
- ## In 1984 the NCB announced the need to close 20 pits and Scargill claimed he had seen plans to close over 70 pits
How did Ian Mcregor influence the start of the miners strike?
The NCB chairman Ian McGregor had taken a hard-line stance on the British steel industry (cutting back on excess capacity in the BSC British Steel Corporation) and had been government backing to do the same with the coal industry .
What industrial relations event happened on the 25th Jan 1984 and was a precursor to the miners’ strike?
on Jan 25th 194 there was a ban on trade union membership in the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) with employees being given £1000 in compensation - Thatch said this was in the interest of national security, but it led to mass outcry and protests
14 workers were sacked for not giving up their union membership
How was Thatcher’s government more prepared for striking miners?
The energy minister Peter Walker had been taking steps to ensure that coal supplies were at a high-level during strikes.
The new laws on secondary picketing, legality of striking and number of union members meant the tactics used in previous strikes were less effective
The police now had much better equipment, experience of riot control and better tactics
What were criticisms of the police during the miners’ strikes?
Many Thatcher critics believed that the police had become politicised and had been used to defeat miners rather than being impartial protectors of law and order. They often clashed with protesters like at the Battle of Orgreave.
What were thatcher’s views on failing businesses/industries?
She wanted the nation to know that government subsidies came directly out of the public’s pocket. For her it made no sense to use the resources of successful businesses to bail out failing ones - It would reward the inefficient at the expense of the efficient.
Why was there a need for Pit closures?
- Coal was becoming increasingly expensive and harder to exploit and nationalisation in 1948 had done nothing to prevent this, with people criticising the government for not doing enough to help the coal industry.
- The British Coal industry had been in recurring crisis throughout the 20th century
- Britain had been importing coal from abroad for some time
- With the exception of a few mines producing a certain special type of coal, British mines were running at a profit loss
What was the government’s case in Favour for pit closures?
Thatcher’s government was unwilling to invest public money into an industry that had little chance of recovery in such a competitive market
She argued investing in the mines was just delaying the inevitable and it was better to face the situation now and avoid large redundancies and redundancy fees
What was the miner’s case against closures of pits?
The miners and other analysts argued that with proper investment behind them and a genuine government commitment with coal as a power source large parts of the industry would be profitable
People also pointed out it was also a social issue, and that the consequences would be catastrophic, areas like south Wales, Durham and Yorkshire mining was a way of life and a pit closure could cause a community to crumble.
What event in April 1984 kickstarted the miners strike?
Scargill called a strike over pit closures and miners went on strike all over the country, crucially he didn’t hold a strike ballot and relied on each area of the NUM to make it effective.
What did Scargill’s refusal to hold a strike ballot show and lead to?
It showed a lack of confidence and proved damaging as the Nottinghamshire miners continued working after Nottinghamshire constituencies voted conservatives in 1983
How successful was picketing in the 1984/5 miners’ strike?
Picketing proved to have limited effect on the flow of coal (after the outlawing of secondary picketing) and led to violent clashes with the police.
Who led the strategy on the miners strike?
peter walker (energy sec) and Margaret thatcher dealt with the strategy while McGregor had little say in the matter.
How did the police contribute to the continuous flow of coal?
They were very successful in allowing non striking workers to work
How did Scargill himself contribute to the failure of the miners strike?
Scargill’s radicalism alienated moderates and he never gained support of the Labour party; therefore, the thatcher government could reduce public sympathy for the miners by demonising Scargill as a dangerous revolutionary challenging the democratically elected government
How did the miners strike fizzle out?
The miners started steadily drifting back to work while those set on striking relied on charitable donations to keep them going, and Tebbit put even harsher restrictions on the strikers.
How successful was Scargill’s miner strikes?
A complete failure.
How did Coal employment figures change during thatcher’s time as PM?
1979 = 200,000 employed in the coal industry
1990 = 60,000 and still falling were employed in the coal industry
What were the impacts of the miner’s strikes failure?
- Union membership fell by a third from 1979-1990
- Coal workers fell from 200,000 to 60,000 from 1979-1990
- Other state industries like British airways and British steel were reorganised with massive job losses
- The abillity of the trade unions to intimidate the government had diminished and Thatcher quickly contrasted her success with Heath’s defeat in 73/74
- The NUM quickly lost 50% of its membership
- Many saw the miner’s defeat as the defining moment of Thatcher’s career
How did the failure of the miners affect other industry?
The loss of the print workers unions
How was the printer unions affected by the loss of trade union power?
- In 1986, print workers tried to prevent Rupert Murdoch from introducing new practices and technology into the Times Newspaper group that would have put their jobs at risk.
Murdoch used the new laws to break the power of the trade unions
What piece of evidence prove Thatcher achieved her industrial relations goal?
With the arguably two most powerful unions (the miners and the printers) dealt with, she had achieved her industrial goals.
What was the biggest clash of miners and police and when?
The battle of Orgreave that occurred in June 1984
What happened at the battle of Orgreave?
Strikers attempted to prevent coke filled lorries from leaving the Orgreave coking works, here 6,000 picketers struggled for hours against 7,000 policemen before being overcome
93 were arrested, 51 strikers and 72 policemen injured.
What was support for the miner’s vs against the miners?
Media polls suggested that 65% of people supported the government and police while 35% supported the miners
The divide was mostly between mining regions in the north and the south of the country.
