1979, 1997, 2010 case studies Flashcards
Why was the 1979 election called?
James Callaghan’s minority labour government lost a vote of no confidence in HoC
Turnout of 1979 election
76%
Size of majority 1979
43
Number of winning parties seats in 1979 election
Conservatives- 339
Conservatives % of popular vote 1979
43.9
Who won the 1979 election?
Conservatives- Margaret Thatcher
Conservative campaign and manifesto 1979
Bring inflation down
return industry back to privatised
remove some trade union powers
Used publicity specialists Gordon Reese and Tim Bell
Modern advertising and campaigning methods
Invention of photo opportunities
Labour 1979 campaign and manifesto
Bring down inflation
Labour campaign lacked awareness of presentation
Callaghan was favoured as a better PM in the polls (even though his party was not favoured to win)
1979 Wider political context
Thatcher won as the Labour government was not trusted to be competent
Callaghan mistimed calling the election- expected to call in Autumn 1978, few months before the winter of discontent
Callaghan failed to control militant trade unionists
‘Crisis? What crisis?’
Who won the 1997 election?
(New) Labour- Blair
1997 turnout
71.4%
1997 majority
179 landslide
1997 number of Labour seats
418
Labour percentage of popular vote
43.2
1997 Labour manifesto and campaign
New Labour- abandon nationalisation, tax increase, strengthening trade union powers
Focused on law and order after increasing crime rates
Great endorsement from press- the Sun
Constitutional reform (Lib Dem had same policy, voted tactically for Labour in marginal)
Modernised campaign, media etc
1997 wider political context
Won due to strong campaign and failures of John Majors government
Did not trust the Conservatives with economy after Black Wednesday 1992
Conservative sexual and financial scandals meant untrusted (‘sleaze’)
Who won in 2010?
Conservative Lib Dem coalition
Turnout in 2010
65.1%
2010 Number seats won by Conservatives and Lib Dem
C- 306
LD- 57
% popular vote for Conservative and Lib Dem 2010
C-36.1%
L-23%
2010 Conservative campaign and manifesto
reduce the budget deficit
Attacked Labours mismanagement of the economy (reckless overspending)
Conservatives had targeted marginal seats since 2005
Browns image damaged
2010 wider political context
Should have held 2007 election to secure personal mandate- name cowardice ‘bottler Brown’
Financial crisis under Brown
Harshly treated by media
Brown deemed better than Cameron injuries polls when facing a crisis
