1979 Election Case Study Flashcards
What were the results of the 1979 General Election?
Conservatives - 339 seats with 43.9% of the vote.
Labour - 269 Seats with 36.9% of the vote.
Liberals - 11 Seats with 13.8% of the vote.
What was in the Conservative 1979 manifesto?
1) They wanted to restore economic health by placing a limit on inflation as well as placing limits on the rights of trade unions.
2) Restoring incentives so success is rewarded and more jobs are available.
3) In order to uphold parliament and the rule of law.
4) Supporting family life by providing help for people to become home owners as well as concentrating welfare for the old sick and disabled.
5) To strengthen Britain’s defenses and place a greater emphasis on cooperation with allies.
What was in the Labour 1979 manifesto?
1) Must work to curb both inflation and prices.
2) We will continue to put in place a new framework to improve industrial relations with the TUC.
3) We will give priority for working people to achieve full employment.
4) We will tilt the balance of power towards the individual and neighborhood rather than the town hall and Corporations.
5) Using Britain’s influence to push for world peace and defeat world poverty.
What impact did manifestos have on the 1979 General Election?
Labour’s policies that aimed to fix the economy were not seen to be credible due to the instability of the Wilson and Callaghan Governments whilst people put faith in the Conservatives to deliver change to the economy. Thatcher was also able to obtain a chunk of the working class vote by setting in place the right to buy which would enable people to own their own council houses.
What campaign techniques did the Conservatives use in 1979?
They focused on earning the votes of traditional Labour voters, first time voters and voters in marginal constituencies. They focused on giving Thatcher a Pristine image and presenting Callaghan in an incredibly negative light.
What campaign technique did Labour use in 1979?
Labour made a number of bold and sweeping promises that promised to solve a number of problems facing the UK at the time. However this did not seem credible due to the fact that they Wilson and Callaghan governments hd performed poorly.
What was the wider political context during the 1979 General Election?
- Margaret Thatcher was elected to replace Edward Heath after the disastrous 1974 election, she caused some split in the party but worked to get people on side.
- Callaghan had opted not to call the election in 1978 despite the fact that he was leading in the polls due to various reasons such as the increasing profits from North Sea Oil.
- The 1978 and 79 Winter of Discontent saw both Public and Private sector workers go on strike, Callaghan attempted to resolve the dispute by instead he lost the support of trade unions.
- Labour had a weak majority and after the collapse of their coalition with the SNP a vote of no confidence was called which Labour lost.
How did Class based voting effect the 1979 General Election?
Voting along class lines was still prevalent within this election as the Conservatives won 59% of the A, B and C1 voting class whilst Labour only won 24%. The Conservatives were seen to protect private property respect the rights of business owners whilst Labour protected workers and the rights of trade unions,
