1979 GE - (Thatcher - why did she win?) Flashcards
Background Context….
In April 1976, Prime Minister Harold Wilson was succeeded by Jim Callaghan
Callaghan had been Chancellor and Home Secretary in the 1964-70 administration and served as Foreign Secretary from 1974
By April 1976 the government had lost its formal majority.
The immediate reasons were a by-election defeat, the defection of two of Callaghan’s backbenchers to form a new ‘Scottish Labour Party’ and the defection of John Stonehouse.
By March 1977, after further by-election losses, he agreed to a parliamentary arrangement with David Steel and the Liberal Party which became known as the ‘Lib-Lab Pact’
The Lib-Lab pact ended in August 1978. The pact had been unpopular with some activists in both Parties, and in any case, an election was expected soon.
Why did the Tories win the 1979 election?
Leadership of Thatcher Economy: Inflation and Unemployment Winter of Discontent Advertising/Media Callaghan’s Miscalculations Conservative Policies
LAW AC(C)E
Leadership of Thatcher
First woman
Younger
More dynamic
Economy: Inflation and Unemployment
The percentage unemployed out of the total number of employees stood at 2.6 per cent in 1970 and 1977 to 6.2%.
Inflation, which had been running at an annual average of 5.2% in the latter sixties
reached the frightening height of 27% in 1975.
Advertising/Media
The Conservatives media campaign was excellent
Thatcher worked particularly hard to provide the media with photo-opportunities, whether it was by swinging her shopping basket, drinking tea in a factory or cuddling a new-born calf.
This made heartfelt connections with working class which made her more appealing
Conservative Policies
The manifesto promised to reduce government spending, to toughen rules regarding trade unions, and to control the money supply (monetarism)
The Tories as the party of Law and Order, offering Britain a new start after a prolonged period of chaos
Winter of Discontent
A period of strikes and unemployment
Lorry drivers, Hospital porters and even grave diggers went on strikes
Bodies were not buried; rubbish was not collected and the country seemed in anarchy
The government seemed as if it could not cope
This was made worse when Callaghan came back from an economic conference.
When asked about the growing industrial crisis facing Britain, Callaghan denied any crisis existed, leading to The Sun headline ‘Crisis? What Crisis?
Callaghan’s Miscalculations
Callaghan had had the option of calling an election in the autumn of 1978, but decided to carry on and face the country after the economy had improved
Then the Winter of Discontent happened
The major ‘gaffe’ of the campaign came from Sir Harold Wilson - the former Labour Prime Minister - who conceded in an interview with the Daily Mail that his wife might vote for the Conservatives, because their leader was a woman.
