1990-2007 Flashcards
What were the election results of the period?
1992 - 21 (Cons)
1997 - 179
2001 - 167
2005 - 66
What was Major’s famous quote regarding Europe?
He wanted to be “at the heart of Europe”
When did Major abandon the Poll Tax?
1991
How much money did the Poll Tax waste?
£1.5 billion
What vote share had Labour been forecasted before the 1992 General Election?
41%
What were the effective Conservative campaigns before the 1992 General Election?
“The Journey”
Major’s Soapbox
“What can the Conservatives do for a working class boy from Brixton?”
What contributed to Labour’s loss in the 1992 General Election?
Many felt Labour was still to weak and left wing having not reformed enough
Kinnock’s triumphalism reflected poorly, with him arriving to a rally in Sheffield via helicopter and do weird shit with his arms
What was Kinnock’s nickname?
The Welsh Windbag
How much did unemployment rise by between 1992 and 1993?
1 million
What did the Conservatives focus on economically before the 1992 General Election?
High public spending e.g. granting subsidies for public transport and the NHS
When was Black Wednesday?
16th of September 1992
What was the pound fixed to when Britain joined the ERM?
A fixed rate of 2.95 German Marks to the £
When did Britain join the ERM?
1990
Who was chancellor at the time of Black Wednesday?
Norman Lamont
When did Britain leave the ERM?
7pm on the 16th of September 1992
What were the political impacts of Black Wednesday?
The Conservatives could no longer be trusted to run the economy
The Conservatives fell in the opinion polls, with Labour taking the lead
Major reflected upon Black Wednesday as “the beginning of the end”
What were the economic impacts of Black Wednesday?
British exporters were helped as the exchange rate went down
Unemployment fell and the housing market steadied
By 1997, the economy was looking positive
Examples of sleaze
David Mellor wore a Chelsea shirt to bed and had an affair
Tim Yeo had an affair and a “love child”
Stephen Milligan had an autoerotic death
Jeffery Archer and Johnathan Aitken went to prison for perjury
Neil Hamilton recieved cash from Mohamed Al-Fayed for asking specific questions in parliament
When was the coal industry privatised?
1994
When were railways privatised?
1996
When was the Citizen’s Charter introduced?
1991
What was the Citizen’s Charter?
An attempt to give public service users more power over the quality of services they were to receive by giving them standards to expect
What was Heseltine’s U-turn?
Heseltine announced the need to close 31 pits in 1991 with some of them being in Nottinghamshire
There was outcry due to the memories of the Nottinghamshire Miners and the UDM
Initially Hesletine U-turned but eventually they were closed
When was British beef banned in Europe?
1996 due to Mad Cow Disease
