21 - Internal Labour Divisions And The Formation Of The SDP

Question 1

What was the majority the Tories won in the 1983 election? What was the main factor that saw this success?

Answer 1

144 seats

“Falklands factor”

Question 2

What opposition factor led to the big Tory win in 1983? How many votes did the Party lose?

Answer 2

Labour disarray

3 million votes

Question 3

How much of the vote share did Labour lose in 1983? What further 2 elections would they lose?

Answer 3

10%

1987 and 1992

Question 4

What political direction did Labour move to after the 1979 election defeat? Who succeeded Callaghan?

Answer 4

The left

Michael Foot

Question 5

Who was Foot respected by? Who lacked confidence in Foot?

Answer 5

Supporters

Electorate

Question 6

What kind of policies did Foot adopt? Who did this not appeal to?

Answer 6

Irrelevant policies

The electorate

Question 7

What are 3 radical policies Foot adopted?

Answer 7

Nuclear disarmament
EEC withdrawal
Greater nationalisation

Question 8

What did Labour MP Gerald Kaufman describe Labour’s 1983 manifesto as?

Answer 8

“The longest suicide note in history”

Question 9

What unrest did many people remember that happened in the 1970s? What did the unrest culminate into?

Answer 9

Industrial unrest

Winter of Discontent

Question 10

What Party did many people not trust anymore? What was the Party associated with?

Answer 10

Labour

Economic decline

Question 11

How did Labour become more democratic in the 1980s? Who did this give more power to?

Answer 11

MPs had to seek re-selection by their local party before an election
Local activists

Question 12

What kind of groups were gaining big influence at local level? What is an example of this?

Answer 12

Left-wing groups

Militant Tendency

Question 13

Who did local left-wing groups scare off? What did the right of the Labour Party form in 1981?

Answer 13

Moderates

Social Democratic Party (SDP)

Question 14

What were the leaders of the SDP nicknamed? Who did this consist of?

Answer 14

The “Gang Of 4”

Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers, Roy Jenkins & David Owen

Question 15

What kind of policies did the SDP adopt? What are 2 policies they supported?

Answer 15

Moderate, centrist policies

Welfare and equal opportunities

Question 16

What did the SDP oppose that Labour now supported? Which Party was ideologically close with the SDP, which eventually merged with the SDP?

Answer 16

Greater nationalisation of industry

Liberal Party

Question 17

What had the SDP originally enjoyed? What system worked against them in elections?

Answer 17

Electoral successes

First-past-the-post

Question 18

When did the faults of FPTP first become exposed? How much of the vote did they win and how many seats did they win?

Answer 18

1983 election

25%, 22 seats

Question 19

When did the SDP officially merge with the Liberals? What Party did this form?

Answer 19

1990

Liberal Democrats

Question 20

When did Foot resign as Labour leader? Who succeeded him?

Answer 20

1983

Neil Kinnock

Question 21

What did Kinnock understand about left-wing strategies? What did the Party need to do?

Answer 21

They were unpopular with voters

Reform

Question 22

Who did Kinnock attack at Labour’s 1985 conference? What did he assert to his Party?

Answer 22

Militant Tendency

They needed to take the centre ground

Question 23

What group was excluded from Labour membership? Where did the Party eventually move towards?

Answer 23

Militant Tendency

The centre

Question 24

Who won the 1987 election? How big was their majority?

Answer 24

Thatcher

100 seats

Question 25

How many seats did the Tories win in the 1979 election? How many in the 1983 election? How many in the 1987 election?

Answer 25

339
397
375