4.15 The impact of Thatcherism on society Flashcards
What act gave council tenants the right to buy their council house? When?
The Housing Act 1980
What discount did council tenants receive under the Housing Act 1980?
a discount between 33% and 50%, depending on how long they had lived in their house
By 1988, how many homeowners had taken advantage of the Right to Buy scheme?
approximately 2 million
What showed the success of the Right to Buy scheme?
Labour dropped its opposition to the scheme because it was so popular with the public, particularly in the south
Negative consequence of Right to Buy - did the scheme really help the poorest?
- sale of council housing predominantly in better-off areas + did not have much of an impact in less desirable estates
Negative consequence of Right to Buy - what were councils ordered to do with the money? consequences?
- Councils ordered not to use the profits to build new council housing, but to reduce debts –> number and quality of homes available for rent was sharply reduced + waiting lists got longer - many housed in emergency B&B accommodation (expensive for councils + not always suitable for families)
What is secondary picketing?
picketing a location not directly involved in the disputes (i.e. it might be supply or sell the products involved
When was secondary picketing outlawed?
In 1980
When were unions put under pressure to hold ballots before strike action was called?
In 1984
What did the National Coal Board (NCB) warn in 1981?
the need to close 23 pits
How did the government respond to the NCB’s warning of the need to close 23 pits?
the government had not felt ready for a rerun of 1973-74 and so compromised - reduced the amount of coal imported + protected the subsidy to the NCB (thus prevented the closures)
What was different in 1984 than 1981 regarding government’s relationship with miners?
government fully prepared + confident
- huge stocks of coal had been built up at power stations
- flow of North Sea oil made it much less likely that there would be an energy crisis (as in 1973)
- Ian McGregor, new chairman of NCB, had government backing for taking tough line
What did the NCB announce in 1984?
the need to close 20 pits
Who was Arthur Scargill?
President of the NUM
What did Arthur Scargill claim?
that he had see a secret plan to close 70 pits
-> MacGregor rejected this (documents released in 2014 - there was a strategy to close 75 pits over the following 3 years)
What weakened Scargill’s case?
- His refusal to hold a strike ballot
- failed to overcome the historic regional divisions among the miners (Nottinghamshire miners formed breakaway union - UDM)
When was the Battle of Orgreave?
June 1984 - among the most famous confrontations between the miners and the police
what happened at the Battle of Orgreave?
mass picket at Orgreave by 5000 miners - faced up by 8000 police officers
- series of violent confrontations -> more than 50 picketers (incl. Scargill) and more than 70 police officers were injured
defeat for NUM - lorried continued to roll in and out of Orgreave
How did employment by the coal industry fall between 1979 and 1990?
1979 - 200,000
1990 - 60,000 and falling
How did total union membership fall between 1979 and 1990?
only 2/3 in 1990 what it had been in 1979
What was the poll tax officially known as?
the Community Charge
What was the aim of the poll tax?
To make local councils more accountable to their electors by ensuring that everyone contributed
What became clear quite quickly about the poll tax?
Even under Conservative councils, local taxation was likely to go up
When was the poll tax introduced into Scotland? Immediate reaction?
1989 - extremely unpopular from outset - harmed Conservative Party in Scotland even further
