5.4 the effect of thatcherism on politics and party development Flashcards
1
Q
decline of the wets
who were the ‘wets’ what were they committed to?
A
men who had been appointed by edward heath Eg. Jim Prior, Lord Hailsham and William Whitelaw
- they were committed to the post-war consensus
2
Q
decline of the wets
what did Moderate MPs like Prior believe?
A
- preventing economic policies from causing social breakdown
- he thought monetarism would follow this and would lead to rising inequalities
- one nations believed in the noblesse oblige relationship with the working class
3
Q
wets in government
what did Thatcher believe? who did she promote? apart from who?
A
- Thatcher excluded them from economic discussions and she believed they were weak
- she promoted thatcherite ‘drys’
- except for prior, as he was intitialy made employment secretary, moved to secretary of state for Northern Ireland in 1981
4
Q
wets in governmnet
what did Prior publicly express?
A
- doubts about monetarism
- his demotion wsa a clear sign thatcher would not change her policies
5
Q
wets in government
1981 reshuffle ‘purging of the wets’ who was purged
A
- sir ian gilmour
- loard soames
- mark carlisle
6
Q
rise of the thatcherites
following the reshuffle: who dominated the cabinet? when would Thatcher be popular?
A
- thatcherites dominated the cabinet
- 2 more election victories would see thatcher as popular with the majority of the conservative pary
- she viewed herself as radical in 1981 but by the end of the decade the post war consensus ideas were a minority
7
Q
Thatcher and Heseltine
Who was Heseltine? what did he believe about economic intervention?
A
- Heseltine was a ‘wet’ who survived the 1981 reshuffle
- he believed economic intervention was required to relieve the impact of unemployment
8
Q
Thatcher and Heseltine
1981 riots: which zones did he develop?
A
Enterprise Zones and Development Corporations in unemploy,ment black spots
- traditional corporatism
9
Q
The Westland Affair
what was the premise of the Westlanbd affair: helicopters, who did Thatcher back? who did Heseltine back?
A
- mid 1980s
- Westland Helicopters was struggling, and Thatcher approved of US helicopter manufactuer Sikorsky who made an offer to buy Westland helicopters
- Heseltine believed this would lead to British dependence on the US for defence, backed a european consortium instead
10
Q
The Westland Affair
What was the outcome of the westland affair? who leaked what to the press?
A
- Thatcher urged Westland’s managers to make the decision, which would mean Sikorsky would buy the company
- Heseltine leaked a letter to the times which showed Westland would lose orders across Europe as a result of the Sikorsky deal
- Leon Brittain leaked a second letter, rubbishing HEeseltines claims
- Sikorsky bought Westland
- Heseltines resigned
- Brittain was sacked for leaking documents
11
Q
The Poll tax
protest as a result of the pol tax in Trafalgar square
ABAPTF
A
- All Britain Anti-Poll Tax Federation demonstrated
- March 1990
- 200,000 protestors turned into riot
12
Q
The Poll tax
what did it lead to an increase of? what did taxpayers do? publicity?
A
- increase of tax bills
- taxpayers refused to pay
- extremely bad publicity, as pensioners who couldn’t afford the charge were jailed
13
Q
The Poll tax
when was the law made unenforceable?
A
- South Yorkshire Police admitted in 1990 that it wouldn’t be possible to arrest everyone disobeying the law
- it was unenforceable
14
Q
The Poll tax
Thatcher refused to..?
A
- compromise, which led to a feeling that she needed to be replaced
15
Q
growing unpopularity
why were the conservatives unpopular by November 1990
4 main reasons
HIR, WP, PD, GHR
A
- High Interest Rates (15%)
- Water Privatisation
- Political Divisions over power given to the EEC
- Geoffery Howe’s resignation (deputy PM) in protest of Thatchers eurosceptic policies
16
Q
Thatcher and Europe
divisions over europe: what were Thatcher’s opinions? what were the divides over? when did they become a major problem?
A
- Thatcher was in favour of a european free market, but didn’t want european intervention in frear of socialist policies
- there was also divisions over the single currency of the pound
- these divides were a major problem from the late 1980s
17
Q
leadership challenge
leadership challenge: what was the result?
A
- Heseltine challenged her for leadership, and she realised she had lost support, so withdrew
- John Major’s victory indicated the conservative party wanted to continue with similiar policies. He was not a ‘wet’, the least pro-european, and a thatcherite candidate
18
Q
the conservatives under major: rethinking the poll tax
in the short term, what did Major do to government grants?
A
- increased the governmnet’s grant to local authorites to reduce the poll tax bills by 50%
19
Q
the conservatives under major: rethinking the poll tax
What did Heseltine do to come up with a replacement for the tax? what did he re-establish? exceptions?
A
- re-established the local taxation and property value link which ahd been abandoned under the poll tax
- there were also exceptions for people living alone so they would pay less than people living in households with multiple wage earners
20
Q
the conservatives under major: rethinking the poll tax
what ddi the new tax abandon in terms of thinkin?
A
- Thatcher’s neo-liberal principle that taxpayers should share the burden of government spending to make local government accountable
21
Q
privatisation and the public sector
Major’s privatisation policies in the 1990s
A
- most electricity companies in 1991
- remainder in 1995
- British rail privatised in 1992
22
Q
privatisation and the public sector
major problems with the privatisation of these companies: water bills? bonuses? utilities? subsidise?
A
- water bills increased by 40% in the first 5 years of privatisation
- chief executives in water and gas companies recieved multi-million bonuses despite this
- privatised utilities were often sold below market value
- government continued to subdise private companies like train operatrors
23
Q
privatisation and the public sector
privatisation and consensus
A
- there was a new consensus against nationalisation, but it didn’t lead to less state spending and in some cases later privatisations were accompanies by long-term government subsidies
24
Q
economic policy
what were Majors main priorities? what did he abolish/
A
- growth and low inflation
- National Economic Development Council was abolished by Major in 1992
25
# the NHS
NHS and Community Care Act **1990**: what did it establish?
- internal market in the NHS
- ensured a market force made the NHS more efficient
26
# PFI
what was it? what was the principle?
- Private Finance Initiative **1992**
- the state should fund, but not provide public services
27
# PFI
what was the premise of the Private Finance Intitiative?
- private companies would develop and maintain schools and hospitals, in return for payment from the government
- contracts were lucrative, and competition to win PFI deal were fierce
Major argued the private sector was more efficient than the public sector and the outsourcing public services to private companies would benefit taxpayers and the people who used public services.
28
# law and order
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act **1994**
## Footnote
what did it do?
- gave police power to target raves
- criminalised squatting and unauthorised camping
- prison population also continued to rise under major
29
# social conservativism
How did Major define british values
*'self discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for others, to accepting a responsibility for yourself and your family and not shuffling off on other people and the state'*
30
# social conservativism
conservative scandals: Minister Tim Yeof
- affair and 'love child' exposed in **1993**
31
# social conservativism
Steve Norris affairs
- 5 affairs exposed
- nickname steve 'shagger' norris
32
# social conservativism
affairs **1994-1997**
- include Milligan's involvement in bondage following his death
33
# social conservativism
MP Jerry Hayes
- outed and his relationship with a young man who was below the age of consent was exposed to the press
34
# social conservativism
'cash for questions'
- tory MPs exposed that were paid to ask questions in parliament
35
# style
what was Major's style of leadership? how was it different to Thatcher?
- Major's style of governing was much less 'presidential' than Thatchers
- he worked with different wings of his party seeking compromises
- He wanted British politics to be less divided than it had been in the Thatcher years
36
# the problems of Thatcherism
problems created by Thatcher that Major had to deal with...?
1. **privatisation**: rising cost of living
2. **long-term unemploymnet**
3. **low public-sector pay**
4. **recession** created by a conservative chancellor
Major lacked a clear enemy and a plausible scapegoat, and his party would not allow him to acknowledge Thatcher's mistakes.
37
# Thatcherism and Labour
**1997**
Labour won a landslide victory with a manifesto radically different from Michael Foots of **1983**
38
# the labour left in the **1980s**
what had labour abandoned?
- many of its traditional policies
- this wasn't entirely due to Thatccherism
39
# a jump to the left
what did Michael Foots **1983** manifesto proposing?
1. unilateral nuclear disarmament
2. re-nationalisation
3. leaving the EEC
4. social welfare spending increases
40
# a step to the right
who moved Labour to the right? what was their **1989** policy review?
- Neil Kinnock and Roy Hattersly
- campaigned to expel members of militant tendancy from the party
- **1989** policy review *meet the challenge, make the change* binned many of Foots policies
41
# a step to the right
what did Kinnock advocate for
- questioned nationalisation
- but still committed to a welfare state and keynesianism
42
# a step to the right
when did he resign? who continued?
**1992**
- John Smith changed how party leaders were elected
43
# tony blair and 'new labour' - the mondeo man
who was the mondeo man? Working class under Thatcher
- typical conservative working class voter
- polls showed working class people benefitted from low tax home owning policies of the Thatcher era, but the mondeo man was concerned about education and hospitals
44
# tony blair and 'new labour' - the mondeo man
how did blair win the support of the mondeo man
- offering better public services
- while not raising taxes or re-nationalising
45
# a modern image
Peter mandelson and Blairs abandonment of Kinnocks ideas?
- Peter mandelson (blair's close aly) helped shape the labour party as modern and appealing to the middle classes
- Blair abandoned Kinnocks plan to raise the top rate of income tax by 10%
- and the idea that labour were bad economic managerd
46
# labour and rupert murdoch
?
- Rupert murdoch owned *The Sun, News of the World, The Times* and *the sunday times* and supported Blair
- he used hm to spread his message
47
# New Labour politics
what were some of blair's thacherite policies?
1. free markets
2. rejection of nationalisation
3. PFI and the internal markets in the public sector
4. welfare reform to tackle 'dependency culture'
5. increased police action + longer sentences
48
# New Labour politics
what did he aslo advocate for (more traditionally labour policies)
1. devolution
2. limiting state secrets (freedom of information)
3. Human Rights Act **1998**
4. legislation to secure minorities rights
5. increased welfare spending
6. minimum wage
7. workers rights
49
# New Labour (???)
was Labour really changing?
- labour had always been led by moderates traditionally
- Attlee, Gaitskell, Wilson, Callaghan were all moderates
- wilson was left wing, but he adopted consensus policies
- callaghan even embraced monetarism before Thatcher
50
# Thatcher, SDP, Liberals
who created the SDP
- 4 previously Labour cabinet ministers:
roy jenkins, shirley williams, bill rodgers and david owen
51
# the SDP-Liberal Alliance
what were their policies?
- proportional representation, a bill of rights, a written constitutionm, and freedom of information legislation
- pro-europe
- co-ownership over either privatisation/nationalisation
52
# the SDP-Liberal Alliance
**1983**, **1987**, **1988 merger** votes
| ++ david owen
- **1983**: 25% of the vote, only 23 seats
- **1987**: 22 seats
- **1988**: merger created the liberal democrats
david owen refused to join a new party = controversial
53
# the impact of thatcherism
the impact of thatcherism on the SDP-Liberal alliance **1983**
- **1983** manifesto advocated for a social market economy, accepting Thatcherite views on the market
- but he also wanted healthcare and education provision
54
# the impact of thatcherism
what did Owen want for the welfare state
- he wanted to reform the welfare state so it prioritised the poorest, withotu creating a dependency culture
55
# the impact of thatcherism
To what extent was owen influenced by thatcher>
- unclear
- he was part of Callaghans government that introduced monetarism before Thatchers election, bit he also was influenced by european economies that combined the state and the market
56
# the inlfuence of the liberals
on labour
- new labour accepted the idea of a bill of rights, freedom of information, and voting reform unlike old labour
- this was inflienced by the liberals as consistently cha,mpioning constitutional reform
- blairs opennes to constitutioanl reform must be credited to liberals and pressure groups like chapter 88, not thatcher
