87-97 Politics Flashcards
Political reasons for thatchers downfall
-tory mps feared defeat at the next election, lost eastbourne to the liberals in a by-election october 1990
-poll tax caused fall in opinion polls
-labours recovery under smith and kinnock
-geoffrey howe resigned, caused heseltines leadership challenge
Major as leader
-wanted to unify the party
-jumped ahead in opinion polls, positive view by press
-hoped to find a middle way for britain in europe
-nov 1991 scrapped poll tax for council tax
The 1992 election
-election called march 1992, labour 41% tories 29% in polls
-good campaign from major, soapbox politics, opinion swung back to him
-336 seats tory to 271 labour
-labour not ‘sufficiently, fundamentally changed’
Cash for questions
-Neil hamilton accepted money for lobbying from harrods owner mohamed al-fayed
-refused to resign, defeated in 1997 by an independent candidate
Other scandals
-David mellor and Tim Yeo sex scandals, both resigned
-Scott enquiry 1994 proved government ministers enabled arms company matrix churchill to supply weapons to iraq
Political satire
-private eye adrian mole spoof of john major
-spitting image presented him as boring
-guardians steve bell caricatured him
Citizens charter
-1991 attempt to give people power over the quality of services
-more testing in education, schools published results
-cones hotline, phone number motorists could call if lanes closed
Mad cow disease
-emerged in 1980s
-threat to human health 1996, british beef banned in europe
Ongoing issues in nothern ireland
-1988 3 IRA members killed by SAS in gibraltar
-mar 1988 off duty soldiers killed by IRA at a funeral
-feb 1991, three mortar shells fired at 10 downing st by IRA
-jan 1992, 8 protestand civilians killed by IRA at army base
Moves towards an agreement in NI
-1993 government received secret messages hinting sinn fein ready to discuss a peace agreement
-hostility towards the british from republicans and unionists
-major good relationship with taoiseach albert reynolds
The agreement
-1993 joint downing street declaration
-IRA ceasefire 1994
-took time for a final agreement, IRA impatient returned to violence
Divisions under thatcher
-nigel lawson resigned as chancellor 1989
-howe alienated by thatcher moved to foreign office, resigned year later
Changes to labour party under after 1987 defeat
-sought to reorganise party, moved policies more centrist
-presented more professionally, peter mandelson director of comms
-john smith shadow chancellor 1987, image of moderation + competence
-ditched most of 1983 manifesto by 1988
Labours problems 87-92
-left of the labour party concerned with kinnocks centrist proposals
-1989 split with unions, no support for closed shop union agreements
-been greeted as a hero at a sheffield election rally days before election
-defeat in 1992 election
John smith 1992-94
-suited to lead labour to victory, trusted with the economy
-introduced one member, one vote for candidates in 1993
-died age 55 from a heart attack in 1994
Blairs remodelling of labour
-promoted new labour to end un-electable perception of the 80s
-persuaded labour to rewrite clause IV of the constitution
-wanted to embrace the modern capitalist economy
-ensured labour was no longer a ‘tax and spend’ party
-brown promised labour would follow tory spending plans
The appearance of labour
-blair was attractive to young people and women
-appeared fresh compared to out of touch tories
-alastair campbell changed labours relationships with press and media
Pledge card
-cut class sizes for 5,6,7 year olds to under 30
-fast track punishments for young offenders
-cut NHS waiting lists, treat 100,000 more patients
-get 250k u25 year olds off benefits and into work
-no rise in income tax, cut VAT on heating to 5%
Referendum party
-set up by james goldsmith to fight 1997 election
-promised to hold a referendum over UKs eu membership
-won no seats
1997 election
-most tories had already accepted defeat
-half of tory MPs lost seats including mellor, portillo, lamont
-tories got 166 seats labour 418, no tory seats in scotland
