Case study on the 1979 election (VB&M 4.1b) Flashcards
Why was the 1979 election called?
The election was called after James Challaghan’s minority Labour government lost a vote of no confidence in the Commons.
What did Labour focus on in its policies and manifesto?
Labour focused on its ability to deal with trade unions and the experience of its leader, Callaghan, adopting a moderate financial course.
- Promised to bring down inflation.
What did Callaghan not allow, in terms of party policy, and what did he predict?
Callaghan was a moderate Labour leader, and did not allow Labour’s left-wing to pull the party towards more extreme ideas.
- Callaghan claimed that the Conservatives would move to the right if they won, but few believed him.
What did both parties promise to do?
Both Labour and the Conservatives promised to bring down inflation.
What did the Conservatives focus on in their policies and manifesto?
The Conservatives focused on ‘Labour isn’t working’ and insisted Britain could be better, proposing tax cuts and better housing prices.
How did Thatcher hide her right-wing views, and what did she recognise?
Thatcher moved her party significantly to the right as PM, but there was very little in her manifesto to suggest this.
- Thatcher recognised the country was largely centrist (53% of workers belonged to a Trade Union) so kept most industry nationalised (did not propagate privatisation just yet)
What type of election campaign did the Conservatives run?
- Conservatives used modern advertising techniques
> Thatcher took part in photo opportunities, whereas the Labour campaign lacked presentation.
What did the opinion polls predict surrounding both party and party leader?
The Conservatives were ahead in the opinion polls, but Callaghan was consistently around 20 points ahead of Thatcher when voters were asked who would make a better PM.
What was the impact of televised debates in the 1979 election?
Callaghan offered to take part in a televised debate, but Thatcher turned this down (she recognised her own weakness of speaking, as Callaghan was experienced and she was not, instead focusing on manifesto and party rep.)
Who was sidelined in both the Labour and Conservative campaigns, and what did this do in effect?
The New Right spokesperson, Sir Keith Joseph, and the leaders of the radical left, Tony Benn and Michael Foot, played little part in the campaign and were rarely heard.
> In this way, both parties focused on the centre ground.
What did Callaghan back away from doing in 1978, and what was the impact of this?
Callaghan backed away from calling an election in late 1978, a fatal mistake; since referendums on devolution did not result in the setting up of devolved governments, nationalist parties withdrew their support, forcing Callaghan to call an election in 1979, at the worst possible timing.
Why was an election in 1979 bad timing, and what is the ‘winter of discontent’?
An election in 1979 was bad because of the ‘winter of discontent’; the government tried to place a 5% limit on pay increases (while inflation was running higher than pay increases), but this led to a series of strikes by lorry drivers, health workers, binmen and gravediggers.
Why was a Conservative victory expected?
The Labour government was weak, and this was a key reason for Thatcher’s victory. Although Callaghan himself was popular, and the economy had begun to improve, Conservative victory was expected.
What was the impact of The Sun?
Callaghan returned home from a Caribbean meeting with world leaders, and a journalist questioned him about the situation, he brushed the question off.
This led to the Sun publishing this as a headline of ‘Crisis? What Crisis?’; even though he did not say these words, it portrayed him as out of touch and was devastatingly effective.
Why did many skilled workers opt for the Conservatives?
They were disillusioned with what they saw as Labour incompetence.
> These voters were judging Labour’s governing competency, and stuck with the Conservatives largely until 1997.
Why are economic/valence issues important in the 1979 election?
The economic voting model works well in this election as inflation and unemployment played a major role in the outcome, with voters angry at the ‘winter of discontent’.
What is the 1979 election also arguably the start of?
This is also arguably the start of ‘presidentialisation’ of UK politics, as Thatcher’s public image would strengthen following 1979 and politics in the UK would become much more personalised.
What were the class turnout percentages in the 1979 election?
ABC1 = 59% for Conservatives, 24% for Labour
C2 = 41% for both Conservatives and Labour
DE = 34% for Conservatives, 49% for Labour
What were the gender turnout percentages in the 1979 election?
Men = 43% for Conservatives, 40% for Labour
Women = 47% for Conservatives, 35% for Labour
What were the cage turnout percentages in the 1979 election?
18-24 = 42% Conservatives, 41% Labour
55+ = 47% Conservatives, 38% Labour
What was the result of the 1979 election?
A decisive rejection of Labour and a clear victory for the Conservatives.
Turnout = 76%
Conservative majority of 43 seats on 43.9% of the vote share
Election ushered in 18 years of Conservative rule, under Thatcher (-1990) and Major (-1997); Labour fell into a prolonged period of infighting until the reinvention of the party under Blair, allowing it to return to power in 1997.
