Conservative 1979-1990 Flashcards
What was the percentage decrease and seat increase for the Conservative’s in the 1983 election
-1.5%
+58 seats
Who were Thatcher’s Chancellors
Howe 79-83
Lawson 83-89
Major 89-90
What role did Geoffrey Howe hold in 1990
Deputy PM (leader of HoC)
Which five people made the SDP-Liberal Alliance
Bill Rogers
Shirley Williams
Roy Jenkins
David Owen
Daivd Steel
When was the Brighton Bombing
12th October 1984
What was the headline of the Sun Newspaper after the sinking of the Belgrano
Gotcha
In December 1989 Thatcher survived a leadership contest from who and what was the result
Anthony Meyer (314-33)
Who were the leaders of the Labour party in the 1980s
Callaghan
Foot
Kinnock
When was the Reykjavik summit
October 1986
When did Argentina occupy the Falklands
2nd April 1982
How many died in the Belgrano sinking
323
When did Argentina surrender
14th June 1982
How many British died in the Falklands conflict
255
Who was the leader of Argentina during the Falklands war
Leopoldo Galtieri
What is the controversy over the Belgrano sinking
It wasn’t in the 200 mile exclusion zone and was leaving the area, Diana Gould debate
What was the joint declaration of 1984
Agreement between UK and China that Hong Kong would be handed over in 1997
When did the Liberal Democrats form
1988
How many seats did the Conservatives lose in 1987
21
What were Gorbachev’s policies
Perestroika (reconstruction/modernisation) and Glasnost (openness)
When was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) negotiated
December 1987
Who criticised Thatcher for US subservience
Geoffrey Howe
Lord Carrington
Michael Foot
When did the US invade Grenada
1983
Who was the main Polish opponent to the USSR
Lech Wałęsa
(Pope John Paul II)
Who were Thatcher’s biggest One-Nation opponents (1990)
Ted Heath
Michael Heseltine
When was the Trafalgar Square anti-Poll Tax riot
March 1990
What did Thatcher agree to enter in October 1990
Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM)
Why did Lawson resign as chancellor in 1989
Thatcher was become close to Alan Walters an economic adviser and he was publicly criticising Lawson
Why did Michael Heseltine resign as defence minister in January 1986
Westland (helicopters) affair
What did Howe compare Thatcher too in his resignation
A cricket captain who broke her team’s bats and still expected them to play
When did the Poll Tax begin
1989 (Scotland), 1990 (England + Wales)
What was inflation in 1990
10.9%
What was the Faith in the City (1985) report
A list of 38 recommendations, written by the church, that the government could do better to improve urban areas
Which university declined Thatcher an honorary degree
Oxford (Due to her cuts to education)
Who were Thatcher’s opposition in the arts
Music - Billy Bragg, Red Wedge
TV - Happiness Patrol, Young Ones
Theatre - Top Girls, A Small Family Business
Which charities opposed Thatcher
Shelter, Age Concern
What percentage of the vote did the Greens get in the 1989 European parliament elections
15%
What year is Chernobyl
1986
Which embassy was attacked in the Poll Tax Riots
South Africa
How many were injured in the Trafalgar riot
5000
What was the impact of the Poll Tax
Government and Conservatives alienated from voters, organised opposition, sentiment that Thatcher should be replaced, fuelled Scottish nationalism
What were ‘Other Industrial Disputes’
1984 - Cambell Laird Shipyard
1986 - Wapping dispute (6000 printers on strike)
1988 - Postal workers
Who did Thatcher compare the miners to when she said “Enemies of democracy”
IRA
Argentina
What was the decline in the number of miners during Thatcher’s term
200K down to 60K
How much membership did the Unions lose during the Miners Strike
1/3
What impact did the Miners Strike have on Labour
Seen as untrustworthy (due to union connection), urbanised support after distancing from unions, Third Way
What nickname was given to the Conservatives after the miners strike
The Nasty Party
What impact did the Miners Strike have on the nature of politics
Decline in protest and transition from political to cultural issues
Who was most impacted by the miners strikes
Women had an increase roll in society and skilled (older) workers couldn’t get jobs
What did the BBC do the footage of the miners strikes
Reversed it so the miners looked like the aggressors and not the police
What was the Battle of the Beanfield
Police attack on New Age Travelers at Stonehenge in 1985
What was controversial about the miners strike being called
It was done without a ballot (illegally)
What were the Conservatives polling at before and after the Falklands war
April 82 - 33%
June 82 - 51%
How had the top tax band changed by 1988
83% - 40%
What increase in VAT did Thatcher make in 1979
8% - 15%
What centralising policy did Thatcher implement and where was worst effected
Rate Capping
Sheffield and Liverpool threatened with no funding if they didn’t comply
Why did Thatcher fail to cut public spending
Unemployment meant social security increases
When did Lawson abandon spending targets
1986
What was the increase in the number of people owning stocks
3 million (79) - 9 million (90)
What were some of the biggest criticisms of privatisation
Sold off cheaply, loss of jobs, loss of pensions
How many major privatisations occurred
15
When was British Gas privatised
December 1986
When was British Telecommunications privatised
December 1984
What does Yuppie mean
Young Urban Professional
When was the Big Bang (deregualtion of the stock exchange)
27th October 1986
Average GDP growth
2.2%
What was Japan’s average GDP growth
4.1%
How did the UK place in the G7’s GDP growth
5th, above France and Germany
What was inflation in 1979
16.5%
What was the drop in manufacturing employment
2.1 million jobs lost
What was peak unemployment
1984 - 11.9% - 3,265,000
What was the Sus Law
Stop and search
When were the Brixton riots
1981 and 1985
Between 1979-1986 what was the only area of the UK to have job gains
East Anglia (+23,000)
What percentage of Northern Ireland was unemployed in May 1986
21.7%
When was the Right to Buy act passed
August 1980
What type of houses sold best under R2B
Semi detached houses
How many council houses were sold in England in 1980
55
How many council houses were sold in England in 1982
175,000
When was the Death on the rock
1988
What happened at Enniskillen (1987)
Remembrance day bombing, 11 killed
Which government minister was killed in the Brighton Bombing
Deputy Cheif Whip
Which two people did the IRA kill in 1979
Earl Mountbatten
Airey Neave
How many killed in the Harrods bombing at Christmas 1986
6
Which two parks where targeted by the IRA in 1982 and how many were killed
Hyde Park (4), Regent Park (7)
When was the Anglo Irish Agreement
1985
What were the key parts of the AIA
Cross boarder police cooperation and extradition of terrorists
What unpopular policies were in the 1983 Labour manifesto
Unilateral disarmament, Withdrawal from the EEC, abolition of Fox hunting and HoL
What was the reason for the Miner’s strike
Pit closures & Unemployment
Who was David Wilkie
Welsh taxi driver killed when strkers dropped a concrete block off a footbridge onto his car
What were the two main Trade Union Acts
Ban on secondary picketing
Secret Ballots
Who was the foreign secretary that resigned due to failing to see the incoming Argentinian invasion
Lord Peter Carrington
Which Think Tank helped with the poll tax
Adam Smith institute
What were the key policies of the 1979/1981 budget
Income Tax decrease (mainly on the rich)
Increasing VAT
Decreasing spending (local govts)
Direct taxes down and indirect taxes up
When were the money supply targets scrapped
1984/85
What controversial thing does Lawson do in the 1988 budget
Big tax cuts despite high money supply causing inflation
When was section 28 passed
1988
When was Video Recordings Act passed
1984
How much of a discount was given council tenants when buying their home
33-50%
What was operation swamp
1000 arrests in the 6 days leading up to Brixton riots
Why did Howe resign
Hard ECU
