Conservative 1990-1997 (& 90s social) Flashcards
What was the Downing Street Agreement (1993)
British government had to follow the will of the Northern Irish people and not their own wishes
A united Ireland would be accepted if desired
R of Ireland would drop claims to North if desired
How did the IRA attack Downing Street in 1991
Fired mortar bombs at no.10 from the back of a van
When was the IRA ceasefire declared
August 1994
When did loyalist extremists agree to the ceasefire
October 1994
Why was the ceasefire unstable and ineffective
Neither side trusted the other
What was the Mitchell Report (1996)
American proposal for solving the troubles that included disarmament clauses and open negotiations
When did Bill Clinton visit Northern Ireland
1995
Why was the Mitchell Report embarrassing for Major
Showed America lacked confidence in Major to solve the Troubles himself
How many were killed in the 1992 Teebane attack
8
Who did the IRA kill in the Warrington bomb (1993)
2 children
Who are the new female role models that arose in the 1990s
Zoe Ball (radio)
Spice Girls (music)
Lara Croft (video games)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Betty Boothroyd (politics)
When did in-marriage-rape become a criminal offence
1994
What were the limits for feminism in the 1990s
Thatcher
Spice Girls somewhat enforcing traditional gender values
80% pay gap
When was Stephen Lawrence murdered
1993
Where can non-white role models be seen in the 90s
John Barnes (football)
4 MPs (1987-1997)
In which constituency in the 1992 election was there evidence of racism
Cheltenham
Which book caused controversy within Islamic communities
The Satanic Verses (by Sir Salman Rushdie)
What was the ‘Annus Horribilis’
The Queens bad year due to the collapsing marriages of Anne (and Mark Philips), Andrew (and Sarah Ferguson) and Charles (and Diana)
How does the death of Diana effect anti-establishment attitudes
People more sympathetic to the monarchy
however
initial upset at the Queens lack of response
Who was Damian Hurst
Controversial artist, one of the leaders of the Young British Artist movement
What was the Child Support Agency
Organisation founded in 1993 in order to make sure that children were getting the necessary support from (absent) parents.
Motivated by attempts to cut public spending
When was Peter Lilly’s Mikado speech
1992 at the Conservative party conference
When was the Gulf War
August 1990 - Feb 1991
How did the Gulf War help Major’s reputation
No risk conflict due to US involvement that he could use as his own Falklands
What percentage of GDP was defence spending in 1996
3%
What caused a falling out between Clinton and Major in 1993
Extent of the UK’s involvement in Bosnia
How did Clinton accuse the Home office in the 1992 Presidential Election
Clinton claimed they’d searched through his university records at Oxford to try and create negative press on him over his opinion’s on Vietnam
Who was the President of Iraq who ordered the invasion into Kuwait
Saddam Hussein
Which senior Tories were involved in the Europe debate
Europhiles - Ken Clarke, Chris Patten
Eurosceptics - Mike Portillo, John Redwood, Bill Cash, Iain DS
What was the Maastricht treaty
EEC became the EU
Setting up for a single currency in 1999
What opt-outs did Major negotiate in the Maastricht Treaty
Single European Currency
Social Chapter (worker rights regulation)
How did Major deal with the Maastricht rebels
Threatened a vote of no confidence which would’ve lead to a general election and the Tories were low in the polls
When was UKIP founded
1993
Who were the ‘Bastards’ in the cabinet, as Major called them
Michael Howard, Peter Lilley and Michael Portillo
When was Srebrenica
July 1995
What was the ERM
Exchange Rate Mechanism - System of controlling inflation across EU members
What was the issue when the UK joined the ERM
The pound was overvalued against the Deutschmark meaning exports became overprices
When was Black Wednesday
16 September 1992
How did Chancellor Norman Lamont attempt to stop Black Wednesday
Sold off £30 billion in currency reserves
Raised interest rates by 5%
What was Black Wednesday
UK’s withdrawal from the ERM before the pound crashed
What were the consequences of Black Wednesday
Widened Europe divisions
UK reputation in EU fell
Tory economic reputation fell
Labour +15% in polls
Which magazine did Jason Donovan file a libel case against
The Face
How long was Section 28 in law for
1988-2003
How was AIDs treated by the government
80s - fearmongering, Gay plauge
90s - Education, calmer responce
When was the age of consent for same sex couples lowered to 18
1994
What law was passed in 1994 allowing for police shut downs of big parties and raves
Criminal Justice and Police Order Act
When was the Poll Tax dropped
November 1991
How did Major’s leadership effect the 1992 elections
Played into old-fashioned ‘soapbox’ politics
He wasn’t Thatcher (divisive)
When was the Sheffield Rally
April 1992 (A week before the election)
How did the media effect the 1992 election
Tory bias - it was the sun wot won it
Who was David Mellor
Minister who resigned due to affair with mistress in Chelsea kit
“Toe job to no job”
Who was convicted of perjury in 1994
Jeffery Archer & Jonathan Aitken
What was the Cash for Questions scandal
Neil Hamilton (and others) accepting lobbying money from Mohammed Al Fayed
Who satired Major
Private Eye
Spitting image
When was the ‘sack me or back me’ leadership contest
June 1995
Who was Major’s challenger for leadership
John Redwood
Who did Major make an agreement with during the leadership contest and what was it
Michael Heseltine
Heseltine and his supporters would back Major if Major made Heseltine deputy PM
How many MPs voted against Major
89
What industries did Major nationalise
Coal 1994
Rail 1996
Planned post-office
When was British Beef banned due to mad disease
1996
What was the Cone Hotline
Hotline that could be rang by the public to see why roadworks were happening - mocked and misused
What was the Scoot Inquiry 1994
Investigation into illegal arms dealing that proved government ministers had broken rules
What was the Vance-Owen plan
A plan to bring peace in Croatia
