Conservative party; 1997-2007

Question 1

When did Major resign

Answer 1

1997

Question 2

How many tory MPs after the 1997 election were estimated to be eurosceptics

Answer 2

145/165

Question 3

Why did Heseltine not run in the 1997 leadership election, and if he did, would he have won

Answer 3

Ill health-Unlikely, as he was pro-european and was not forgiven for challenging thatcher in 1990

Question 4

What attitude dominated the 1997 leadership election, why, and who won

Answer 4

Anyone but clarke-he was pro-europe and one of thatchers cabinet who advised her to resign.
William Hague ended up winning

Question 5

Why did Hague win the ‘97 leadership election

Answer 5

He had fewer enemies than his rivals and was endorsed by Thatcher

Question 6

How did hague largely unify the party on Europe

Answer 6

Ruling out a single currency

Question 7

Who in 1999 delivered a speech seen to be rebuking some core elements of Thatcherism and split the party into modernisers and not, and what was Hagues response

Answer 7

Peter Lilley- A speech reaffirming Thatchers legacy

Question 8

who, having lost his seat in the 1997 election and so could not contest the leadership, won his seat back in 1999, threatening Hague

Answer 8

Michael Portillo

Question 9

When and why did Hague resign leadership

Answer 9

2001-crushing electoral defeat

Question 10

Who were the two expected candidates and won the 2001 leadership contest

Answer 10

Ken Clarke and Michael Portillo-Ian Duncan Smith

Question 11

What policy did Duncan-smith try to introduce

Answer 11

Compassionate Conservatism e.g. visiting a council estate and saying more needed to be done to tackle poverty

Question 12

Why did Duncan smith find it difficult to demand loyalty from the backbenchers over modernising policy

Answer 12

He was the architect of the maastricht rebellions under Major

Question 13

What controversial event did Duncan Smith fully back and why was this problematic

Answer 13

2003 iraq war-Anti-war tories like Ken clarke could not criticise labour for it, and Lib dems eemrged as the anti war party

Question 14

Who took over the conservative party in 2003 and why

Answer 14

Michael Howard-Duncan smith resigned after a scandal about how much he was paying his wife to be his secretary

Question 15

Despite abandoning Duncan Smiths social justice platform and being socially conservative himself, how did Howard unify the party

Answer 15

Promised modernisers in his cabinet, and David cameron and george osbourne achieved this after the defeat in 2005, and wished for his successor to be a moderniser

Question 16

Who won the 2005 leadership election and who did he defeat

Answer 16

David Cameron-The right wing david-davis

Question 17

What did Cameron set out to do for the tory party

Answer 17

Modernise and detoxify it;make it welcome to minorities and other social groups outside its traditional base

Question 18

What are some examples of Camerons modern policies

Answer 18

Promised to take climate change seriously
Increase foreign aid
promoted gay rights
Promised to maintain labour spending on public services

Question 19

Why did Labour find it more difficult to attack cameron that his predecessors

Answer 19

He actually looked reasonably electable and mirrored many of labours own points, somewhat of a reverese from 1997

Question 20

For what reasons was William Hague mocked

Answer 20

His teenage speech making, boasts of drinking 14 pints a day when he was a teenager to seem relatable and wearing a baseball cap

Question 21

What was Thatchers influence on the 2001 election

Answer 21

She turned up to support Hague and his right wing policies on immigration and saving the pound but merely alienated people and reminded them why theyd turned away from the tories

Question 22

What did the deputy chairman of the conservative party admit in secret in 2005

Answer 22

That the party would be more thatcherite that admitted in public, confirming suspicions that despite Howards efforts, he was still right wing and not much had changed from the 80s and 90s

Question 23

What was the one benefit of the conservative party shifting to the right

Answer 23

Prevented voters leaving to UKIP, who formed in ‘93