Conservatives in Opposition Flashcards
William Hague’s time as leader
1997 - 2001
Who replaced Hague?
Ian Duncan Smith
Who replaced Smith and when?
Michael Howard in May 2003
Who replaced Howard and when?
David Cameron in June 2005
Why was Clarke never made leader?
He was pro - europe
Who was another front running candidate for leader who was never successful?
Michael Portillo because he lost his seat surprisingly
Why did Hague come to power? What did he lack?
Because he had fewer enemies than his opponents but he also lacked in political experience as he was only 36
Which previous Thatcherite criticised Thatcher and when?
Peter Lilley said in 1999 that the public had accepted her policies in the 80s out of necessities but they were wary of further reform
Mods vs Rocker splits
mods were the modernisers and rockers were those resistant to change and far more socially conservative
Who did Hague appoint as shadow Chancellor?
Portillo
Why did Hague resign?
Because they lost the 2001 election
How did Smith come to power?
Thanks to negative voting against Clarke and Portillo
What is compassionate conservatism and who adopted this?
A political philosophy associated by the understanding of social implications of economic policies. Smith was a follower of this and a visit to the deprived Easterhouse estate in Glasgow convinced him the tories needed to do more to tackle poverty
Which Labour policy did Smith support? What was the impact of this?
Entry into the Iraq war - was detested by many tories, particularly Clarke, as it made it difficult for them to criticise Labour policies
Who unified the party and how?
Michael Howard - not because of himself particularly but because his party was ‘tired of being embarrassed’
