Major Flashcards
What was a key reason for Major being Thatcher’s choice of successor
Thatcherites saw him as “one of them”
Why did Major win a lot of respect with what type of politics
“soap box politics”
Within a few months of winning the general election what was the government forced to do
Leave the ERM
What was leaving the ERM known as
Black Wednesday
Who was Majors chancellor
Norman Lamont
Who announced live on television that Britain was leaving the ERM(Exchange rate mechanism)
Norman Lamont
What were the economic consequences of leaving the ERM
Prevented Britain from having high interest rates to protect the stability of the pound
Allowed exchange rates to decrease- helping British exporters
What were the Conservative scandals dubbed as
“Tory sleaze”
What was “Cash for questions”
Neil Hamilton and other MP’s accused of accepting money for lobbying
On behalf of Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed
Hamilton ruined by very public libel case yet refused to resign
Hamilton humiliatingly defeated by the independent candidate Martin Bell
“Sleaze” was the keynote of Martins campaign
What was the name for John Majors satirical character from Private eye
Adrian Mole
How did Spitting image present John Major
Dull and boring
What was the satire on Major like as a whole
None of it was vicious
Major remained more popular that his party yet his reputation of being well meaning yet inadequate stuck
What was the cones hotline
A phone number motorist could call if motorways were close doff
A target for satire
Who pushed for radical and social policies within the party
The right
Which two party members were the face of the right wing opposition to Major
Michael Portillo and John Redwood
When did John Major initiate a conservative leadership election
22 June 1995
Who ran against Major in the leadership election
John Redwood
- Backed by Thatcherites and Eurosceptics
Who made sure that everyone knew that he voted for Major in the leadership election in June 1995
Michael heseltine
What was the rsult of the leadership election in June 1995
The first ballot had
218 for Major
89 for Redwood
What did Tony Blair say about Majors leadership in PMQs
“I lead my party you follow yours”
What were attitudes to liberal values in the 80s
Negative due to a promotion of more “Victorian values” from Thatcher
What was AIDS referred to in the 80s
The “Gay plague”
What did the conservatives do in 1985 to combat AIDS
A prevention campaign
leaflets distributed
TV adverts
What did Princess Dianna do to challenge prejudices about AIDS in 1987
Shaking hands with a patient with AIDS
A hugely significant move in destigmatising AIDS patients
