Political issues Flashcards
Thatcher ideolgoies
- Didn’t like protests/ strikes
- Stresses individual responsibilities—less government intervention/ people should look after themselves.
- New Right
- believed in Monetarism
The New Right
- Rejected Keynesian economics and connected econ decline with moral decline e.g. 1960s permissive society.
- Importance of free markets = forced people to be responsible for themselves.
- Police = important, enforce law.
- Believed stable family key to stable society - nuclear family.
Thatcher and Heath - similarities
- Didn’t agree with post war consnsus.
- Faced problems with unions.
- Free market beliefs (until U-turn)
Thatcher and Heath - differences
- Heath went back on his policies whereas MT retained her ideas, even w/ negative press.
- Heath = pragmatic, MT = conviction politician.
- Heath focus EEC, MT ‘special relationship’
Thatcher background
- Middle class
- Daughter of a grocer/ Methodist preacher
- Suburban
- Doesn’t have a typical conservative
Thatchers ideas + leadership style
- Conviction politician
- Dismissive of the post war consensus
- Self-reliant
- influenced by intellectuals
Jeffery Howe - governemnt roles
Chancellor of the Exchequer (1979-83)
Foreign Minister (1983-83)
Nigel Lawson
Chancellor of the Exchequer (1983-89)
Norman Tebbit - government role
Trade secretary, left gov 1987
Michael Heseltine - government role
MP
conflicting views w/ MT, left her gov ‘86.
Issue of ‘wets’ in Thatchers gov
“wets” = devisive nickname gived by MT, being soft about social concequences of Monetarist policy.
- she ensured most of her key posts were filled by people she reguarded as ‘one of us’ - “dries”.
Reasons for divisions within the Labour party:
- Winter of discontent
- Constantly arguing about how the party was run
- Hard left wanted to leave the EEC—thought it was an exploitation of the common workers/ right wanted to remain—has a responsibility to be a part of supranational organisations.
- Benn wanted the people to have more say in how their party is run/
who is leader/ what policies go through, whilst many right-wing Labour members believed MP’s were there to represent the people with their best judgement.
Leader of Labour party 1983-92
Neil Kinnock
SDP dates and members
January 1981
David Owen, Roy Jenkin, Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers
What officially announced the SDP, and what did they claim?
The Limehouse Declaration
“The Labour party has moved steadily away from its roots in the people of this country”
Why was the SDP formed?
- in reaction to Labour’s domination by leftists and trade-union representatives.
- The Social Democrats claimed a central position within the British political spectrum,
Problems with Labour
Foots leadership
- Bevanite and supporter of nuclear disarmerment
- Left wing.
Problems with Labour
1983 manifesto quote
“the longest suicide note in history”
Who and why did they call the 1983 manifesto the longest suicide in history?
Labour MP Gerald Kaufman
Believed that that the policies outlined in the manifesto were so radical and left-leaning that they would alienate voters and lead to a significant defeat
Problems with labour
Militant tendency
Militant Tendency = came from the militant newspapers that promoted revolutionary socialism
By 1986—Kinnock was successful in expelling militant tendency from the Labour party– however it was still perceived as dominated by the Left and trade unions
Neil Kinnock
- became leader 1983
- left of labour
- determined to move them back to political mainstream.
The Westland affair date and event
1896
* surface = who would take over the failing British helicopter company Westland.
* showed deep divisions about role of gov in econ decisions, MT’s style of leadership + Britain’s relationship w/
Europe.
* Michael Heseltine Defence Secretary, favoured takeover from a European consortium.
* Thatcher favoured no interference from government even if that meant the company would go to the US company Sikorsky.
* Heseltine believed that Thatcher would not let concerns about a US takeover be made public.
* He stormed out of a cabinet meeting and resigned.
Why did the SDP form?
- in reaction to Labour’s domination by leftists and trade-union representatives.
- The Social Democrats claimed a central position within the British political spectrum,
