Political issues

Question 1

Thatcher ideolgoies

Answer 1

• Didn’t like protests/ strikes
• Stresses individual responsibilities—less government intervention/ people should look after themselves.
• New Right
• believed in Monetarism

Question 2

The New Right

Answer 2

• 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.

Question 3

Thatcher and Heath - similarities

Answer 3

• Didn’t agree with post war consnsus.
• Faced problems with unions.
• Free market beliefs (until U-turn)

Question 4

Thatcher and Heath - differences

Answer 4

• 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’

Question 5

Thatcher background

Answer 5

• Middle class
• Daughter of a grocer/ Methodist preacher
• Suburban
• Doesn’t have a typical conservative

Question 6

Thatchers ideas + leadership style

Answer 6

• Conviction politician
• Dismissive of the post war consensus
• Self-reliant
• influenced by intellectuals

Question 7

Jeffery Howe - governemnt roles

Answer 7

Chancellor of the Exchequer (1979-83)
Foreign Minister (1983-83)

Question 8

Nigel Lawson

Answer 8

Chancellor of the Exchequer (1983-89)

Question 9

Norman Tebbit - government role

Answer 9

Trade secretary, left gov 1987

Question 10

Michael Heseltine - government role

Answer 10

MP
conflicting views w/ MT, left her gov ‘86.

Question 11

Issue of ‘wets’ in Thatchers gov

Answer 11

“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”.

Question 12

Reasons for divisions within the Labour party:

Answer 12

• 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.

Question 13

Leader of Labour party 1983-92

Answer 13

Neil Kinnock

Question 14

SDP dates and members

Answer 14

January 1981
David Owen, Roy Jenkin, Shirley Williams, Bill Rodgers

Question 15

What officially announced the SDP, and what did they claim?

Answer 15

The Limehouse Declaration
“The Labour party has moved steadily away from its roots in the people of this country”

Question 16

Why was the SDP formed?

Answer 16

• in reaction to Labour’s domination by leftists and trade-union representatives.
• The Social Democrats claimed a central position within the British political spectrum,

Question 17

Problems with Labour

Foots leadership

Answer 17

• Bevanite and supporter of nuclear disarmerment
• Left wing.

Question 18

Problems with Labour

1983 manifesto quote

Answer 18

“the longest suicide note in history”

Question 19

Who and why did they call the 1983 manifesto the longest suicide in history?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Problems with labour

Militant tendency

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Neil Kinnock

Answer 21

• became leader 1983
• left of labour
• determined to move them back to political mainstream.

Question 22

The Westland affair date and event

Answer 22

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.

Question 24

Why did the SDP form?

Answer 24

• in reaction to Labour’s domination by leftists and trade-union representatives.
• The Social Democrats claimed a central position within the British political spectrum,