social issues Flashcards
John Major speech at party conference 1993
reflected a period of time where there were substantical social changes - said many found it concerting
Thatcher’s influence
very socially conservative, negative attitudes peaked in 1987
identification of AIDS
first case 1981
gay men at risk - ‘gay plague’
government AIDS prevention campaign
needle exchanges set up
leaflets distributed to houses and schools
billboards, TV and radio ads - ‘dont die of ignorance’
Diana and AIDS
visited and shook hands with AIDS patients
AIDS impact on prejudice
greater prejudice for gay people, more homophobia and violence
councils and homosexuality
‘loony left’ councils accused of promoting homosexual lifestyles by funding support groups
Section 28
prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’
passed in response to book ‘Jenny lives with Eric and Martin’ about a young gilr living with her father and his boyfriend
impact of section 28
many believed it made it illegal to discuss homosexuality in schools
reaction to section 28
HR group ‘OutRage!’ used direct action - threatened to ‘out’ gay MPs
stonewall backed legal cases at the ECHR, challenging unequal age of consent and ban on homsexuals in armed forces
marriage and divorce
divorce rates hit record highs in 1990s - 2% divorced
children
born out of wedlock - doubled from 12% in early 1980s to 80% in early 1990s
single mothers and absent fathers criticised
child support agency
set up 1993
ensure that absent parents paid maintenance for their children
contraception
contraversially available to girls under the age of consent without parental knowledge
high court ruled could only be given with parental consent - overruled by HOL in 1985
Video recording act
1994
ensured videos had british film classifications attached
What did conservative scandal show
made it clear that the public expectation of behaviour of public figures was still high
Major and class
when became PM, aimed to create a classless society
thatcher’s influence
thatcher questioned much of the post war period
change = inevitable
royal family in 1990s
general decline in popularity
royal marriages
3/4 queen children marraiges declined
many extramarital affairs - phone recordings published
royal finance
public reaction to the financing of the restoration of Windsor Castle after fire in 1992
led to the Queen agreeing to pay tax on her private income and a reduction in the civil list
princess diana
her role in the media was contraversial
damaging revalations about her treatment by the royal family
crash of public support for royals after accused of not caring/responsibility for diana’s death in car crash
Young British Artists (YBA)
challanged ideas about what art was
created art from materials and processes not usually associated with art eg. dead animals
formed the bassis of the Sensation exhibition in 1997
youth culture
explosion of raves and parties
1988-89 - ‘second summer of love’
drugs
music with a psychedelic edge arrived from the USA - ‘acid house’
parties linked to the use of ecstacy
promoted a moral panic about drug-taking
government response to youth culture
passed the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act in 1994
gave more power to police to break up parties
environmental action
protests against road developments
1992 M3 and M1 junctions
brought together a wide range of people
many climed or chained themselves to trees due to be uprooted, built tunnels and lived underground
‘third wave feminism’
beggining of 1990s
broader than just legal and financial inequalities
more emphasis on breaking down stereotypes involving gender, race and sexuality
Riot Grrrl movement
female bands such as Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear sang about feminist issues
‘girl power’
message becoming more mainstream by mid 1990s
led by the Spice Girls
Thatcher and feminism
showed women could achieve highly
she did little for women
only 1 female cabinet minister
did not encourage women in HOC
‘I owe nothing to womens lib’
higher education
become more balanced
oxbridge became co-educational
women in power
1992
betty boothroyd first female speaker
Stella rimmington first female head of MI5
1994
first ordiantion of women as priests in the Church of England
Rape within marriage
1994 rape within marriage became a criminal offence
women at work
became increasingly normal for women to work
1993 68% women employed
1996 50% employees were women
womens pay improved and taxed separately to their husbands
multiculturalism
britain becoming more comfortable
no mass outbreaks of disorder
riots
1991 and 1992
in towns and cities
involved mainly young white men on deprived council estates
HOC and race
1987 4 non-white MPs were elected
1992 black conservative MP lost seat amid roumors of racism from local conservatoves
police
tensions remained between young black men and the police
murder of stephen lawrence
police not take seriously and accuse of ‘institutionally racist’
asylum seekers
sharp increase in number
fleeing from violent upheavals in places such as Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq
migration
continued to increase
many from new commonwealth such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
often relatives of those already in the UK
muslims in the UK
concerns started to be raised about integration into British society
contraversy over Salaman Rushdie novel
recieved many death threats
BUT many muslims viewed as acceptable
issues in Gulf war and Balkans highlighted tensions
