Thatcher and the end of consensus, 1979-97, dates and stats Flashcards
What is populism?
a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups. (used by Thatcher in 79 - Thatcher photographed with a calf)
When was the ‘Labour isn’t working’ campaign?
What was it?
1978
picture of snaking queue to unemployment office - representing Labours negative impact on economy.
How many seats changed hands from Labour to Conservative in 1979?
40
How much did Liberal vote drop in 1979?
over a million
When and what was the Lib-Lab pact?
1977
The Lib-Lab Pact - By election loses meant labours slim majority in HOC disappeared. Deal between Callaghan and Lib leader steel - 13 Lib MPS agreed to support gov.
How many more seats did conservatives win than Labour in 1983?
How did their share of the vote compare to 1979?
144 seats.
share of the vote fell by 1.5 per cent from 1979.
Which war victory benefitted Thatcher in the 1983 election?
Falklands war victory in Argentina 1982.
How did Labour share of the vote in 1983 compare to 1979?
Fell by 9.3%, highlighting
Labour leader in 1983?
Michael Foot
Social democrat votes in 1983?
7.7 million - splitting the anti-conservative vote.
How was labour 1983 manifesto described?
‘longest suicide note in history’
1979 seats won by:
Lab
Con
Lib
Lab: 269
Con: 339
Lib: 11
1983 seats won by:
Lab
Con
Lib and SPD alliance
Lab: 209
Con: 397
Lib and SPD alliance: 23
1983 seats won by:
Lab
Con
Lib and SPD alliance
Lab: 229
Con: 376
Lib and SPD alliance: 22
Who was the Labour leader in the ‘87 election?
Kinnocks
How many votes did Labour gain rom 83 to 87?
1.5 mil votes and 20 seats
Conservative vote in ‘87 compared to 79 and 83 (broad terms - more/less)
won more votes than ‘79 or ‘83 despite losing twelves seats.
When did thatchers Privatisation begin? What was privatised?
in October 1979 – sale of British Petroleum – continued throughout the 1980s.
What did the Budgets of 1980 and 1981 do?
reduce money in circulation – decreasing government spending – raising indirect taxation.
Which Act deregulated dealing in stocks and shares and opened up share trading.
Financial services Act 1986
How many private shareholders in:
1979
1990
1979: 3 million.
1990 :11 million.
Prices rises in:
1980
1983
1880 - 18%
fell to
1983 - 4.5%
Unemployment in:
1980
1983
1990
1980 - 1.5 million.
1983 - 3 million.
only just beginning to fall 1990 - 2 milllion.
Examples of increased foreign investment?
Japanese’s car firm Nissan - plant in North East.
When did Britain become a net exporter of oil? Why?
increase in North Sea oil production – tuning Britain into a net exporter of oil by 1980.
how much did of its manufacturing base did Britain lose under Thatcher?
15%
What happened to government spending as a percentage of GPD under Thatcher?
Decreased after 1984-95.
When were GCSE’s introduced?
1886 - all levels of ability.
When was national curriculum introduced?
1988
When was the university funding council founded?
1988 - reflect the needs of economy, not just focusing on pure research
Gov spending on subsiding mortgages under thatcher?
Doubled
House sales under Thatcher?
rose by 12%
When was the miners strike?
Miners’ Strike – 1984-85
Riots in Brixton, Liverpool?
summer and spring of 1981
What loss was the National Coal Board facing for 1983-84?
250million.
How many pit closures did the government announce in March 1984?
How many jobs was this going to lose?
20 uneconomic coal pits.
20,000 Jobs.
When was the Whitehall committe set up?
1981 - stock pile coal in preparation for strikes.
What was set up to control policing during the miners strikes?
Leon Brittan Home secratary - National Reporting Centre in New Scotland Yard.
What was the break away union from the miners strikes called?
Union of Democratic Mineworkers - continued working - miners were divided.
NUM (National Union of Mineworkers):
Leader?
membership in:
1979
1987
Arthur Scargill
1979: 200,500
1987: 100,000
When was the poll tax introduced?
1989
who were the main ‘wets’ in Thatchers cabinet?
-Michael Heseltine
-Jim Prior - Department of Employment.
-Francis Pym - Foreign secretary.
Thatchers main conservative allies in 1980?
Geoffrey Howe – Chancellor of the Exchequer
Keith Joseph – Department of Trade and Industry.
Who replaced Jim prior as head of Department of Employment?
Norman Tebbit.
When was the second election won by Thatcher?
1983
When was Francis Pym fired, who replaced him?
1983 - leading ‘wet’ Francis Pym (foreign secretary) – replaced by Geoffrey Howe.
Who became chancellor in 1983?
Nigel Lawson - implementing Thatcher’d radical economic policy.
When did Michael Heseltine resign?
1986 - he was the last ‘wet’ - Thatchers cabinet completely dominated by people with her views.
When did William Whitehall retire?
1987 - Thatchers main advisor.
When did Howe give his resignation speech?
1990
When did Thatcher fall out with Lawson and Howe?
1989
What were ‘the rates’?
Source of local gov income since 1925 - tax on businesses and property owners.
What act introduced ‘flat-rate’ community charge to replace ‘the rates’.
Local Government Finance Act 1988 - poll tax.
Where was poll tax 1st introduced?
Scotland 1989 – millions of Scots refused to pay.
When and where was the demonstration against poll tax?
1990 – demonstration in Trafalgar Square – day before poll tax introduction – 300 people arrested – 400 policemen hurt – violent riot.
Impact of 1987 stock market crash?
wiped 24% off share prices
Which of Lawson budgets reduce income tax?
1988 - to prevent recession after crash - instead lead to consumer boom - inflation.
Inflation in 1989?
1989 – inflation 8.3%.
Interest rates in 1989?
15% - Lawson raised interest rates.
European act - Thatcher:
Name and date
Single European Act 1986
Thatchers Bruges Speech September…
1988 - ‘We have not successfully rolled back the frontiers of the State in Britain, only to see them re-imposed at European level’
When did Lawson resign as Chancellor?
1989
Public opinion polls in 1990?
Public opinion polls put Labour sixteen points ahead.
How many votes did Anthony Meyer get against Thatchers leadership?
33 - significant considering he was little know.
Who stood against thatchers leadership in 1990?
Michael Heseltine - lost - but significant amount for another vote.
When did thatcher resign?
November 1990
Treaty establishing the European Union?
1991 Maastricht treaty - Europe would have a common currency = euro, defence and foreign policy.
What was the conservative victory in 1992?
+21 seats for conservative.
When was Major re-elected as conservative leader?
1995
Inflation tips British economy into a depression (Major)
September 1992.
What was ‘Black Wednesday’?
Major and Lamont (chancellor) - tried to sustain pound – increased interest and getting Bank of England to buy pounds – unsuccessful.
-‘Black Wednesday’ - Britain had to withdraw from Exchange Rate Mechanism.
Labour Leader from 1983-92?
Kinnock
‘New Labour’ Leader from 1994?
Tony Blair - 41 years.
What clause did Blair get rid of?
Clause IV from party’s 1918 constitution - pledged to nationalise Britain’s industry.
Which leading Media figure supported Blair?
Rupert Murdoch – owner of the Sun.
1997 general election % of votes:
Conservative
Labour
Lib-Dem
Conservative: 30.7
Labour: 40.3
Lib-Dem: 16.8
1997 general election seats won by:
Conservative
Labour
Lib-Dem
Conservative: 165
Labour: 418
Lib-Dem: 46
