Thatcher As Leader - Character + Ideology Flashcards
What did Thatcher describe herself as?
-a conviction politician
-dismissive of post war consensus which she saw as responsible for Britains ills
How did thatchers home life enable her to win the 1979 election?
-from Grantham - claimed lower middle class but private education, went to Oxford + married millionaire
-daughter of grocer Alf Robert’s, local councillor + Methodist lay preacher
What laid at the heart of her policies influenced by her home life?
-self reliance + self-improvement lay at heart of her upbringing
-influenced her political beliefs
What was thatcher like as a politician?
-was an outsider as not from traditional Tory background
-was suburban, from trade + a woman
-not traditional Tory + sometimes dismissive of Tory Grandees
How did her speech in 1976 contribute to her winning the 1979 election?
-the Iron Lady speech espousing anti-communist + anti-USSR attitude
-questioned lab defence cuts (opposition)
-used femininity to establish herself
How did the Iron Lady speech of 1976 further help her to secure 1979 victory through her image?
-telegenic image - wearing red
-marketed herself as Br next leader
-drew on femininity - employed it as a way to market herself
How did thatcher present herself as a conviction politician?
-1981 speech at party conference ‘you turn if you want to - the lady’s not for turning’
-created image of conviction politician
-also criticism of heathites who u-turned 1972
How did the 1979 election broadcast help thatcher to win?
-professional marketing team Satchi + Satchi made her look telegenic — london based corporate marketing team
-dieted + was told what to wear
-moulded to look good in TV
What slogans were produced by her marketing teams to further her chances of winning?
-‘what’s best for Britain’
-‘lab isn’t working - Br better of with cons’
What was Thatcherism based on?
-she was influenced by intellectuals in the cons party
-such as Powell + her own political + social instincts
-also ‘new right’ think tanks + academics
What was the new right?
-neo-liberalism that challenged Keynesian orthodoxy
-drew on work of Friedman + Friedrich Von Hayeck
What did the new right promote?
-small state
-less control + intervention in people’s lives + economy
-free market capitalism + monetarism
-social conservatism
How did the new right view humanity?
-positive view of human nature but atomistic view of society
-respects for tradition e.g. Christian church, family, marriage
-string on crime + punishment
What did the new right include?
-the Centre for Policy Studies est by Keith Joseph
-the Adam Smith Institute 1977 to promote free market policies
How did Thatcherite’s view Br economic decline?
-result of failures of successive post-war govs
-supporters also identified moral decline linked to this consensus
How did Thatcherites view the free market?
-it was moral
-due to encouraging individuals take responsibility for own actions
-equally true in personal decisions + econ ones
How did Thatcherites view society under the new right?
-emphasised order in society
-Thatcher said ‘there are individual men and woman and there are families’
-threats to the family were threats to the order of society
How did the Thatcherites view law + order?
-supportive of police
-important in 1979 manifesto + throughout Thatcher’s premiership
-but mid 1980s accusations police become politicised esp during in disputes
What did Thatcherism promise in terms of business?
-reduce business dependency on the state
-privatisation + deregulation encourage free market capitalism + high productivity
What would privatisation do?
-fuel enterprises, innovation + entrepreneurs
What did Thatcherism promise in terms of spending?
-lower public sounding in welfare
-this would decrease public dependency on ‘nanny state’
-in turn lower taxes
What was the ‘nanny state’?
-a state in which the people depend on the state to do everything for them
What did Thatcherism want to do to the unions and law + order?
-confront TUs to break cycle of wage increase demands - break their power
-reverse social + moral decline of 60s + 70s through strong institutions of law + order
How was this different to the post war consensus?
-this had commitment to employment + welfare (NHS)
-Hugh’s tax to increase public spending
-cooperation + compliance with TUs
-Keynesian + mixed econ (nationalisation + privatisation)
