Thatcher Governments

Question 1

What style of leadership did Thatcher pioneer

Answer 1

Conviction Politics

Question 2

Which religous sect may have been responsible for much of Thatchers personal ideology

Answer 2

Methodism

Question 3

Why was Thatcher not a typical Tory candidate

Answer 3

Suburban, from Trade and a woman

Question 4

What famous phrase did she utter at the 1981 party conference, at the peak of discontent, and who was this a criticism of

Answer 4

you turn if you want to, the lady is not for turning
This criticised Heaths goverment, who in 1972 did U turn on their selsdon policies

Question 5

What was the core idea behind the ‘new right’, something Thatcher was very much influenced by

Answer 5

The rejection of Keynsian economics and embracement of Milton Friedman and Hayek style monetarist policies, promoting free market policies and less goverment involvment in the economy

Question 6

What did Thatcher declare there was no “such thing as that”, highlighting her beliefs in personal, rather than collective responsibility

Answer 6

Society; she declared that there are only people and families.

Question 7

What did Michael Foot describe Trade Secretary and later Conservative Party Chairman as

Answer 7

A semi-house trained pole-cat

Question 8

What did Norman Tebbit declare in 1985 was the root cause of that eras increase in crime and violence

Answer 8

the post-war funk that gave brith to the permissive society, that then generated their violent society

Question 9

What accusations did the police face, under Thatchers regime

Answer 9

That they had been politicised, esepcially during industrial disputes, due to her strong interest, throughout the entirety of her career, on being strong on law and order

Question 10

What were the Wets in Thatchers first cabinet and give some examples

Answer 10

Those left over from the old policiy of one nation conservatism; peerhaps apprehensive towardss the social consequences of Thatchers Monetarist policies or those willing to cooperate with the trade unions
Willie Whitelaw was Home secretary and jim Prior was employment minister

Question 11

What were the drys and give some examples

Answer 11

Drys were people fully onboard Thatchers monetarist train and also hated poor people. Included Ch of Exq Geoffrey Howe And head of the Departmen of Industry Keith Joseph

Question 12

What happened to Jim Prior in 1981

Answer 12

He was demoted to the NI office and replaced by Norman Tebbit

Question 13

What new party was formed in 1981 by breakaway elements of the Labour Party

Answer 13

The Social Democratic Party

Question 14

Which far-left politician was elected as head of the Laboour party in 1980 instead of the obvious choice, Denis Healey

Answer 14

Michael Foot

Question 15

Who did Denis Healey beat in 1981 in a bitter contest for deputy labour leader

Answer 15

Tony Benn

Question 16

Who were the gang of four and which political party did they create

Answer 16

David Owen, Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and Bill Rodgers
They created the SDP

Question 17

How many labour MPs joined the newly created SDP

Answer 17

28

Question 18

Why was the SDP formed

Answer 18

Because its members beleived that Labour was no unelectable due to the far left influence from the Bennites, and their best chance to beat Thatcher was to start from a new party capable of appealing to the middle ground

Question 19

What event helped encourage labour moderates such as Shirley Williams to leave and create the SDP

Answer 19

The 1981 Wembley labour conference, where heckling and disruption from far left elements left many centrists marginalized

Question 20

Which two SDP members won seats in Parliament in the early 80s

Answer 20

Williams won Crosby and then Jenkins won Glasgow Hillhead
The Liberals also won the previously safe labour seat of Bermondsey

Question 21

What alliance did the two non-members of the classical two party mould form

Answer 21

SDP-Liberal alliance for both the ‘83 and ‘87 elections
However, there were tensions between the two davids (steel and owen) but the allianecc had largely overtaken labour as the credible opposition to Thatchers tories

Question 22

Why could Labour no longer depend on its working class support

Answer 22

Huge media criticism of the labour party
The alliance drew away their moderate voters
Traditional working class was eroded
Unions no longer a source of strength
Many saw labour as having lost touch with the electorate

Question 23

When did Neil Kinnock replace Michael Foot as leader of the labour party

Answer 23

1983

Question 24

What actions did Neil Kinnock take, despite being on the left wing of the labour party, against extremists within the labour party

Answer 24

He challenged the group Militant Tendency, active within certain city councils, notably liverpool, preaching trotskyite socialist revolution, and expelled them from the party in 1986
He criticsed Arthur Scargill for failing to hold a strike abllot during the 1984 Miners Strike
He challenged the Trade Unions and Bennite Left of the party

Question 25

Why did Thatcher undeservedly win the 1983 election

Answer 25

Falklands war

Question 26

Why was labour not a credible force for the 1983 election

Answer 26

Foot could not deal with the divisions within his own party
Foot also could not perform well on television
The labour manifesto was dominated by relatively extreme propositions, inclusing unilateral disarmament, withdrawal from the EEC and banning fox hunting(i have no idea how this is on the same level as the other two but ok). The manifesto was called the longest suicide note in history

Question 27

What were the relative vote counts for Conservative and anti conservative parties, and how did this benefit Thatcher

Answer 27

Conservative-13 Million Non conservative-16 million
However, the anti-conservative vote was extremely split between labour and the Alliance, meainng conservatives won 397 seats

Question 28

Why, by the 1987 election, did the Alliance not fare so well

Answer 28

Ideological differences-Opposition to Thatcher was not strong enough to keep cooperation
Personal differences between david steel and owen
Falklands war reinforced Thatchers credibility and the
alliance never recovered(went from polling ~40% to 24%)
Kinnocks improvements to the labour party made them more electable

Question 29

Why did the SDP begin to shrink after ‘87

Answer 29

Only came into existence in ‘81 because of Foot making labour unelectable; Kinnock was fixing this so there was little point in continuing as labour reverted to moderate socialism

Question 30

When did the Liberal party and SDP merge, what did they form and who disagreed and resigned

Answer 30

1988, formed the social democrats, and David Owen resigned as he disagreed. Many MPs returned to Labour