Thatcher (PM case study) Flashcards
What political movement did Thatcher become the figurehead for in the party?
The ‘new right’
List Thatcher’s three parliamentary majorities
- 1979: 43
- 1983: 144
- 1987: 102
What two factions was the conservative party split between until 1983?
The wets and the dries
Describe the wets
They were more traditional, ‘one nation’ conservatives who believed in centrist policies. Given this name because they were seen as weak in dealing with economic issues
Describe the dries
Held neoliberal beliefs; led by Thatcher
What did Thatcher do to unite the party around her?
Purged the wets from party leadership and replaced them with her allies
List three of Thatcher’s key policy goals
- Privatisation
- Balancing the budget
- Curbing TU power
- Cutting taxes
- Deregulation
- Slashing welfare
- Emphasising defence and national security
- Strongly confronting the USSR
Describe Thatcher’s style of leadership
Extremely dominant personality who refused to compromise with her opponents. Supporters called her principled and visionary, while her opponents called her stubborn and uncompromising
Why was Thatcher unpopular until 1982?
The measures she introduced did not save the struggling economy
How was Thatcher’s reputation as the iron lady created?
Because of her swift military response to Argentinian invasion of the Falklands
What two events allowed Thatcher to transform the party in her image?
- Success in the Falklands
- The UK economy began to improve
How did the end of the Cold War help her?
She and Reagan were congratulated for ‘defeating communism’
What did Thatcher strongly oppose on the foreign policy stage?
Greater integration with Europe
What miscalculated policy did Thatcher introduce in 1988?
The poll tax was created to replace local property tax
Why was the poll tax so controversial?
Because it did not take into account people’s incomes and so violated the principle that taxation should be based on ability to pay
Why did conservative MPs resent the poll tax?
They thought it would lose them their seat at the next GE
What was the public response to the poll tax?
Riots, protests and an outpouring of public hostility
What led to Thatcher’s resignation?
Michael Heseltine challenged her leadership and several of her allies resigned
Give some examples of Thatcher being in control
- Removed and marginalised the wets in her cabinet from 1983
- Took decisively military action against Argentina
- Showed that it was her, rather than the TUs, that were in charge of economic policy
- Able to privatise key industries
- The poll tax showed her ability to impose her own personal will
Give some examples of Thatcher lacking control
- Had to have wets in her cabinet until 1983 in order to maintain party balance
- Wanted to follow the US in boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics but public opinion would not let them do this
- Boom and bust cycles meant that she had to increase taxes against her will
- Unable to privatise areas like the post office and railways, due to public and party opposition
- Riots and media backlash following the poll tax forced her to U-turn and eventually resign
How did Thatcher weaken the TUs in practise
Through five major pieces of legislation
How did Thatcher increase the pace of change in terms of curbing TU power?
Replaced James Prior, who had made the case for gradual reform, with Norman Tebbit, her close personal ally, as employment secretary
What was Thatcher’s most significant industrial victory?
Against the miners in 1984-85
What did Thatcher manage to privatise?
British Gas, BT, British Airways, water companies and electricity companies
What was Thatcher’s relationship with the cabinet like compared to her predecessors?
She used them much less
What did senior ministers accuse Thatcher of doing?
Paying greater attention to her advisers than she did to them
What did Thatcher carefully manage the cabinet to do?
Assert her authority when ministers doubted her policy ideas
What divided the cabinet in 1981?
The wets were unwilling to buy into Thatcher’s monetarist policy as a means of managing the recession
What did Major manipulate Thatcher into doing when her position was weak in 1990?
Allowing Britain to join the ERM, even though this was something she had long opposed
What were the four main factors that contributed to Thatcher’s downfall?
- Economic problems
- Unpopular policies
- Negative ratings in the polls
- Cabinet divisions
Why do many see Thatcher as having brought about her own downfall?
By ignoring ministers and bypassing the cabinet, she failed to recognise her dependence on the cabinet and alienated colleagues whose support she needed
What was the poll tax officially known as?
The community charge
What was the rationale behind the poll tax?
If everyone had to contribute to local services through a flat rate tax, local authorities would be under pressure to provide these services efficiently
Why was the poll tax unpopular in practise?
Millions of voters who had never had to pay local taxes before now had large bills
Why was the poll tax seen as unfair?
It was regressive; taking more money from the poor than the rich
What preceded the introduction of the poll tax?
Riots in London
Why did councils find the poll tax difficult to administer and collect?
Because many refused to pay it
Why is the poll tax disaster attributed to the government?
Checks and balances within the cabinet failed; warnings from the chancellor and treasury were not given due consideration and the local authorities were not consulted fully
What did Major replace the poll tax with?
Council tax
