The Impact Of Thactcherism On Society Flashcards
How did the education department react to Thatcherism?
Oxford university opposed giving thatcher an honorary degree from public spending cuts to higher education
How did the artistic establishment react to Thatcherism ?
Disliked public spending cuts to art
[Caryl Churchill wrote plays satirizing Thatcherism ]
[Alexai sayle an ‘alternative’ comedian campaign against thatcher ]
[ “”boys from the blackstuff”” program show social consequences of Thatcherism]
How did the church respond to Thatcherism?
-Publish report in (1985) “faith in the city” pushing government to help deprive communities & bishops
-[bishop David Sheppard in Liverpool spoke in their criticism to thatcher policies]
What pressure groups responded actively against Thatcherism?
-CND protest
-Greenham women protest
-environmentalism
How did the CND react to Thatcherism policies?
CND organised protest in (1979) when American cruise missiles were stationed in Britain
How did greenham women’s protest respond to thatchers policies?
(1981) set up camp outside greenham common base, then in (1983) when missiles due to arrive. 70,000 protesters form a 14 mile human chain
In (1984) They were evicted by the local council but then rebuilt themselves and maintained the camp until 2000
How did environmentalists gain more awanress in the 1980s??
-(1984) Bhopal gas leak, in (1985) Chernobyl nuclear accident and in (1985) discovery of Antarctic zone
This only continued to strengthen pressure groups like green peace and friends of earth
What is section 28?
Local government act that prohibited promotion of homosexuality by local authorities
Introduced in (1988)
With it inciting LGBTQ campaigns, which included the actor sir Ian Mckellen
What policy did thatcher provide for the sale of council houses?
(1980) housing act: gave council tenants the right to buy there council houses
There were able to receive an 33-50% discount to purchase houses based on length of time they lived in the house
What was the impact of the right to buy scheme in the 1980s? (5)
-(1988) 2 million new home owners had taken advantage of the scheme to buy homes
-labour dropped opposition for the act from its popularity
-council houses used profits to lower debts instead of constructing more council houses (less development on less desirable estates)
-poeple houses in emergency B&B accommodations that were expensive for councils to provide
-fewer properties for the poor
How did thatcher restrain unions?
-(1980) secondary picketing was outlawed
-(1984) unions pressured to hold ballots before strikes were called
-employers more inclined to keep unions out of work places
What 3 key events did thatchers polices to union restraintments cause?
-(1980) steel strike
-(1984-85) miners strike
-(1986-87) Wapping disputes
What was the steel strike(1980)?
Steel workers went on strike and received a pay rise
-then there were redundancies by British steel to cut costs to remain commercially viable . Weakening its reputation and income
What was the miners strike(1984-85)?
(1984) national coal board announced the need for 20 coal pits to be closed
[was 1 year and was a failure ]
-NUM was against it and unions balloted on a strike, which had 61% against it
-then local dispute lead to strikes
[battle of orgreave]
-also union members had refused to cross the picket line when they arrived from other picket lines
miners slowly went back to work and some lost jobs from pit closures
What were the reasons for the miners strike failure?
-police: had more experience and new equipment to defeat the miners, such as at the battle of ogreave (although there were criticised for this)
-lack of support : Scargill, refused to hold strike ballots and failed at dealing with regional miners division. Leading to formation of UDM(Union of democratic miners) creating bitter recriminations between the unions
-Arthur scargil: leader of NUM, alienated moderates, not get labour support, easily demonised by thatcher in press
-national flow of North Sea oil prevent energy crisis occurring
