The Impact Of Thatcherism Fact Test Flashcards
Conviction politician
Someone who follows policies based on their own beliefs rather than bc they’re popular or to follow what had gone before.
Thatcher.
Thatcher
. Outsider: untraditional Tory
. Middle class, daughter of a grocer
. Self reliance and self improvement lay at the heart of her upbringing and this influenced her political beliefs
What did thatcher say at the 1981 conference?
‘You turn if you want to - the lady’s not for turning’
Thatcherism
. Based on some traditional Tory thinkers and by her instincts
. Heavily influenced by ‘new right’ think tanks and academics
. For Thatcherites the free market was moral bc it encouraged individuals to take responsibility for their own actions
The New Right
. Rejected Keynesianism
. In favour of monetarism and free-market economics
The Wets
. Willie Whitelaw (Home Secretary)
. Jim Prior (Employment Minister)
. Michael Heseltine (leading conservative politician)
The Dries
. Norman Tebbit (Trade Secretary)
. Geoffrey Howe (Thatcher’s first chancellor of the Exchequer)
. Nigel Lawson (replaced Howe as Chancellor)
Labour left
. Tony Benn (ex elite left wing intellectual)
. Arthur Scargill (leader of the NUM)
. Derek Halton (strong militant and Trotskyist based in Liverpool)
. Ken Livingstone (‘red Ken’, controversial, epitome of ‘New Left’)
Labour Centre
. Neil Kinnock (Labour leader in 1980)
. Michael Foot (soft left, Labour leader before Neil)
. Peter Mandelson (spin doctor, Labour moderniser)
Gang of 4 (Labour right)
. Shirley Williams
. David Owens
. Roy Jenkins (former chancellor and Home Secretary)
. Bill Rodgers
They all left to form the Social Democrat Party
SDP - Crosby election
. Conservative area . Williams won by majority of 5289 . Tory candidate was John Butcher . Williams got into trouble w her vague views on abortion (it was a Catholic area) . Won 26 Nov 1981
SDP - internal disputes over reselection of MPs
. National Executive Committee who ran Labour + were dominated by the left were picking MPs
. The Right knew they’d lose their jobs
. Williams watched her party move further to the left
SDP - Roy Jenkins n the Dimbleby election
. Jenkins called for a new centre party
. He was influential, People listened to him
. Williams thought they should stay and fight
SDP - 1980 Special Conference
. About changing voting procedures
. Left wing people deciding on party leadership
. Not good for right
SDP - Blackpool Conference
. Williams, David Owens + Bill Rodgers wanted a more Social Democrat Party
. Tony Benn made a speech against it
. The hard left loved this speech
. They realised the party needed to be formed through revolution
. Williams was spat at
SDP - resignation of Callaghan and leadership context
. 2 options: Dennis Healey and Michael Foot
. Healey made no effort so Foot won by 10 votes
. Labour left appalled at appointment
. Williams refused to stand
SDP - Limehouse Declaration
. SDP formed
. Declaration of official formation
. £75,000 donation + letters wrote to them
. Limehouse - one of the gang lived on this street
SDP - Warrington by election
. Roy Jenkins stood - defeated by Labour
. However brought Labour majority down from 10,000 to under 1000
What factors account for the re-emergence of the Liberal Party in the early 1980s?
. Position of Liberals improved after 70s especially in rural Scotland, Wales + the South East
. Resignation of Jeremy Thorpe embarrassed party
. David Steel became party leader
. The Liberals developed successful strategies after 1979 election of tailoring campaigns to local issues
. Share of Liberal vote wasn’t reflected in no. of seats they won. They campaigned for PR + in these circumstances an alliance w SDP made sense.
Northern Ireland - Hunger Strikes
. Began in 1980 in protest by the IRA prisoners to be treated as political prisoners
. Led by Bobby Sands
Northern Ireland - Special Category Status
. What the IRA prisoners wanted
. Didn’t achieve it - 10 strikers died and the protest was called off in October 1981
Northern Ireland - Sands by election
. Bobby Sands nominated to represent Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA to replace independent Republican MP in Fermanagh, south Tyrone, after his death
. Sands won but died from a hunger strike a few weeks later
Northern Ireland - Brighton Bomb
. October 1984
. IRA bomb exploded in Grand Hotel during the Conservative Party Conference
. Thatcher, the main target, was unhurt, but five were killed
Northern Ireland - the Anglo Irish Agreement
. November 1985
. Signed at Hillsborough
. Set up permanent intergovernmental co-operation between UK and the Republic of Ireland
. Conservatives hoped it’d enhance security co-operation between them, + aimed to strengthen moderate nationalists against Sinn Fein and was supported by the SDLP + the alliance.
. Republicans opposed it as it confirmed that Northern Ireland was part of the UK
Northern Ireland - Ulster Resistance
. A new unionist paramilitary organisation set up in 1986 in response to the Hillsborough Agreement giving the Irish government involvement in Northern Ireland
Bobby Sands
. Joined IRA as a teen in 1972 bc of experiences growing up in Belfast
. Protestants intimidated his Catholic family out of their home 3 times
. Forced by gunmen to leave his job
. Arrested in 1972 for possession of firearms
. After release in 1976 he was involved in a bombing of furniture showroom + sentenced to 14yrs in prison
. Died age 27: martyr for Republican Movement
Gerry Adams
. Leader of Sinn Fein in 1981
. MP for West Belfast in 1983 but refused to go to ‘English parliament’ bc it’d mean swearing allegiance to the Queen
. An architect of Sinn Fein’s twin track strategy, using the armalite and the ballot box
. 1990s: played a leading role in IRA ceasefires and peace process, led to the Good Friday Agreements
Reverend Ian Paisley
. Led Loyalist opposition to Catholic civil rights movement in 1960s + was involved in setting up paramilitary loyalist organisations
. Evangelical Protestant, established Presbyterian Church of Ulster in 1951
. Outspoken in criticism of Catholics, famously denouncing Pope as the Antichrist
. MP from 1970-2010 and MEP from 1979-2004
. First Minister of Northern Ireland 2007-2008 under his terms
1983 Election - the result
. 397 seats for Conservatives (42.4%)
. 209 for Labour (27.6%)
. 23 for Alliance (25.4%)
. Swing of 3.8% from Labour to Conservatives
. Largest majority in post-war history after Attlee’s majority in 1945
1987 Election - the result
. Conservative majority of 102 down from 144 . 1.2% swing to Labour . 376 Conservative seats (42.3%) . 229 Labour seats (30.8%) . 22 Alliance seats (22.5%)
1983 - Defense
. Key to Labour’s downfall: Foot forced to modify manifesto’s defense commitments, saying Labour would ‘move towards’ a non-nuclear defense policy + the removal of bases
. Speech shot down by Callaghan: Polaris was effective deterrent according to Callaghan
. Falklands war won - made Tories look good
1987 - Defense
. Confusion over Labour’s defense policy
. Led to Tory campaign poster showing a British soldier surrendering: “Labour’s policy in arms”.
1983 - Economy
. Private documents released by Labour
. Report by National Economic Development Council - Labour claimed Ministers had suppressed it to hide truth about Britain’s economic performance
1987 - Economy
. Thatcher suggested fees may be intro’d for state ed - worried voters
. Tories attacked Labour on tax: Labour’s proposals costed at £35bil
. Nigel Lawson argued it’d mean income tax of 58% or VAT of 50%
. Bryan Gould admitted top 5% of earners would be hit
1983 - Campaign
. Tory manifesto 3 pillars: defense, employment, economic prosperity
. Committed to EU, independent nuclear deterrent, trade union reform, privatisation, tax reduce
. Labour’s manifesto: “longest suicide note in history”
. Soft Labour policies: 12 point plan - cancellation of Trident, abolition of House of Lords, withdrawal from Common Market
1987 - Campaign
. “Wobbly Thursday” Daily Telegraph poll showed Tory lead down to 4%
. Advertising guru Tim Bell spent £2mil in a single week to save them
. “Britain is great again. Don’t let Labour wreck it.”
. Labour’s manifesto was sleek + professional
. “The first Kinnock in a thousand generations” popular
