Conservative Electoral Victories 1975-1990
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- Created on: 23-04-18 17:31
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- Cons. Electoral Victories 1975-1990
- Labour Party's Weakness
- vote of no confidence in Callaghan on issue of devolution
- Callaghan on holiday (Guadeloupe)during 1979 Winter of Discontent
- Callaghan seemed complacent having spring boarded into his Premiership in 1976 following Wilson's shock resignation
- Labour was incontestablyweak
- seemed unable to be attractive & essentially electable
- 1983 manifesto 'longest suicide note in history'
- too focused on quaint issues inc. unilateral disarmament & fox hunting
- 1983 manifesto 'longest suicide note in history'
- Labour's divisions
- a divided opposition ensured the favouring of the FPTP system for the Cons.
- Liberal Alliance only 2.5 million votes behind Lab, they got 186 less seats
- splitting of Lab & formation of SDP caused opposition vote to split too many ways
- anti-poll tax riots pressure groups militant tendency began to take effect
- Lab ceased to be of political significance
- provided inadequate opposition to Cons.
- Thatcher's Strengths
- T's appearance was political mastery as she tamed the unions & saved B from its Winter of Worries
- she won a 43 seat majority in 1979 to illustrate the success of her campaign - working majority
- T had been Tory leader since 1975 so had time to build up party machine for 1979 election
- pragmatism of Cons. under T was reason for success 1979
- T appeared as vitalised & energetic leader
- Right to Buy incentivised market & economy
- created property owning society
- Heseltine in 1980s = 'greatest transfer of capital from the state to the people'
- 2 million had opportunity to buy their council houses for less than market price
- rolling back state frontiers
- more ordinary citizens able to buy shares in private markets
- denationalisation of British industry e.g. BT
- political mastery of T inc. TV adverts 'if you see Sid, tell him' (1983)
- appealed to inept middle class of Tory voters - those in share owning democracy
- Cons. umbrella party while Lab. niche
- Falklands Factor
- unleashed national wave of patriotism at home & abroad
- landslide of 397 with 144 seat majority
- Tory Weaknesses
- policies of previous terms having effect by 1987
- Right to Buy dangled carrot in front of voters noses
- direct result was Poll Tax
- direct rate of income tax falling & increasing VAT had significant impact & was addressed by attack on the poor
- politicisation of police & decentralisation of power from LW councils causes problems beyond repair for Tories
- Labour Party's Weakness
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