Background:
- In 1970 there was an election which Edward Heath (Conservative Party) lost
- Then the 3-day week started because Coal Miners went on strike as power was turned off
- In 1974, he called an election and Labour won. He gave miners the 28% pay rise they wanted
- For 5 years trade unions were perhaps more powerful then politicians going to the government for Beer and Sandwiches.
- In 1975, James Callahan took over
- In 1976 the UK was in a lot of debt and the IMF bailed us out
- In 1978/79 we had the “winter of discontent” where all people in the public sector went on strike
- We were known as the “sick man of Europe” as we were behind all other European countries
- In 1979, Labour got a vote of no confidence by one vote and a general election had to be called. Conservatives won and Mrs Thatcher won becoming the first female Prime Minister the UK ever had.
- She changed the number of people who could be outside on strike not allowing others to go into work
- Introduced the secret ballot for strikes to go ahead
- And you could only go one strike in one place if you had another job as well
- In 1985 she took on the coal miners and didn’t give them anything else – they later all went away.
- “Labour still isn’t working”
The
Key Policies:
- Labour focused on its ability to deal with trade unions. Adopted a moderate financial course. Kept the left quiet.
- The Conservatives focused “Labour isn’t working”. The policy included: Right to buy scheme and tax cuts.
The
Campaign:
- The mass media played a key role as Press conferences were timed to provide a mid-day news story, afternoon walkabouts where leaders met with ‘normal people’. Speeches were timed to catch the evening news.
- People didn’t like the adversarial model and leaders avoided attacking each other
- Campaign was much more presidential, media focused on the personality of the leaders
- Thatcher Factor was significant as she seemed to be more: Less experienced, less in touch, more extreme etc.
- Other parties were kept quieter due to the two main parties
Impact
Of The Election:
- Incumbency Factor: So we had years of Labour rule so we wanted to change
- Campaign lead to a tighter election than the opinion polls suggested
- Results showed rejection of Labour and a clear victory for the Conservatives despite it being tight.
-
SeatsWin/LossShare of Votes %Labour269
-50
37.0
Conservative339
+62
43.9
- Campaign was dull and uninspiring
- Conservatives got votes off C2 (skilled workers)
- However, polices showed the “mood for change”
- Opinion polls showed a closing gap between the two parties which meant turnout increased which was good for the Conservative party
- Set the tone for presidential style election
-
Geography
All areas swung towards the Conservatives but that was mainly in the south
ClassConservatives remained with AB and C1. Labour had C2 and DE but it swung in favour of the Conservatives 11% and 9%
GenderMen were split even whereas women favoured the Conservatives
AgeLabour won 18-24, Conservatives won everything else. Labour support went down at 35-54 and the Liberal support only came from 35-54
RaceLack of data for black and ethnic minorities group as it was very small part of the vote - 5%.
Additional Notes:
- Longest swing since WW2 (5%)
- It brought 18 years of Tory rule
- End of an era – Post War Consensus ended by Thatcher. It meant we had both public and private sectors.
- The Income policy was introduced
- Everyone wanted a pay rise – winter of discontent
- 1 and half million went on strike on the same day.