Major

Question 1

What was a key reason for Major being Thatcher’s choice of successor

Answer 1

Thatcherites saw him as “one of them”

Question 2

Why did Major win a lot of respect with what type of politics

Answer 2

“soap box politics”

Question 3

Within a few months of winning the general election what was the government forced to do

Answer 3

Leave the ERM

Question 4

What was leaving the ERM known as

Answer 4

Black Wednesday

Question 5

Who was Majors chancellor

Answer 5

Norman Lamont

Question 6

Who announced live on television that Britain was leaving the ERM(Exchange rate mechanism)

Answer 6

Norman Lamont

Question 7

What were the economic consequences of leaving the ERM

Answer 7

Prevented Britain from having high interest rates to protect the stability of the pound

Allowed exchange rates to decrease- helping British exporters

Question 8

What were the Conservative scandals dubbed as

Answer 8

“Tory sleaze”

Question 9

What was “Cash for questions”

Answer 9

Neil Hamilton and other MP’s accused of accepting money for lobbying

On behalf of Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed

Hamilton ruined by very public libel case yet refused to resign

Hamilton humiliatingly defeated by the independent candidate Martin Bell

“Sleaze” was the keynote of Martins campaign

Question 10

What was the name for John Majors satirical character from Private eye

Answer 10

Adrian Mole

Question 11

How did Spitting image present John Major

Answer 11

Dull and boring

Question 12

What was the satire on Major like as a whole

Answer 12

None of it was vicious

Major remained more popular that his party yet his reputation of being well meaning yet inadequate stuck

Question 13

What was the cones hotline

Answer 13

A phone number motorist could call if motorways were close doff

A target for satire

Question 14

Who pushed for radical and social policies within the party

Answer 14

The right

Question 15

Which two party members were the face of the right wing opposition to Major

Answer 15

Michael Portillo and John Redwood

Question 16

When did John Major initiate a conservative leadership election

Answer 16

22 June 1995

Question 17

Who ran against Major in the leadership election

Answer 17

John Redwood
- Backed by Thatcherites and Eurosceptics

Question 18

Who made sure that everyone knew that he voted for Major in the leadership election in June 1995

Answer 18

Michael heseltine

Question 19

What was the rsult of the leadership election in June 1995

Answer 19

The first ballot had

218 for Major

89 for Redwood

Question 20

What did Tony Blair say about Majors leadership in PMQs

Answer 20

“I lead my party you follow yours”

Question 21

What were attitudes to liberal values in the 80s

Answer 21

Negative due to a promotion of more “Victorian values” from Thatcher

Question 22

What was AIDS referred to in the 80s

Answer 22

The “Gay plague”

Question 23

What did the conservatives do in 1985 to combat AIDS

Answer 23

A prevention campaign

leaflets distributed

TV adverts

Question 24

What did Princess Dianna do to challenge prejudices about AIDS in 1987

Answer 24

Shaking hands with a patient with AIDS

A hugely significant move in destigmatising AIDS patients

Question 25

What did section 28 do

Answer 25

Institutionalised ideas of homosexuality being unnatural and criminalised offices which sought to portray homosexuality as equal to heterosexuality

Question 26

What were divorce rates like

Answer 26

Hit a record number

Question 27

What group did Mary Whitehouse lead

Answer 27

National viewers and listeners association

Question 28

What did the national viewers and listeners association do

Answer 28

Initiated a socially conservative campaign against the more liberal distribution of films

Question 29

Which girl group promoted girl power

Answer 29

Spice girls

Question 30

What was the early 90s the start of regarding women

Answer 30

Third wave feminism

Question 31

When was Stephen Lawrence killed in a racially motivated attack

Answer 31

1993

Question 32

What was known about the Stephen Lawrence case

Answer 32

The identity of the killers however the Crown prosecution service decided there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute them

Question 33

Who were Europhiles in Majors government

Answer 33

Ken Clarke
Chris Patten

Question 34

Who were the eruosceptics in Majors government

Answer 34

Michael Portillo
John Redwood
Iain Duncan Smith

Question 35

What was the Maastricht treaty

Answer 35

Designed to set up new structures to deal with EEC expansion

Question 36

When did rebel MPs block Majors attempt to get parliament to ratify the Maastricht treaty

Answer 36

July 1993

Question 37

What did Major threaten

Answer 37

A vote of no confidence

Question 38

What was the result of Major threatening a vote of no confidence

Answer 38

Conservatives were far behind in opinion polls so this ensured support

Majors authority damaged and seen as weak

Question 39

What did Major say about the rebel MPs thinking the mic was off

Answer 39

“think from my perspective, a prime minister with a majority of 18 do we want 3 more of the bastards out there”

Question 40

What did Majors comment about the rebels do

Answer 40

Became headline news and made it harder for Major to position himself with eurosceptics

Question 41

After how long was the Maastricht treaty ratified

Answer 41

18 months

Question 42

When was the anti federalist league set up (Ukip)

Answer 42

1993

Question 43

Who set up the referendum party to fight the 1997 election on the single issue of demanding a referendum on Britain’s relationship with Europe

Answer 43

The wealthy Sir James Goldsmith

Question 44

What was srebrenica

Answer 44

In 1995 Bosnian Serb forces entered Srebrenica

Small force of Dutch UN peacekeepers
-had orders to not intervene

Question 45

How many were killed in srebrenica

Answer 45

7000 Bosnian males

Question 46

What did the events in the Balkans show about Britain

Answer 46

Britain’s place in the EU was being questioned