Topic 4: Social (1979-87) Flashcards
1
Q
4
Describe the ‘right to buy’ scheme
A
- Enacted through Housing Act 1980
- Allowed 5m tenants who had lived in their council property for 3 years to purchase it for 33% (house) discount on market price or 44% (flat)
- Gave 50% discount to 20-year tenants
- Tax relief on interest-free mortages raised from £25k to £30k in 1983 budget
2
Q
3
Describe the impact of the ‘right to buy’ scheme
A
- by end of 1984, 800k council tenants had bought own home
- Home ownership grew from 55% (1980) to 64% (1987)
- Grew middle-class and held popular electorate backing
3
Q
3
Describe limits to the ‘right to buy’ scheme
A
- Thather froze receipts councils gained from sales due to distrust of local authorities
- Revenues not invested into new public housing to aid future householders
- Collapse of public housing doubled number of homeless families with children between 1980-82
4
Q
2
Describe youth unemployment in the early 1980s
A
- Between 1981-82, u25s made up of 40% of unemployed
- Only 50% of British school leaver were trained compared with 80% in France and 90% in Germany
5
Q
3
Describe Youth Training Schemes (YTS)
A
- 1981, YTS created as a result of youth riots
- Guaranteed all young people paid training
- Employers participating recieved financial help
6
Q
3
Describe limits to YTS
A
- Standard of training was low
- Iniated to remove youth from unemployment figures
- Exploited for cheap temporary labour (trainees not retained)
7
Q
2
Describe health policy in Thatcher’s first term
A
- Cabinet considered private health insurance and extension of user fees in 1982
- Thatcher realised such proposals would amount to political suicide
user fees - drug costs, etc
8
Q
5
Describe education policy in Thatcher’s first term
A
- 1980, assisted places scheme introduced
- 1981, full-cost tuition fees for international students introduced
- Keith Joseph made cuts that saw a 15% reduction in university funding
- No return to triparite system against what Conservatives had long campaigned for
- Shelved plans to entirely end state funding of higher education to appease aspirational tory voters
9
Q
5
Describe the assisted places scheme
A
- Introduced 1980
- means-tested government financial support for place at independent school
- added to sense of aspiration that bolstered electoral chances
- ironically furthered the breakdown of class barriers
- critics argued that funding should have been directed to the wider comprehensive system
10
Q
6
Describe inner city riots 1981
A
- April 1981, Brixton riots saw fighting breakout between black youths and Met Police over racial tensions
- At time, over 50% of the black population in Brixton were unemployed
- July 1981, riots in Toxteth, Liverpool, Manchester, etc
- 4k arrested (2/3 u21 and majority unemployed)
- yet 2/3 already had criminal records
- Scarman report
11
Q
3
Describe the Scarman Report 1981
A
- condemned rioting
- yet detailed alienation of unemployed black males due to social and economic difficulties
- deplored intolerance of the Met police
12
Q
5
Describe the Greenham Women
A
- CND organised mass protests against 1979 decision to place American cruise missiles at British bases
- 1981, group of women set up camp outside RAF Greenham Common, Bekshire which would remain for 19 years
- 1983, women formed 14 mile chain as missiles were due to arrive
- Linked feminism with pacificism
- 1984, Newbury local council evicted women and demolsihed camp (though set up again)
13
Q
4
Describe education policy in Thatcher’s second term
A
- Pressure to apply short-term profit making measures
- ‘brain drain’ of academics to USA
- Growing gap between old intellectuals and Thatcherite welath creators
- 1985, OU voted deny Thatcher an honorary degree, against convention, due to ‘systematic damage’ she had done on education (had only previously denied President Bhutto of Pakistan)
14
Q
4
Describe the Social Security Act 1986
A
- Sought to reduce ‘dependency culture’ by introducing more rigorous means-testing
- Grants to poorest claimaints replaced with loans
- Family credit payments for low income families
- Permitted employees to opt out occupational pension scheme ran by employers and create own personal pension scheme
15
Q
2
Describe the CND in the 1980s
A
- Greenham Women
- New enthusiasm after Thatcher’s backing of deterrent policy
