1990-2007 Flashcards
(159 cards)
1
Q
What were the election results of the period?
A
1992 - 21 (Cons)
1997 - 179
2001 - 167
2005 - 66
2
Q
What was Major’s famous quote regarding Europe?
A
He wanted to be “at the heart of Europe”
3
Q
When did Major abandon the Poll Tax?
A
1991
4
Q
How much money did the Poll Tax waste?
A
£1.5 billion
5
Q
What vote share had Labour been forecasted before the 1992 General Election?
A
41%
6
Q
What were the effective Conservative campaigns before the 1992 General Election?
A
“The Journey”
Major’s Soapbox
“What can the Conservatives do for a working class boy from Brixton?”
7
Q
What contributed to Labour’s loss in the 1992 General Election?
A
Many felt Labour was still to weak and left wing having not reformed enough
Kinnock’s triumphalism reflected poorly, with him arriving to a rally in Sheffield via helicopter and do weird shit with his arms
8
Q
What was Kinnock’s nickname?
A
The Welsh Windbag
9
Q
How much did unemployment rise by between 1992 and 1993?
A
1 million
10
Q
What did the Conservatives focus on economically before the 1992 General Election?
A
High public spending e.g. granting subsidies for public transport and the NHS
11
Q
When was Black Wednesday?
A
16th of September 1992
12
Q
What was the pound fixed to when Britain joined the ERM?
A
A fixed rate of 2.95 German Marks to the £
13
Q
When did Britain join the ERM?
A
1990
14
Q
Who was chancellor at the time of Black Wednesday?
A
Norman Lamont
15
Q
When did Britain leave the ERM?
A
7pm on the 16th of September 1992
16
Q
What were the political impacts of Black Wednesday?
A
The Conservatives could no longer be trusted to run the economy
The Conservatives fell in the opinion polls, with Labour taking the lead
Major reflected upon Black Wednesday as “the beginning of the end”
17
Q
What were the economic impacts of Black Wednesday?
A
British exporters were helped as the exchange rate went down
Unemployment fell and the housing market steadied
By 1997, the economy was looking positive
18
Q
Examples of sleaze
A
David Mellor wore a Chelsea shirt to bed and had an affair
Tim Yeo had an affair and a “love child”
Stephen Milligan had an autoerotic death
Jeffery Archer and Johnathan Aitken went to prison for perjury
Neil Hamilton recieved cash from Mohamed Al-Fayed for asking specific questions in parliament
19
Q
When was the coal industry privatised?
A
1994
20
Q
When were railways privatised?
A
1996
21
Q
When was the Citizen’s Charter introduced?
A
1991
22
Q
What was the Citizen’s Charter?
A
An attempt to give public service users more power over the quality of services they were to receive by giving them standards to expect
23
Q
What was Heseltine’s U-turn?
A
Heseltine announced the need to close 31 pits in 1991 with some of them being in Nottinghamshire
There was outcry due to the memories of the Nottinghamshire Miners and the UDM
Initially Hesletine U-turned but eventually they were closed
24
Q
When was British beef banned in Europe?
A
1996 due to Mad Cow Disease
25
Which decisions were overturned in 1996 regarding Northern Ireland?
The imprisonment of the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six
26
From when did the government start receiving secret messages that Sinn Fein wanted to negotiate a peace agreement?
1993
27
When was the Downing Street Declaration?
1993
28
When was the IRA ceasefire announced?
1984
29
Why did the IRA break the ceasefire?
A final resolution was difficult to reach, as the unionists didn't believe in the IRA's commitment to peace, so they blew up a bomb in Manchester in 1996
30
How did party divisions worsen after the 1992 General Election for the Conservatives?
The right sought to expand for more drastic social measures
Some with leadership aspirations saw the opportunity to strive for these
31
When was the leadership challenge?
1995
32
What was Major's tagline for the leadership challenge?
"Back me or sack me"
33
How many voted against Major amidst the leadership challenge?
89
34
How did Thatcher show diminishing support for Major?
Backed Redwood in 1995
Appeared to show more support for Blair in 1997
35
When did John Smith become shadow chancellor?
1987
36
What was The Sun's headline on the day of the 1992 General Election?
"If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain turn the lights out?"
37
What did John Smith look to do with the trade union block vote?
Abolish it and replace it with a One Member One Vote system in 1993
38
When did John Smith die?
1994
39
How did Blair avoid a leadership challenge in 1994?
The Granita Deal
40
What, within New Labour, rebranded it?
Abolishing Clause IV in 1995
Embracing of the capitalist economy
Dropping the socialist ideology
41
How did Brown earn Labour the trust of the economy?
Promising to follow the Conservatives spending plans
42
What were the 5 points on the pledge card for the 1997 General Election?
No more than 30 children in each primary school class
No rise in income tax rates
Cut NHS waiting lists
Get 250,000 under-25s off benefits and into work
Fast track punishment for young offenders
43
Why was the Labour party not easy to attack by 1997?
They were no longer left-wing, meaning that the Conservatives couldn't frighten voters with the threat of social extremeism
44
What was the Conservative message regarding Labour in the 1997 General Election?
Labour had stolen Conservative policies
New Labour was just Old Labour in disguise
45
Who beat Neil Hamilton in his constituency?
Martin Bell
In Tatton
46
Which party drew away votes from the Conservatives?
The Referendum Party set up by Sir James Goldsmith
Contributed to David Mellor's loss in Putney
47
Why high profile Conservative lost their seats in the 1997 GE?
Michael Portillo, David Mellor, Norman Lamont
48
Why was tactical voting used in the 1997 GE
There was such a high anti Conservative sentiment
49
Why did negative attitudes towards homosexuality grow in the 1980s?
The AIDS epidemic
50
When was the first case of AIDS in the UK?
1981
51
What was AIDS known as?
The gay plague
52
How did Princess Diana help break the Stigma surrounding AIDS?
She shook hands with an AIDS patient
53
When did the government start an AIDS prevention campaign and what did it consist of?
1985
Needle exchanges were set up and leaflets were distributed to households and schools
54
What book did tabloids complain about in 1986 and why?
Jenny Lives With Eric And Martin
It appeared to promote homosexuality
55
When was Section 28 passed?
1988
56
What was Section 28?
A law which banned the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities
57
When was the homosexual age of consent lowered to 18?
1994
58
When was the homosexual age of consent lowered to 16?
2000
59
What caused moral panic in the 1980s?
Increased rates of divorce and children being born to unmarried parents
60
What was the increase in children born to unmarried parents from the early 80s to the early 90s?
12% to 30%
61
When was the child support agency set up?
1993
62
How much did Bell beat Hamilton by?
24.5% of the vote
63
When was the Video Recording Act?
1994
64
What did the Video Recording Act do?
Ensured that videos had British film classifications attached to them
65
What did Major outline a desire to do in 1990 regarding class?
Create a classless society
66
Why was there a loss of deference towards the royal family?
3 out of 4 of the Queen's children's marriages broke down
Princess Diana exposed the poor treatment she received and the Queen was deemed to not care
67
Which young British artists contributed towards the anti-establishment culture?
Damien Hirst
Tracy Emin
68
How did youth culture portray an anti-establishment sentiment?
Raves and the use of MDMA
69
How did the government respond to the emergence of raves?
By issuing the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act in 1994 which gave the police greater power to break up raves and banned repetitive beats
70
How did environmentalism develop?
AT the M3 extension in 1992, protestors chained themselces to trees
71
Which music group helped to promote feminism?
The Spice Girls
72
What was ladette culture?
Women speaking about sex and drinking in the same way men did
73
Who became the first female speaker in the house of commons and when?
Betty Boothroyd
1992
74
Who was the first female head of MI5?
Stella Rimmington
75
When did rape in marriage become illegal?
1994
76
When was the first ordination of women priests in the Church of England?
1994
77
What % of employees were women by 1996?
50%
78
What was a woman's pay compared to a man's by 1996?
80%
79
When was Stephen Lawrence murdered?
1993
80
What was significant about Stephen Lawrence's murder?
4 white men killed him
Police response was slow and assumed it was gang related
Police didn't announce the names of the murderers as they claimed there wasn't sufficient evidence
81
Where was there an increase in migrants from in the 1990s?
Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq
82
When was the Srebrenica Massacre?
1995
83
What was the Srebrenica Massacre?
Ethnic cleansing as Muslims were driven out of Bosnia
84
How many were killed in the Srebrenica Massacre?
8,000 men and young boys
85
What was the response to the Srebrencia Massacre?
UN peacekeeping force but with no military action
The USA was reluctant to intervene
86
What was Britain doing prior to the Srebrenica Massacre?
Humanitarian aid, ensuring freedom of movement and gathering intelligence
87
Who were the Europhiles under Major?
Ken Clarke, Chris Patten
88
Who were the Eurosceptics under Major?
Iain Duncan-Smith, Michael Portillo, John Redwood
89
When was the Maastricht Treaty?
1992
90
What did the Maastricht treaty do?
Created new structures do deal with the expansion of the EEC, Created the EU and introduced anew currency set to be introduced in 1999
91
How was Major effective regarding Maastricht?
Opted out of the social chapter and the Euro
92
Which university did Blair go to?
Oxford
93
How did Blair appear to be a normal person?
He supported Newcastle United
He had been in a rock band
94
Example of how Blair was able to read the public's opinion
Referred to her as "The people's princess"
Blair rose to 93% in the opinion polls off the back of this
95
What was Blair's "Third Way"?
He opted not to revert any of Thatcher or Major's policies
96
What were the drawbacks of the "Third Way"?
It led to critics arguing that he didn't stand for anything
97
What was Labour's stance on devolution?
In the 1997 election manifesto, they pledged to hold elections on devolution
98
What was the outcome of the devolution elections?
The Scottish and Welsh Assemblies were formed
99
Details on Ken Livingstone in 2000
Blair attempted to block him from running for the mayor of London as he was left of the party and Blair wanted to break away from continuation of the "Loony Left"
Livingstone ran as an independent, won and subsequently, Blair allowed him back into the party
100
What were the reforms to parliament that were discussed?
Roy Jenkins held a commission into alternative voting systems. In 1998, this deemed proportional representation was a better alternative system but this wasn't changed
101
When was the Freedom of Information Act?
2000
102
By 2006, how many requests were there via the Freedom of Information Act?
100,000 per year
103
When was the Human Rights Act?
1998
104
105
What did the Human Rights Act do?
The European Convention on Human Rights was incorporated into British Law
106
Example of a difficulty caused by the Human Rights Act
In 2004, the government was forced to amend anti-terrorist law as it violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
107
By when were all of the pledge card policies adopted?
2001
108
Example of how Blair continued Conservative policies
Blair promised to focus on education via keeping the league tables which had been introduced by Major
109
What did Blair promise around the time of the 2001 election?
More investment into health and education
110
How much livestock was culled due to foot and mouth disease?
10,000,000
111
Why was there a blockade by farmers in 2000?
In response to rising oil prices
112
When was the fox hunting ban?
2004
113
How many people marched with the countryside alliance to oppose the ban on fox hunting?
500,000
114
What were Brown's initial policies regarding the economy?
Keep public spending under control and keep inflation low in order to break away from the view that Labour was a "tax-and-spend party"
115
When did Brown pass the responsibility of setting interest rates onto the Bank of England?
1997
116
What led exams results to go up and waiting lists to go down post 2001?
Increased spending on into the public sector with new schools built and pay rises for doctors
117
How did the Labour government increase public spending without raising taxes?
PFI
118
How was Brown successful by 2007?
He maintained low inflation, record numbers of people in work and high living standards
119
Who was Clinton's envoy for Northern Ireland?
Mitchell
120
When was the Good Friday Agreement?
1998
121
How did Blair remain neutral with regards to Northern Ireland?
He was not reliant on the UUP as the previous Conservative government had been
122
How did Blair gain support from the republicans?
He had close relations with Bertie Ahern
123
What was Mo Mowlam's role in the Good Friday Agreement?
She negotiated with the UDA prisoners at the MAze prison
124
How many in Northern Ireland voted for the Good Friday Agreement?
71%
125
What were the key terms of the Good Friday Agreement?
Both Britain and Ireland would stop their claims for Northern Ireland and allow the people to decide for themselves
There would be an early release of prisoners once paramilitaries were committed to peace
Links between Northern Ireland, Ireland and Britain would be strengthened
Parties would be involved in the decommissioning of arms
126
Post 1997, what were the party divisions over?
Europe and those who "betrayed Maggie"
127
How many MPs under Hague were Eurosceptic?
145 out of 165
128
Why wasn't Ken Clarke picked as leader in 1997?
He was a Europhile and had advised Thatcher to step down in 1990
129
Why was Ken Clarke deemed to be a good fit as leader?
He had been successful as chancellor
He appeared down to earth due to his love of jazz, cigars and whiskey
130
What did Thatcher say about Hague?
"Vote William Hague to follow the same kind of government I did"
131
How old was Hague when he became leader?
36
132
Why were the Conservatives unpopular under Hague?
They were seen as intolerant, old-fashioned and obsessed over Europe
133
When did Hague step down as leader?
2001
134
Who did Hague appoint as his shadow chancellor?
Michael Portillo
135
Who replaced Hague as Conservative leader?
Iain Duncan-Smith
136
Why was Iain Duncan-Smith elected as Conservative leader?
Negative voting against Clarke and Portillo
137
Who introduced "compassionate conservatism"?
Iain Duncan-Smith
138
What did "compassionate conservatism" involve?
Greater awareness of the social implications of economic policy
Duncan-Smith visited Easterhouse estate in Glasgow to follow this
139
What was Iain Duncan-Smith's stance on Europe?
He was Eurosceptic
140
What were the examples of the Conservatives remaining socially conservative under Duncan-Smith and how did this promote divisions?
The voted against the repeal of Section 28 and gay couples being allowed to adopt children
Cameron and Osbourne refused to follow the party line with regards to this?
141
Why did Duncan-Smith fail to earn support from his backbenchers?
He'd led rebellions against Major over Maastricht
142
Why did Duncan-Smith find it difficult to criticize Labour's involvement in Iraq?
He'd supported it himself
143
What led to Iain Duncan-Smith being replaced?
He faced a vote of no confidence as he'd paid his wife a salary to act as his secretary
144
Who replaced Iain Duncan-Smith
Michael Howard
145
When did Howard become leader of the Conservatives?
2003
146
What happened to the party divisions under Howard?
They healed
147
Why were the party divisions healed under Howard?
Members of the Conservatives were fed up of the in fighting
"Many of us who hate everything Michael Howard stands for politically will back him because we are tired of the embarassment"
148
How did Howard promote Conservative modernisers?
He made David Cameron shadow education minister and George Osborne shadow chancellor
He also made it clear that he wanted his successor to be a moderniser
149
Who replaced Howard?
David Cameron
150
When did Cameron become leader?
2005
151
Who was Cameron's opposition amidst the 2005 leadership challenge?
David Davis
152
How did Cameron look to modernise the party?
Make the party more tolerant and inclusive to branch out support to gay people, minorities and young people
153
How was Cameron shown to take climate change seriously?
He visited the Artic and cycled to Westminster daily
154
What did Cameron pledge regarding the NHS?
He promised that a Conservative government would retain the levels of spending on the NHS as he was very supportive of the work they were doing for the disabled
155
Why did Labour find it difficult to attack Cameron?
Labour was in decline by this point and his work made the Conservatives appear to be electable
156
One key figure who opposed Cameron's modernising of the party
Norman Tebbitt
157
What made Hague very difficult to be taken seriously?
He wore a baseball cap, went to Notting Hill Carnival and bragged about drinking 14 pints per day as a teenager
158
What was poor about the Conservatives' campaign in 2001?
The tag line "Save the £" and focus on tough immigration were unappealing
Thatcher also appeared at a rally
159
What was unpopular about the Conservatives' manifesto in 2005?
It focused on tax cuts, a reduction in public sector spending, tougher law and order and tighter immigration
