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Modern Britain Y2 > (!) 6:22 The Conservative Party, 1997-2007 > Flashcards

(!) 6:22 The Conservative Party, 1997-2007 Flashcards

1
Q

Who were the leaders of the Conservative Party in 1997-2007?

A
  1. William Hague (1997-2001)
  2. Iain Duncan-Smith (2001-2003)
  3. Michael Howard (2003-2005)
  4. David Cameron (2005-2007)
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2
Q

When Major resigned as leader in 1997, there remained strong divisions within the Conservative Party:

A

> On Europe

> Bitterness towards those who ‘betrayed’ Thatcher

> Disagreements over the future of the party

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3
Q

What were these disagreements over the future of the party?

A

Some believed they should not change, and wait for the electorate to come to their senses and vote Conservative as the ‘natural party’, since New Labour had adopted many Thatcherite reforms.

However, others believed that the party would have to change if it were to be electable again.

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4
Q

How did Hague come to be leader in 1997?

A

> He was a compromise candidate

> The obvious candidate, Michael Portillo, had lost his seat

> He was Thatcher’s choice candidate

> He only won as he had fewer enemies than the other candidates

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5
Q

What was Hague’s background, and what was he like as a politician?

A

> He had limited political experience

> A moderniser, and appeared more common

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6
Q

Hague’s leadership tenure was beset by…

A

poor publicity and stumbles

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7
Q

Hague found it difficult to be taken seriously, e.g.

A

> He appeared at the Notting Hill Carnival

> He boasted about drinking 14 pints a day as a teenager

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8
Q

During Hague’s premiership, the party failed to…

A

make any progress in polls

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9
Q

Under Hague, the Conservative Party was more Eurosceptic and Thatcherite:

A

145 of the 165 MPs were Eurosceptic

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10
Q

How did Hague unify the party on Europe?

A

He ruled out entry into a single currency in the foreseeable future

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11
Q

Hague introduced new leadership rules:

A

MPs voting in a succession of ballots until only two candidates remained; the vote then went to party membership.

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12
Q

More members realised the Conservatives needed to change their image and policies, as they were seen as intolerant, old-fashioned:

A

The party started to divide between those who believed they needed to change, Mods, and those who resisted this, Rockers.

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13
Q

In the lead-up to the 2001 election, there were still bad divisions within the party and they were performing badly in polls, so Hague…

A

retreated to right-wing policies in an attempt to boost votes: ‘the fight to save the pound’ and anti-immigration

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14
Q

What was the result of the 2001 election?

A

Labour won 412 seats, Con 165 seats

> A landslide defeat

> Hague resigned immediately

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15
Q

In some ways, the 2001 defeat was even worse than the 1997 defeat:

A

they had made no progress

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16
Q

What were divisions like over whether the party should modernise, when Duncan-Smith became leader in 2001?

A

It appeared the Rockers (resisted change) had defeated the Mods (wanted to modernise)

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17
Q

Who were the other candidates for leadership in 2001?

A

Clarke and Portillo - however, they were viewed with suspicion due to their views

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18
Q

What was Duncan-Smith’s attitude towards Europe?

A

He was strongly Eurosceptic, like most Conservative members

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19
Q

While Duncan-Smith’s Euroscepticism didn’t define his leadership…

A

it did reopen divisions within the party

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20
Q

Duncan-Smith had little charisma as a leader:

A

he was no match for Blair

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21
Q

Under Duncan-Smith, the party remained…

A

behind in opinion polls

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22
Q

After only a few months as leader…

A

some Conservative MPs were plotting to get rid of Duncan-Smith

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23
Q

Duncan-Smith made efforts to introduce compassionate conservatism:

A

awareness of social implications of economic policy. He visited a deprived estate and realised the party had to do more to tackle poverty

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24
Q

Under Duncan-Smith, the party remained socially conservative:

A

voted against repealing Section 28 and allowing unmarried couples to adopt.

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25
Q

These issues demonstrated party divisions:

A

some modernisers refused to follow the party line

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26
Q

Duncan-Smith was heavily criticised for…

A

supporting British entry into the Iraq War

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27
Q

There was a political scandal while Duncan-Smith was leader:

A

‘Betsygate’ - The scandal was over the level of pay that Iain Duncan-Smith’s wife enjoyed as her husband’s diary secretary.

> IDS was seen as corrupt

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28
Q

In 2003, Duncan-Smith…

A

faced calls from his own party to resign or face a vote of confidence

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29
Q

He lost…

A

90 to 75

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30
Q

Who was elected leader in 2003?

A

Michael Howard

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31
Q

Howard took over as a unifying figure:

A

he had support from both Mods and Rockers

32
Q

He brought stability to the party:

A

despite being on the right of the party, he promoted modernisers

33
Q

Howard struggled to compete with…

A

Blair in opinion polls

34
Q

Under Howard, Duncan-Smith’s social justice work was…

A

abandoned and the party remained distrusted on areas such as health and education

35
Q

Howard announced radical changes to…

A

the way the Shadow Cabinet would work. Slashed the number of members by half

36
Q

How did Howard define the party beliefs and make them appear more unified?

A

· Defined a personal credo and list of core beliefs of the party in 2004

· Presented their Timetable For Action

37
Q

The 2005 Conservative manifesto reinforced the idea that the party had not changed:

A

tough line on immigration, law and order and reduction to the public sector.

38
Q

What was the result of the 2005 general election?

A

Labour won 355 seats, Con won 198 seats. Although they made some progress, it was still limited.

the Conservatives made a partial recovery by a net gain of 31 seats

39
Q

Howard announced he was stepping down, but not until…

A

the party amend the rules governing the election of the Party leader. He announced that his preference was for his successor to be a moderniser.

40
Q

This was the Conservatives’ third consecutive defeat, despite some ongoing problems in Labour:

A

Labour’s unpopularity over the war in Iraq and divisions between Blairites and Brownites

41
Q

Overall, these leaders resisted reform, or…

A

failed to promise social change, while Labour was focusing on this

42
Q

Their manifestos didn’t change significantly in 1997-2005:

A

continuation of their former policies; wasn’t keeping up with a fast-changing Britain

43
Q

Why weren’t the Conservatives trusted with the economy?

A

The legacy of Black Wednesday, also Labour was dealing with the economy very well

44
Q

Who became leader in 2005?

A

David Cameron

45
Q

Cameron announced his intention to…

A

reform and realign the Conservative Party in a manner similar to that achieved by the Labour Party in opposition under Tony Blair

46
Q

He distanced himself from the much hated Conservative Party of the past:

A

He apologised for Section 28, and focused on modern environmental issues

47
Q

He modernised parliamentary representation:

A

he reduced the central candidates’ committee. Included female and non-Establishment figures

48
Q

He set about detoxifying and modernising the party, and realised they needed to make it more…

A

tolerant and inclusive of young people, minorities, etc

49
Q

He highlighted untraditional policy areas:

A

he promised they would take climate change seriously; they would protect the NHS; talked less of the EU; supported gay rights

50
Q

George Osborne (Shadow Chancellor) promised to…

A

maintain Labour’s level of spending on public services

51
Q

Overall, the Conservative Party appeared much more…

A

electable

52
Q

How did Cameron himself help to update the party’s image?

A

He was young for a party leader, changing the former image of being old and out-of-touch

53
Q

Apologising for Section 28 was very significant:

A

he said the party should never have let it happen; an effort to change the image of the ‘nasty party’

54
Q

By 2005, Blair had been PM for 8 years…

A

he was no longer fresh and new, while Cameron offered this

55
Q

Cameron ignored party divisions:

A

while this didn’t fix them, it drew attention away from them, which can be seen as successful

56
Q

Which of Labour’s reforms did Cameron accept?

A

Labour’s spending on social services

57
Q

In New Labour’s 2001 election campaign, they promised to increase the minimum wage to…

A

£4.20

58
Q

Which policies did New Labour promise to keep?

A

The New Deal and the Children’s Tax Credit

59
Q

They promised…

A

10,000 more teachers and 6,000 more police

60
Q

Overall, New Labour’s 2001 election campaign focused on…

A

attention to the people and the community, and focused on the accomplishments that New Labour had already made

61
Q

What aspects of the New Labour government did the Conservatives criticise in their 2001 election campaign?

A

> The Early Release Scheme and rising crime

> Their handling of the NHS

> Their attitudes towards Europe

62
Q

The Conservatives promised to…

A

> cut taxes

> abolish the release scheme

> to keep the pound

63
Q

Overall, the Conservatives focused on…

A

pointing out Labour’s weaknesses

64
Q

The bedrock of Blair’s electoral success was…

A

a decade of uninterrupted growth coupled with low interest rates and rising house prices

65
Q

Blair and Brown were able to present the 2001 election campaign as…

A

investment from Labour versus tax cuts from the Conservatives.

66
Q

Labour’s policies involved extensive government intervention in…

A

economic life, although mainly on the supply side.

67
Q

Under Blair, the economy was the best it has been in the post-war era:

A

low unemployment, low inflation and economic growth

68
Q

Britain is now richer (in terms of GDP per head) than…

A

any of the major European countries, as well as Canada and Japan.

69
Q

Large-scale investment was made in…

A

public services and significant reform was achieved in the areas of health and education

70
Q

2001 NHS Plan declared that…

A

under Labour’s proposals, “the traditional waiting list will become a thing of the past”

71
Q

Teacher numbers rose by…

A

12% across the whole period

72
Q

The NHS benefitted from…

A

triple the funding

73
Q

The period saw a huge and sustained drop in…

A

crime rates

74
Q

There were area-based initiatives such as…

A

Every Child Matters and Sure Start

75
Q

The period 2002 to 2005 saw…

A

3.7% annual growth

76
Q

In 1997-2005 inflation averaged…

A

1.5%

Modern Britain Y2 (7 decks)

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