How successful was Thatcher's management of her Cabinet?

Question 1

Why were the first few years of Thatcher’s premiership?

Answer 1

She did not have allies in senior members of cabinet. (In Shadow Cabinet)

• Had been loyal to Heath.
• Saw themselves as ‘one nation’ conservatives. –> wanted to maintain unity and spend money on employment and welfare.
• Thatcher called them ‘one-nation’ Conservative ‘wets’

Question 2

Why Thatcher had little support?

Answer 2

• Limited government experience –> had been Minister of Education under Heath
• Her gender divided opinion with Conservatives
• She disagreed with ‘one-nation’ Conservatives

Question 3

Positives in her relationship with her cabinet?

Answer 3

• Small bands of loyalists –> Her deputy (William Whitelaw) and her economic adviser (Keith Joseph)
• Backed in Commons by energetic MPs.
• Popular with grassroot members of the party –> emphasis on economic prudence, defeating socialism and restoring Britain’s greatness.

Question 4

How did Thatcher master her cabinet?

Answer 4

• Made allies (‘dries’)
• Geoffrey Howe became chancellor of the exchequer and Joseph was given Department of Trade and Industry.
• 1981 –> Moved Jim Prior from the Department of Employment and replacing him with Norman Tebbit and sacked ‘wets’
• She could promote more of her supporters.

Question 5

Why were there initially so many wets in her cabinet?

Answer 5

• She felt obliged to promote them

Question 6

How did Lawson describe Thatcherism in 1981

Answer 6

‘a mixture of free markets, financial discipline, firm control over public expenditure, tax cuts, nationalism, “Victorian values” (of the self-help variety), privatisation and a dash of populism’

Question 7

Who is Thatcher credited with influencing?

Answer 7

• President Ronald Reagan (USA)

Question 8

Personal reasons why Thatcher was liked?

Answer 8

• Roughness
• When asked if she would copy Heath’s U-turn she said ‘You turn if you want to; the lady’s not for turning’
• ‘iron lady’ image. –> unwavering hostility to USSR and 1982 Falkland’s campaign

Question 9

Criticisms of Thatcher?

Answer 9

• Switching taxes from direct to indirect taxation disproportionately hit the poor.
• Growth of ‘cardboard cities’
• Church of England bishops drew attention to problems of inner-city poor.
• In October 1987, she stated in an interview she said ‘there is no such thing as society’

Question 10

Results of Falkland’s war for her Cabinet?

Answer 10

She had the favour to sack the ‘wets’
- Francis Pym sacked as Foreign Secretary and replaced by Geoffrey Howe

Question 11

Three essay points to Cabinet?

Answer 11

• Her charm
• Reshuffles
• Created groundswell of opposition –> so makes mistakes as doesn’t listen to advice