Political Developments: Issues with Labour and the 1983 election

Question 1

What happened for Labour in March 1979?

Answer 1

The Labour Prime Minister, Callaghan, received a vote of no confidence

Question 2

What year was there a split in the Labour Party in the 1980s?

Answer 2

1981

Question 3

What happened in the 1981 Labour Party split?

Answer 3

The SDP was formed as a split from the Labour party

Question 4

Who was elected to be the Labour leader in 1980?

Answer 4

Michael Foot

Question 5

Who did many Labour party members feel should have been elected as Labour party leader in 1980?

Answer 5

Many people in the Labour party believed Dennis Healey should have been elected

Question 5

How many votes did Healey lose the 1980 Labour leadership election by?

Answer 5

Lost by 10 votes

Question 6

Which wing of the Labour party appeared to dominate Labour from 1981-83?

Answer 6

Left wing

Question 7

What did Labour say they would do with Nuclear Weapons in their 1983 Manifesto?

Answer 7

They would get rid of all nuclear weapons in Britain

Question 7

What did Labour say they would do with the EEC in their 1983 Manifesto?

Answer 7

They would leave the EEC

Question 8

How did the Conservatives attack Labour over their 1983 Manifesto?

Answer 8

Said many Labour MP’s did not support their own manifesto

Question 8

What did Labour say they would do with all privatised industries made private by the Conservatives in their 1983 Manifesto?

Answer 8

They would re-nationalise them

Question 9

What did some Labour MP’s say about the 1983 Labour Manifesto?

Answer 9

They said it was ‘the longest suicide note in history’

Question 10

Name a newspaper and where it was based that supported the 1983 Labour Manifesto

Answer 10

“Militant”, based in Liverpool

Question 11

What were the “Looney Left”?

Answer 11

People in left-wing councils that promoted liberal policies

Question 11

Which party controlled the Greater London Council in the 1980s?

Answer 11

Labour

Question 12

Where the Greater London Council part of the “Looney Left”?

Answer 12

Yes

Question 13

Why did Thatcher dislike the Greater London Council in relation to their spending?

Answer 13

They had a lot of public spending.

Question 14

Who gave the name “Looney Left” to left-wing councils?

Answer 14

Right-wing newspapers

Question 15

What year was the People’s March for Jobs?

Answer 15

1981

Question 16

Which region did the Peoples March for Jobs start their march in?

Answer 16

Liverpool

Question 17

Which council did the Peoples March for Jobs protest protest outside of?

Answer 17

Greater London Council

Question 18

What did the right-wing newspapers often do with their stories about the looney left?

Answer 18

They exaggerated the stories

Question 19

Name a story which right-wing newspapers exaggerated

Answer 19

That some councils banned “Baa Baa Black Sheep” for being racist

Question 20

Name one thing that the GLC funded

Answer 20

Black-owned businesses

Question 21

What year was the GLC abolished?

Answer 21

1985

Question 22

What year was the SDP formed?

Answer 22

1981

Question 23

Why was the SDP formed?

Answer 23

It was a split from the Labour party.

Question 24

Name 2 of the people who created the SDP

Answer 24

Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams

Question 25

What popular vote majority did Shirley Williams win in a 1981 by-election?

Answer 25

18,000 popular vote majority

Question 26

How many Labour Ministers joined the SDP when it was first formed?

Answer 26

30

Question 27

Why did so many Labour MP's join the SDP?

Answer 27

They feared the Labour Party was becoming too extreme

Question 28

Who did the SDP form an alliance with in 1981? Why was this significant in terms of strength?

Answer 28

They allied with the Liberals, which would make the SDP stronger

Question 29

What was a limitation of the SDP allying with the Liberals?

Answer 29

The parties had divisions between each other

Question 30

What was predicted with the SDP for the next election in a 1982 poll in terms of seats won?

Answer 30

They would win 600 seats

Question 31

How many seats did the SDP win in the 1983 election?

Answer 31

6 seats

Question 32

Which party won the 1983 Election?

Answer 32

Conservatives

Question 33

What popular vote majority did the Conservatives get in the 1983 election?

Answer 33

4 million popular vote majority

Question 34

What seat majority did the Conservatives gain?

Answer 34

144 seats

Question 35

What percentage of Trade Unionists voted Labour in the 1983 election?

Answer 35

Only 39%

Question 36

What was unemployment at in 1983?

Answer 36

3 million

Question 37

What international event helped increase Thatcher's popularity?

Answer 37

Falklands War

Question 38

What happened to unemployment figures every month after 1986?

Answer 38

They decreased

Question 39

Who was the Labour Party Leader during the 1983 election?

Answer 39

Michael Foot

Question 40

What did Foot do after the Labour Party 1983 election loss?

Answer 40

He resigned

Question 41

Who took the place of Michael Foot?

Answer 41

Neil Kinnock

Question 42

What did Kinnock think about the purpose of the Miners' Strike?

Answer 42

He supported the miners for striking

Question 43

What was one of the first issues Kinnock dealt with strike-wise?

Answer 43

The 1984-5 Miners' Strike

Question 44

What did Kinnock think of Arthur Scargill?

Answer 44

Kinnock disliked Scargill

Question 44

Why did Kinnock dislike Scargill over the 1984-5 Miners' Strike?

Answer 44

It was difficult for Labour to support a strike that was not called in a national ballot

Question 45

Why did Kinnock not fully support the miners' strike in relation to striking ballots?

Answer 45

The strike had started without a ballot

Question 45

Name a group in the Labour Party Kinnock had to deal with

Answer 45

Militant Tendency

Question 46

What was Militant Tendency?

Answer 46

A group of left-wing Labour ministers who supported left-wing policies

Question 46

Name a prominent figure in Militant Tendency (DH)

Answer 46

Derek Hatton

Question 47

What position was Derek Hatton in?

Answer 47

Leader of the Liverpool Council

Question 48

What did Hatton do with the Liverpool Council Budget?

Answer 48

He overspent to the extent that 31,000 people would lose their jobs

Question 49

What was Derek Hatton able to do at the 1984 Labour Conference?

Answer 49

Let city councils get past rate capping

Question 50

What year did Kinnock respond to Militant Tendency?

Answer 50

1985

Question 51

Did Kinnock succeed in showing authority over Militant Tendency?

Answer 51

Yes

Question 52

What did Neil Kinnock do to Derek Hatton at the 1985 Labour Party conference?

Answer 52

Expelled him from the party

Question 53

What was Rate Capping?

Answer 53

Putting a cap on the amount of money local councils could collect in taxes

Question 54

Why did the Conservatives introduce Rate Capping?

Answer 54

To reduce public spending

Question 55

How did Kinnock change the selection of Labour Ministers?

Answer 55

He made it more thorough

Question 56

Why did Kinnock introduce more thorough selections of Labour Ministers?

Answer 56

To avoid an influx of left-wing Labour ministers

Question 57

What happened to unilateral nuclear disarmament in the 1987 Labour manifesto?

Answer 57

It was abandoned

Question 58

What happened to high taxation in the 1987 Labour manifesto?

Answer 58

It was abandoned

Question 59

What did Kinnock do to Shadow Cabinet members?

Answer 59

He put them into the Policy Review Group

Question 60

What would the Policy Review Group do?

Answer 60

It would make sure that any policies were not too left-wing