Political Developments: The 1979 election and developments up to 1982

Question 1

What seat majority did the Conservatives win in the 1979 election?

Answer 1

40 seats

Question 2

What divide was reflected with the 1979 election results?

Answer 2

The North-South Divide

Question 3

How many female ministers were elected in the 1979 election out of 635?

Answer 3

20

Question 4

Which general election was the previous one to have less seats won by female MP’s before 1979?

Answer 4

It was the lowest amount of seats gained by female ministers since 1951

Question 5

In what way did Thatcher balance her cabinet?

Answer 5

She filled it with both Wets and Drys

Question 6

What election strategy in terms of TV did the Conservatives do to boost votes?

Answer 6

They ran their campaigns at times in the day when they new middle-class television viewership was at its highest

Question 7

What seat majority did the Conservatives win in the 1983 election?

Answer 7

144 seats

Question 8

Why was Labour weak in the 1979 election?

Answer 8

The Labour Prime Minister had received a vote of no confidence

Question 9

What seat majority did the Conservatives win in the 1987 election?

Answer 9

100 seats

Question 10

What did the term “Wets” mean in Thatchers time as Prime Minister?

Answer 10

People in her party who did not like going further away from the post-war consensus

Question 11

What did the term “Drys” mean in Thatchers time as Prime Minister?

Answer 11

People in her party who supported going further away from the post-war consensus

Question 13

Was Norman Tebbit a Wet or a Dry?

Answer 13

Dry

Question 14

What was the role of Geoffrey Howe for Thatcher’s first term? Was he a wet or a dry?

Answer 14

Chancellor of the Exchequer. Howe was a wet

Question 15

In what way was Howe a wet?

Answer 15

His views over Europe came into conflict with Thatchers views

Question 16

Was Nigel Lawson a Wet or a Dry?

Answer 16

He was a dry

Question 17

What was the role of Michael Heseltine in Thatcher’s time as PM? Was he a wet or a dry?

Answer 17

He was the Minister for Liverpool. He was a wet

Question 18

Why was Heseltine a wet?

Answer 18

He had conflicting views with Thatcher over Europe

Question 19

What was the belief in Thatcherism in relation to government size?

Answer 19

The belief in a small government

Question 19

What was the definition for “Wets” in relation to Trade Unions?

Answer 19

People in Thatchers party who did not wish to reduce the power of Trade Unions

Question 20

What was the definition for “Drys” in relation to Trade Unions?

Answer 20

People in Thatchers party who supported reducing the power of Trade Unions

Question 20

Name a book that influenced Thatcher in her policies

Answer 20

The Road to Serfdom

Question 21

What was the belief in Thatcherism in relation to the type of market for the economy?

Answer 21

Free market

Question 22

What percentage was the highest rate of income tax at in 1979?

Answer 22

83%

Question 23

What percentage was the highest rate of income tax at in 1980?

Answer 23

60%

Question 24

What percentage was the standard rate of income tax at in 1979?

Answer 24

33%

Question 25

What percentage was the standard rate of income tax at in 1980?

Answer 25

30%

Question 26

Why did Thatcher reduce higher income tax more than lower income tax?

Answer 26

To give an incentive for people on standard income tax to get into the higher bracket

Question 27

Name a form of Indirect Taxation

Answer 27

VAT

Question 28

What did Thatcher put VAT up to and what was it before this?

Answer 28

She put it up to 15%, when it was previously 8%

Question 29

What popular piece of legislation did Thatcher introduce for council house owners?

Answer 29

The Right To Buy

Question 30

What act made the Right to Buy? What year?

Answer 30

Housing Act, 1980

Question 31

What percentage of British people wanted the right to buy council houses in the 1970s?

Answer 31

80% of people

Question 32

Which era of norms and values did Thatcher wish to re-implement into British society?

Answer 32

Victorian norms and values

Question 33

What economic policy did Thatcher introduce to Britain?

Answer 33

Monetarism

Question 34

What happened to interest rates under Monetarism?

Answer 34

They increased

Question 35

What was the aim of increased interest rates?

Answer 35

Reducing inflation

Question 36

How many people were unemployed in 1979?

Answer 36

1.2 million

Question 37

How many people were unemployed in 1983?

Answer 37

3 million

Question 38

What did the 1980 Employment Act do with Picketing?

Answer 38

It outlawed secondary picketing

Question 39

Why was the 1980 Employment Act passed?

Answer 39

To reduce trade union power.

Question 40

What did the 1982 Employment Act do in terms of employee compensation?

Answer 40

Non-union members were given more money if they were sacked

Question 41

What did the 1982 Employment Act do with closed shops?

Answer 41

Made them illegal

Question 42

What are closed shops?

Answer 42

Businesses that only employ union members

Question 43

What did the 1982 Employment act do in terms of unions encouraging strikes?

Answer 43

Unions could be prosecuted if they encouraged strikes

Question 44

By what percentage did productivity grow a year in Britain in the 1980s?

Answer 44

Grew by 4% a year

Question 45

How many people were members of unions in 1979?

Answer 45

13 million

Question 46

How many people were members of unions in 1983?

Answer 46

10 million

Question 47

What was the role of Keith Joseph in Thatcher's first term?

Answer 47

Head of the Department of Industry

Question 48

Name an industrial company which was losing lots of money in Thatcher's first term

Answer 48

Steel

Question 49

How much money was the British Steel Corporation losing a week?

Answer 49

$7 million a week

Question 50

How many people became unemployed by British Steel closing inefficient plants?

Answer 50

50,000 would become unemployed

Question 51

What happened as a response to British Steel closing down inefficient plants? When did this occur?

Answer 51

There was a strike in 1980

Question 52

By what percentage did Union membership go down due to British Steel closing down many plants?

Answer 52

Union membership went up 20%

Question 53

What did the head of the British Steel Corporation tell Keith Joseph?

Answer 53

They could modernise Steel production if they were given £1 billion to do so

Question 54

How did Joseph respond to the head of the Steel Industry?

Answer 54

He gave them the £1 billion

Question 55

Name 2 individuals that wished for further cuts to public spending by 1981

Answer 55

Thatcher, Howe

Question 56

How bad was this meeting for Thatcher?

Answer 56

If Whitelaw had given more favour to the Wets in her cabinet, Thatcher could have soon lost her premiership

Question 57

Who did Thatcher start to replace Wets with after the July 1981 Cabinet meeting?

Answer 57

Started replacing Wets with Thatcherites

Question 58

Name an individual who was a Wet that Thatcher sacked

Answer 58

Ian Gilmour

Question 59

What was the role of Ian Gilmour before he was sacked?

Answer 59

He was the Leader of the House of Commons

Question 60

What happened to Keith Joseph as an impact of this meeting?

Answer 60

He was moved from being the Head of the Department of Industry

Question 61

What was Thatcher's approval rating down to by 1981?

Answer 61

20%

Question 62

What was a political benefit for the Conservatives in 1981 in relation to Labour? What was formed?

Answer 62

The Labour Party split in 1981, with the SDP being formed