UK POLITICS - GENERAL ELECTION CASE STUDY 1983 Flashcards
(23 cards)
Worst Labour reslut since when? what percentage of the vote?
1918
27.6%
What happened in 1981 to decrease the Labour vote?
split - SDP formation - divided LW vote
Thatcher won despite losing how many votes?
700k
What majority did Thatcher obtain in 1979?
44 seats - not massive
How did Thatcher deal with the economic decline pre-1983 elec? what did this result in?
used monetarism to deal with increasing inflation and unemployment
caused a recession in early 1980s
What did the difficult economic circumstances do to Tory support?
decreased it
As of 1982, what was Tory support down to?
27%
Who became Labour leader in 1980? what was his political position? why?
Michael Foot - further left - pushed by party
When did the moderates split from the Labour Party? how? success?
1981 - Limehouse Declaration - ‘gang of 4’
SDP - Alliance
late 81, over 40% support obtained in polls
What increased Tory support?
easing of economic recession and recovery
Falklands War victory
Following the Falklands War, what percent support was obtained by the Tories? what did this support cause?
over 40%
this support was maintained through 1983, provoking Thatcher to call for an early election
What sort of things were included in Foot’s Labour manifesto?
- EEC leave
- HoL abolition
- abolition of Trident
What was included in the Tory manifesto?
largely a reinforcement of promises made in 1979
- further privatisation
- further tax cuts
- TU reform
- extension of the right to buy scheme
Largely, what did the tory campaign do?
- it sought to highlight Labour’s extremity and warned of the dangers of a Labour government
- largely a negative campaign
What was the only paper to overtly support Labour?
the Daily Mirror
How many seats did the tory obtain? percentage of the vote?
397 seats, 42.4% of vote
How many seats did Labour obtain? percentage of vote?
209 seats, 27.6%
Alliance seats? percentage of vote?
23 seats, 25.4%
What majority did Thatcher’s gov win?
a plurality/ relative majority of votes
144 seat majority - clear mandate
Prior to the split in 1981, how did Labour do in polls?
well, obtained over 50% - indicates that perhaps if left united, a possible win
How did Foot’s reputation diminish Labour’s results?
poor reputation
not seen as a credible PM - not media savvy
broadly perceived as unelectable
How did Labour’s manifesto impact the outcome?
The broadly LW elements alienated the inherently tory British electorate
it potentially took the party too far LW from the centre whereby elections are won - median voter theory
alienated portions of the franchise
How did the media impact the outcome?
excessive hostility toward the Opposition - widely criticised, diminishing their reputation
