Conservative and Unionist Party Ideals
general information
Also Conservatives or Tories
Centre-right political party
Founded 1834
Governing party since 2010
Currently 365/650 MPs in the House of Commons (overall majority)
Leader: Boris Johnson (BOJO)
Unionist Party
Supports British Unionism
England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland(6 Counties) should continue to be one sovereign state
Republic of Ireland became separate in 1922
logo: OAK TREE
new Logo: OAK TREE WITH UNION JACK
Harold Macmillan
former Party leader
Prime Minister 1957-1963
Born 1894 in London, Died 1986 in Sussex
Served in WW I
From 1951
Minister of Housing
Minister of Defence
Foreign Secretary
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Half American
took over from Anthony Eden after the Suez Crisis
Resigned from office in 1963, because he denied that his Secretary had an affair with a 19 year old Model
in one of his earliest speeches, he talks about Britains destiny as working closer with the Countries of Europe, the USA and the Sowjet Union
At Conservative Party Rally (1957)
"Indeed let us be frank about it, most of our people have never had it so good"
very optimistic
Challenge that Britain is facing is how to maintain this economic growth
Britains economy doing quite well because of Post war production increases (Cars & Steel)
He says to increase production, but stick to common sense
restraint & common sense
restraint in the demands we mace
common sense in how we spend our income
Britain under Macmillan
Dramatic rise in the standard of living
election victory for the Conservatives in 1959
Wage freeze and other measures to curb rising inflation
-> decline of popularity
failed attempts to join the EEC
African independence regarded as too progressive by some
Profumo standard of 1963 added to the decrease in popularity
Macmillans resignation from office in 1963 officially due to ill health
Margaret Thatcher
PM 1979-1990
"Renewal of Britain" Speech 1979
general information
Born 13 October 1925, Lincolnshire, died 8 April 2013 London
daughter of grocer
studied chemistry in Oxford
MP in 1959
Posts
Shadow Transport Minister
Secretary of State for Education and Science
Leader of the Opposition
background information
Labour government 1974-1979
1977: labour only stayed in power through deals wit the Ulster Unionist Party and the SNP
Conservatives won against Labour in 1979
poor conditions in Britain
post war low in employment(1,5 million unemployed)
disillusioned nation
economic decay: financial crisis
<-
forced to apply to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a very substantial loan
Quoting Tennyson's Ulysses
to be able to "move" both "earth and Heaven"
"Thatcherism"
belief in free markets and little state involvement
defence of the currency
high freedom of choice for individuals(responsibility for own lives)
government's job not to regulate peoples' lives and businesses
nation of owner-occupiers
But also
decrease of social housing
raised poverty among children and pensioners
decrease of mining industry