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Thatcherism and the New Right, Why were the Conservatives so successful in…
Thatcherism and the New Right
Social
Dismissed the Permissive Society
Indiviuals should take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences
Socially Conservative/Authoritarian
Backed policies strengthening Law and Order; Longer prison sentences
Self-relaince over state reliance; reduction in the Welfare State
Emphasised family values; Nuclear family
Economic
Economically Liberal
Supportive monetarist economic policies; focus on lowering inflation even if it increases unemployment
Free Market superior to Government Intervention; deregulation of the Stock Exchange
Critical of Post-War concensus - lower taxation and social spending
Political
Change from traditional Upper Class Tories, more in touch with values of Middle Class due to Thatchers Middle Class upbringing
Conviction politicians - do what's right not what's popular
Dismissed the Permissive Society
Influenced by New Right figures such as Milton Friedman and Friedrich von Hayek
Why were the Conservatives so successful in the 1980s?
Weak/divided opposition
The Labour/SDP split in 1981 divided anti-conservative voters, helping to lead to Labour's biggest defeat since 1918
Militant Tendency in Labour lead to a divided party, and lost it support with a chunk of the voter base.
The loss of 4 major Labour MPs (Roy Jenkens, David Owen, Bill Rovers Shirely Williams) further damaged Labour's chances at beating the Conservatives
Unexpected events
The discovery of North Sea Oil helped to fund Thatcher's policy of 'Monetarism', allowing some financial stability during such a large experiment
The Falklands War provided Thatcher with a massive wave of support thanks to the feeling of Patriotism and the speed at which the Government responded and won
Thatcherism
Thatcher was an extremely potent force in the party, and appeared to be in complete control of Government. This helped garner support of the populous and win the party repeated sizeable majorities.
Privatisation was widely popular, as it appears to be placing greater control and power into the hands of the British people (when it fact it was doing the opposite)
The Right to Buy scheme was hugely supported, as it allowed millions to finally own a home.