Towards a new
consensus
Major’s government
, Issues with E
Westland Aff
The fall of Thatcher: problems Divided cabin
dry's within
Wets- Willie
• First problem was economic- 1987 stock market collapsed. (negotiate w
• By 1990, inflation had risen to 10.9 per cent.
Dry's- Tebbit
• Political- many Conservative MP’s feared defeat at the next (Employmen
election.
Nigel Lawson
• Conservatives went unpopular because of poll tax- budget) – led
Thatcher was advised to drop the scheme but pressed on. ‘Lawson boo
balance of p
• Sir Geoffrey Howe resigned. problems.
• Heseltine leadership battle with Thatcher.
• Labour’s recovery under Neil Kinnock and John Smith was Conservati
Labour suc
evident.
,Major as leader
• Thatcherites saw him as ‘one of them’.
• Major’s natural instincts was to unify the party.
• Major’s first task involved foreign affairs and Europe- Britain was
already fighting the First Gulf War, which reached a successful
conclusion in 1991.
• At home, Major needed to deal with poll tax- abandoned in favour
the new council tax.
, Conservatives: 51.6% votes
1992 election victory Labour: 41.6% votes
• Major called the election in March 1992.
• Opinion polls placed the Conservatives on average 29 per cent, wit
Labour ahead on 41 per cent and the Liberals at 15 per cent.
• Most observers predicted a Labour victory.
• The Conservatives ran a good campaign- Major won a lot of respec
for his ‘soapbox’ politics, making speeches in towns (like Luton).
• Labour’s weaknesses mattered as much as the Conservatives-
memories from the 1980s were still too strong.
consensus
Major’s government
, Issues with E
Westland Aff
The fall of Thatcher: problems Divided cabin
dry's within
Wets- Willie
• First problem was economic- 1987 stock market collapsed. (negotiate w
• By 1990, inflation had risen to 10.9 per cent.
Dry's- Tebbit
• Political- many Conservative MP’s feared defeat at the next (Employmen
election.
Nigel Lawson
• Conservatives went unpopular because of poll tax- budget) – led
Thatcher was advised to drop the scheme but pressed on. ‘Lawson boo
balance of p
• Sir Geoffrey Howe resigned. problems.
• Heseltine leadership battle with Thatcher.
• Labour’s recovery under Neil Kinnock and John Smith was Conservati
Labour suc
evident.
,Major as leader
• Thatcherites saw him as ‘one of them’.
• Major’s natural instincts was to unify the party.
• Major’s first task involved foreign affairs and Europe- Britain was
already fighting the First Gulf War, which reached a successful
conclusion in 1991.
• At home, Major needed to deal with poll tax- abandoned in favour
the new council tax.
, Conservatives: 51.6% votes
1992 election victory Labour: 41.6% votes
• Major called the election in March 1992.
• Opinion polls placed the Conservatives on average 29 per cent, wit
Labour ahead on 41 per cent and the Liberals at 15 per cent.
• Most observers predicted a Labour victory.
• The Conservatives ran a good campaign- Major won a lot of respec
for his ‘soapbox’ politics, making speeches in towns (like Luton).
• Labour’s weaknesses mattered as much as the Conservatives-
memories from the 1980s were still too strong.
