General Elections

What were the key manifesto points in 1979?

• Both the Labour and Conservative Party manifestos prioritised bringing down inflation

• Thatcher as Prime Minister moved her party further to the right, but this was made very subtle in her manifesto

• The Conservatives campaigned on economic issues, pledging to control inflation and reduce the increasing power of the trade unions who supported mass strikes

• The Conservatives also came up with the famous “Labour isn’t working” poster

Why was The Conservative’s election campaign superior to Labour’s?

The Conservatives used modern advertising techniques, whilst Labour’s campaign lacked presentation.

What did the opinion polls look like just before the 1979 general election?

The Conservatives were ahead of the opinion polls, but Callaghan was consistently about 20 points ahead of Thatcher when voters were asked who would make the better prime minister.

How did Callaghan use Thatcher being a woman to his advantage?

Without directly mentioning Thatcher’s sex, Callaghan was “a master at sardonically implying that whatever the leader of the opposition said was made even sillier by the fact it was said by a woman.”

What was the Winter of Discontent?

A series of industrial disputes in the winter of 1978-79, which led to widespread strikes across the country and seriously hurt Labour’s standings in the polls; subsequently boosting support for the Conservatives.

What was the turnout of the 1979 general election?

76%

What percentage did the Conservatives win in 1979?

43%

How did the public see the Winter of Discontent?

It showed Labour’s incompetence in dealing with social and economic issues

What was Thatcher’s ‘Labour isn’t working’ campaign?

• Targeted labour’s inability to deal with unemployment

• Highlight Callaghan’s struggles in dealing with inflation

What were the gender voting demographics for 1979?

Men were evenly split between the two main parties.

Women shared a slight preferen