The Conservative Party

What are the key debates within this topic?

• How close the current Conservative Party is to One Nation conservatism

• How close the policies are to other parties, especially Labour

When did the party originate and what was its purpose?

Party originated in the late 17th century as a tory party with the aim of defending historic institutions such as the crown and the church

Who was the leader of the conservatives in the 1830s and what was their aim?

Sir Robert Peel - they were dedicated to defending traditional authorities against the threat of revolution

Why was the French Revolution significant in the development of conservative ideas?

They strongly oppose revolution and radical change, instead favouriting pragmatism and tradition. They believe revolution leads to violence and we should instead use gradual reforms to preserve pre-existing institutions.

What ideas did Peel promote?

He promoted the idea of gradual reform in order to protect and conserve already established institutions

Who do we associate with One Nation conservatism?

Benjamin Disraeli

What was the aim of One Nation conservatism and how did this affect their levels of support?

They sought to bridge the divide between classes by enlisting paternalistic social policies in which the wealthy were ‘natural leaders’ who would act benevolently to the disadvantaged in return for their right to rule; This encouraged more support from the working class as well as the upper class which strengthened their success.

What is the meaning behind the name ‘One Nation’?

They emphasised the United Kingdom as a nation by suggesting there was more that united people than divided them

What was Disraeli and other One Nation leaders stance on foreign policy?

They were extremely patriotic and aimed to strengthen national unity; They suggested imperialism as a method of uniting the nation as he believed all should be proud to be part of such a nation including the working class.

What did conservatives do post WW2 and following the Atlee Government?

They accepted the changes brought in by Labour such as the welfare state and NHS. They balanced privatisation with state intervention in economic and social policies.

What is pragmatism?

An ideology that focuses on practical successes and experience as opposed to ideologies and abstract concepts

Explain the Post War Consensus

This was a period of time where Labour and Conservatives were united on their main ideas meaning few policies were altered when they took office from on another

Who do we associate with the New Right?

Margaret Thatcher

When did Thatcher become prime minister?

1979

What was Thatchers view on trade unions?

She wanted to reduce state intervention in the economy and reduce the power of trade unions; She believed their power was excessive and major obstacle to economic growth. She also believed they were a huge limit on individual liberty by forcing workers to join unions as an employment requirement and enforcing solidarity action even on those who did not want to strike.

Why is New Right limited in popularity in the UK?

The NHS is hugely popular for state-funded healthcare

Explain Thatchers conviction politics approach and why this is unliked by One Nation conservatives

She firmly believed that a leader should pursue what they believe is right even if it is unpopular; She also refused to back down in the face of opposition which was seen in her reaction to the Miners strike. One Nation conservatives however believe in social cohesion and reducing the division between the rich and the poor. They believe leaders have a paternalistic role to fulfil in supporting the vulnerable

How many electrons did Thatcher win?

3

What is Neo-liberal economics and who applied it?

Thatcher/New right = Aimed to organise the economy around free markets, competition and limited government intervention. This was done through limited public spending, tax cuts for businesses and the rich in order to stimulate economic growth, strong belief in privatisation and free mark capitalism.

What is a free market economy?

Economic system where prices, production and distribution are decided by supply and demand with little government intervention

Who was nicknamed ‘the Iron Lady’?

Margaret Thatcher

Why was Thatcher called the ‘Iron Lady’?

It was used originally by the Soviet Union following an anti-communist speech she had made but she embraced it; It stuck do to her uncompromising beliefs, willingness for confrontation specifically in regards to the Miners Strike and strong foreign policy

What was Thatchers view on communism and how did this affect her foreign policy?

She was strongly anti-communist which aided the UK’s relationship with the US and increased military strength against the soviet union. She supported NATO and nuclear deterrence against the soviet. She also decisively sent British Military to the Falkland Islands during the war which in the face of their victory aided the UK’s global standing and popularity .

Explain Thatchers relationship with the EU

Thatcher was eurosceptic meaning she supported membership in the EU but was fearful of deeper political integration for fear of losing national sovereignty

Give an overview of John Majors term

• Followed Thatcher and therefore struggled to form an identity separate from her; He instead represented a continuation of thatcherism through privatisation etc. but was much less confrontational as a leader

• Tried to moderate eurosceptics and pro-europeans but was unsuccessful

• Divisions and scandals led to his defeat to Tony Blair in 1997

What elections did Tony Blair win?

1997, 2001, 2005

Why did leaders fail to unseat Tony Blair?

They could not distance themselves from Thatcher and the themes of Europe, Immigration and Law and Order; The parties aging membership as well as outdated policies also failed to appeal to an increasingly diverse society

When was David Cameron elected as conservative party leader?

2005

How did Cameron ‘detoxify’ the Conservative Party following thatcher?

He was respectful of thatcher but also aware Britain had considerably evolved since her term and therefore needed updated policies; He learnt from Blair and how he reinvented the labour party and instead branded himself as a ‘liberal conservative’

Explain Camerons ‘liberal conservative’ approach

He was tolerant of minority groups and different lifestyles; He showed an interest in the environment which was becoming increasingly popular and demonstrated that he valued public services such as the NHS.

Who labelled themselves as a ‘liberal conservative’?

Cameron

Who attempted to shift conservatism back to One Nation following thatcher and why did this fail?

Cameron - his austerity approach went against one nation policies as it threatens equality and social unity of which one nation promotes

What is austerity and who utilised it?

Austerity is a government policy used by Cameron in which they cut government spending and increase taxes to reduce a budget deficit (when the government spends more than it earns).

How did the party move away from thatcherism?

Cameron and May emphasise that they stood with the ordinary people rather than the elite; Whilst thatcher presented conservatives as individualists and self-determination, Cameron emphasis the bonds between people and need for cooperation.

In what ways is Camerons approach similar to One Nation?

• Tolerant of minorities and different lifestyles

• Valued public services such as the NHS

• Stood with the ordinary people rather than the elite

• Emphasises the bonds between people and need for cooperation within society

What did Theresa May aim to do but what prevented this?

Aimed to continue liberal one nation approach alongside continued austerity but her term became largely defined over division about Brexit

Give a complete list of conservative leaders starting with

Peel, Disraeli, Atlee, Thatcher, Major, Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak

Why was May not a strong leader and how did this lead to her replacement?

Lost conservative minority in the 2017 election; Divisions over Brexit meant she lost support of her party and was consequently replaced by Johnson in 2019

Why is it hard to define the ideologies of both May and Johnson?

Their terms were both defined by outside events; For May this was Brexit and for Johnson this was both Brexit and COVID

Who moved the party away from austerity in 2019?

Johnson

In what way did Johnson depart from Thatcherism?

Significantly departed from debt based spending as seen during COVID where the government spend high amount of money

How many days was Truss in leadership for?

44

What did Liz Truss aim to do and why did it fail?

She aimed to reintroduce thatcherism in an attempt to boost the UK’s economy through the mini budget which significantly cut taxes; This failed disastrously as the value of the pound fell and the Bank of England increased interest rates

What caused Truss to resign?

The failure of her mini budget

Who was chancellor under the Johnson government?

Rishi Sunak

What were Sunak’s 5 priorities for 2023?

• Halving inflation

• Economy growing

• Debt falling

• Decreasing NHS waiting lists

• Stopping small boats

Which of Sunak’s 5 original priorities best showed the conservative stance on immigration?

Stopping small boats through new laws

Explain Thatchers economic policies

• Greatly reduces income tax and public spending in order to encourage individualism; In her first year public spending was cute but £1 billion

• Did not reduce funding for police and armed forces

• Hugely supported privatisation and free market economy

• Introduced the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme which allowed people to purchase and buy their own council houses

Explain Thatchers law and order policies

• Opposed union action through using police against striking workers, often with violence

• Despite cuts in other areas, she increased funding for police and armed forces

• Tough on crime

Explain Thatchers welfare policies

• Removed control over education from local politicians and instead founded a curriculum decided by the UK Government

• Cut budgets of many departments including reducing benefits

• Did not alter the NHS due to the public support for it

Explain Thatchers foreign policies

• Strongly projected Britains interest abroard

• Set armed forces to the Falklands war

• Developed a close relationship with the US due to their opposition of communism and the Soviet Union

• Eurosceptic and seeked to protect the sovereignty of the UK

What was section 28 of the Thatchers Local Government act?

Introduce a ban on promoting homosexuality in schools due to them going against ‘Christina values’

Why was Thatchers Poll tax controversial?

It meant all individuals paid the same amount rather than the payment being based on the value of their property; This was met with huge riots which ultimately lead to her leaving

Explain Camerons economic policies

• Reduce the budget deficit he inherited from Labour

• Introduce austerity to maintain the confidence of financial markets and reduce borrowings rising

• The budgets of government departments were cut by up to 25%; He claimed this was necessary and blamed the Global Financial Crash under labour and their ‘irresponsible overspending’

• Did not increase taxes and instead cut them in 2015

• Continued to support privatisation

Explain Camerons law and order policies

• More liberal attitude to law and order, called for more understanding towards young offenders

• Supported touch sentencing for certain crimes i.e. London Riots but promote rehabilitation also

• Resembled Blairs policy of ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’

Explain Camerons welfare policies

• Cut cots and encourage those receiving benefits ton be more self reliant

• Universal credit introduced which was intended to encourage low income people to take up employment

• Implemented a radical overhaul of the NHS and allowed the private sector ti complete with state hospitals

Explain Camerons foreign policies

• Similar to Thatcher in that he promised a relationship with the US

• Supported air sterile against Iraq and Syria

• Attempted to renegotiate UK’s terms of membership before holding a referendum; He supported remain and lost

Why did Cameron resign?

He supported remain in the first Brexit referendum which lost

What was Camerons approach to climate change?

Said his government would be the greenest government ever and prioritised green investments and carbon tax on fossil fuels

What did Cameron do in 2013?

He sought to be a ‘liberal conservative’ and legalised gay marriage

In what ways was Cameron liberal and in what ways was he Thatcherite?

Liberal = legalised gay marriage, rehabilitation of offenders, closer to one nation conservatism

Thatcher = strong foreign and economic policy, austerity