Conservative Party Divisions

When did Major resign?

immediately after ‘97 election loss

What 3 subjects were the biggest reasons for division within the party?

• Europe

• Thatcher’s fall

• Thatcher’s “betrayors”

When was Hague elected party leader?

(June) 1997

When was Ian Duncan Smith elected party leader?

2001

When was Ian Duncan Smith replaced by Michael Howard as party leader?

2003

When was David Cameron elected as party leader?

2005

How did the Conservative party view themselves?

“natural party of government”

How big was the Conservative party in 1997 as a fraction of what it was when it had elected Major?

½ the size

How many Conservative MPs were estimated to be eurosceptic?

145 out of 165

Example of a big pro-European name that was lost by 1997

Chris Patten

Who were the leadership candidates against William Hague (3)?

• Michael Heseltine (pro-🇪🇺)

• Ken Clarke (pro-🇪🇺)

• Michael Portillo (Eurosceptic)

Why did Michael Heseltine lose the leadership challenge to William Hague?

suffered health issues so did not stand in election

Why did Ken Clarke lose the leadership challenge to William Hague?

most of party wanted anyone but him

Why did Michael Portillo lose the leadership challenge to William Hague?

surprisingly lost his seat in 1997

Who was the obvious candidate for leadership against William Hague from the Right of the party?

Michael Portillo

Why was William Hague elected (3)?

• Thatcher’s choice

• leadership dominated by “anyone but Clarke” attitude

• had fewer enemies than his rival

Other candidates for leadership against William Hague from the Right of the party (3)

• Michael Howard

• John Redwood

• Peter Lilley

How did William Hague unify the party over Europe?

ruled out single currency “for the forseeable future”

Which previously-strong Thatcherite delivered a speech that was seemingly critical of her which caused an uproar, forcing them to reiterate their support? When did this happen?

Peter Lilley, 1999

What was the public’s attitude to further privatisation? Give an example of this

cautious — Major possibly privatising Royal Mail

What was the public’s attitude to private involvement in state services?

resistant

What was the public’s view of the Conservative party (4)?

• uncaring

• intolerant

• old-fashioned

• too obsessed with Europe

What was the view of Hague as party leader?

36-year-old with limited political experience

What inter-party divide began to show under Hague?

mods vs rockers

What were the mods?

more socially liberal — Michael Portillo

What were the rockers?

social conservatives

Give 1 example of a mod

Michael Portillo

Give 2 examples of a rocker

• Ann Widdecombe

• Iain Duncan Smith

What event threatened Hague’s leadership? When?

1999: Portillo elected to Parliament in a by-election

What did Hague felt obliged to do as some people on the right of the party felt that Portillo should’ve been the one elected leader?

appoint Portillo as shadow chancellor

Who were the leadership candidates against Iain Duncan Smith (2)?

• Kenneth Clarke

• Michael Portillo

Why did Kenneth Clarke lose the leadership challenge to Iain Duncan Smith?

viewed with suspicion by the party due to his views on Europe — appeared with Blair at pro-Europe event in 1999

Why did Michael Portillo lose the leadership challenge to Iain Duncan Smith?

reinvented himself as a social liberal → unpopular with traditional Conservatives

What new style of Conservativism did Iain Duncan Smith make efforts to introduce?

compassionate conservatism

What won Iain Duncan Smith the leadership election against the other candidates?

negative voting against Clarke and Portillo

What caused Iain Duncan Smith to introduce compassionate conservatism?

visited deprived Easterhouse estate in Glasgow

What were Iain Duncan Smith’s opinions on Europe, causing divisions to be reopened over the issue?

aggressively anti-Europe

[IDS] Name 2 modernisers who refused to follow the Conservative party’s official party line of social conservatism, causing divisions

• David Cameron

• George Osborne

[IDS] Give 2 motions which the Conservative party voted against, exemplifying their social conservatism

• repeal of Section 28

• allowing unmarried couples to adopt children

What made it difficult to for Iain Duncan Smith to demand loyalty from backbenchers as the party’s leader?

he himself was the key architect of rebellions against Major over Maastricht

What was Iain Duncan Smith’s attitude to British involvement in Iraq?

supported it

Name 1 example of a Conservative party member who criticised Iain Duncan Smith’s position on Iraq

Kenneth Clarke

What happened as a result of Iain Duncan Smith’s opinion of Britain’s involvement in Iraq?

made it difficult for the Conservatives to criticise the Labour party for it → Lib-Dems emerged as the anti-war party

What media scandal triggered a vote of no confidence against Iain Duncan Smith? What was the outcome?

press speculated about the salary he paid to his wife to act as his secretary — no wrongdoing was ultimately found

What was Michael Howard’s image within the party?

unifying figure with support from both the mods and rockers

What were Michael Howard’s personal politics?

on the right of the party

What was Michael Howard’s opinion on social issues?

socially conservative but promoted modernisers in Cabinet

What position was David Cameron given by Michael Howard following the party’s defeat in 2005?

shadow education secretary

What position was George Osborne given by Michael Howard following the party’s defeat in 2005?

shadow Chancellor

What did Michael Howard do with Iain Duncan Smith’s earlier work on social justice?

abandoned it

Which right-wing candidate did David Cameron defeat in the leadership election?

David Davis

What did George Osborne promise in the party’s economic policy as Shadow Chancellor under Cameron’s leadership?

to follow the Labour party’s levels of public spending

Name a person from the right of the Conservatives who was still openly critical of David Cameron for rejecting Thatcherism

Norman Tebbit

What was David Cameron’s attitude towards climate change?

promised to take it seriously

What initiatives did David Cameron take toward environmentalism/climate change (2)?

• visited the Arctic

• cycled to Westminster

What was David Cameron’s attitude towards gay rights?

in favour

What was David Cameron’s attitude towards the NHS?

supported it, promised the Conservative party would protect it

Why did David Cameron praise the NHS?

its support of his own disabled son

What was David Cameron’s attitude towards Europe?

still Eurosceptic but talked less about it

2 examples of William Hague struggling to appear ordinary which contributed to the loss of the 2001 election

• mocked for wearing a baseball cap

• clip of him as a teenage boasting about drinking 14 pints of beer a day

How did Thatcher appearing at an election rally quipping about returning harm the party’s electability in the 2001 election (2)?

• undermined Hague’s leadership

• didn’t widen Conservative party’s appeal

What voters did William Hague angle his policies towards which harmed the party’s electability for 2001?

right-wing policies to bring in core Conservative voters

What did Michael Howard do which harmed the party’s electability for 2005? Why?

associated himself with Thatcher and Major, making it difficult for voters to believe that the party had changed

How did Michael Portillo describe the party’s 2005 manifesto?

‘Victor Meldrew’ (grumpy old man complaining about modern Britain)

What happened which harmed the party’s electability for 2005 as it confirmed voters’ ideas that the party hadn’t changed since the ‘80s and ‘90s?

the party’s deputy chairman was recorded in private saying that the party would be more radically Thatcherite than the mods would admit in public

What had the party’s lurch to the right prevented, negatively and positively?

positive: prevented rise in UKIP support

negative: falling popularity amongst women, young people, and the north of the country