Conservative party-Origins, ideas and development and their current structures

how did the Conservative party emerge

• from the Tory party in the 1830s, with many dating its birth to Robert Peels’s Tamworth Manifesto in 1834

  • Peel stressed the importance of gradual reform in order to protect and conserve established institutions

• Party was in office for a total of 67 years in 20th century (either alone or coalition)

one nation conservatism

• rooted in pragmatism and belief in gradual improvements founded on experience and existing institutions

• type of paternalist conservatism, where the authority should be centralised and state should care for the neediest

• this ideology peaked during the ‘post war consensus’

  • welfare state, Keynesian economics (state intervention)

• traditional conservatism developed into one nation conservatism, originally associated with Disraeli

one-nation conservtism main values

• slow, gradual change

• a Keynesian mixed economy

  • state intervention where necessary

• support for universal welfare state

• internationalism and increasing European integration

What is Thatcherism (New Right conservatism`0

late 1970s and early 1980s

ideological approach combining a fee-marker, neo-liberal economic policy with more orthodox conservative social policy in areas such as the family and law and order.

what were thatcher’s policies?

• deregulation in the field of business

• privatisation of publicly owned industries

• statutory limits on the power of trade unions

• smaller state-rolling back frontiers of the state

  • limited economic state intervention

• greater emphasis on national sovereignty

• limited state welfare provision

• monetarism

• free-market economics

• more orthodox social policy

  • support for traditional family unit

  • more traditional values on sexual orientation

intra-party factions under/following Thatcher

• Pre-Thatcherite

• Thatcherite

• Post Thatcherite

  • those that followed on Thatcher’s policies (e.g. John Major)

how and why were the Conservatives unsuccessful during the Blair years?

• next three leaders of the party (Willam Hague, Iain Duncan Smith and Michael hOWARD) failed to useat Blair- who won 2 subsequent elections in 2001 and 2005

• all 3 leaders failed to distance themselves from the now discredited Thatcherism and move the party beyond an association with Europe, immigration and law and order

• The party’s ageing memebrship and outdated policies failed to appeal to a more diverse society

how did Cameron detoxify the Conservative party (social values etc)

• identified himself as a ‘liberal conservative’- tolerant of minority groups and different lifestyles

• showed a level of interest in the environment

• demonstrated that he valued public services such as the NHS

  • moderate shift back to one-nation conservatism

• Cameron initially sought to lead the Conservatives away from those areas of policy where the party was divided (Europe) and move towards areas where he could gain electoral advantage (environemnt)

what was the Cameron era ultimately defined by?

• austerity

• divisions over Europe

how did Cameron seek to move away from Thatcherism?

• whilst Thatcher presented the Conservatives as the party for individualism and self-determination, Cameron emphasised bonds between people, arguing for cooperation between state and voluntary sector in building a ‘Big Society

• Thatchers morally authoritarian tone was replaced by support for legalisation of same-sex marriage

Cameron’s economic policy (austerity, taxes)

• reduced budget deficit caused by Labour by introducing austerity

  • budget of government departments were cut by up to 25%

• didnt increase taxes to raise more money

  • cut them in 2015

Cameron’s law and order policy

• supported tough sentencing for certain crimes

  • especially following the 2011 London riots

• promoted a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ to reduce problem of reoffenders

Cameron’s welfare policy (NHS, universal credit)

• universal credit system introduced

  • intended to simplify the welfare system and encourage low-income people to take up employment

• the coalition implemented radical overhaul of the NHS, allowing the private sector to compete with state hospitals

Cameron’s foreign policy (EU)

• similar to Thacther- pmoted ‘special relationship’ with the US, supported air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq

• supported pragmatic euroscepticsim

• attempted to reneogtiate the UK’s terms of membership with the EU before holding a referendum in which he supported remain

  • resigned

Cameron’s environmental policy

• sought to tackle climate change

  • prioritsting green investments ad introduced carbon tax on fossil fuelds

Cameron’s social policy

• (partly influenced by LDS), Cameron sought to be a liberal conservative and legalised same-sex marriage in 2013

Conservatives under Theresa May

• May sought to coninue Cameron’s liberal and one-nation approach combined with continued austerity, but her premiership became largely defined by divisions over Brexit

• start of her premiership:

  • sought to invoke strong and stable leadership’

    • however turned out to be the opposite following losing the Conservatives’ majority in the 2017 election

Conservatives under Boris Johnson (brexit, covid, austerity)

• hardline Brexiteer

  • successfully passed a hard Brexit deal after the 2019 election

  • slogan: ‘Get Brexit Done’

• permiership became defined by COVID and its aftermaths (partygate)

• moved the party away from austerity in the 2019 election

• sought to promote a ‘levelling up agenda to invest in the North

Conservatives under Liz Truss (economic failures)

• sought to reintroduce Thatcherism to boost UK’s economy in the context of CoL crisis

  • failed and resigned after 45 days in office

• mini budget

  • Truss would be cutting taxes (corp tax, income tax, stamp duty)

  • to be funded by borrowing

• mini budget was disastrous because it resulted in a rapid fall in the value of the pound

• Bank of England responded by increasing interest rates

Sunak’s 5 pledges

• Halve inflation

• grow the economy

• get debt falling

• cut waiting lists

• stop the boats

Sunak’s economic policy

• sought to reduce the national debt and halve inflation

  • CPI inflation has fallen from 10.7% to 3.9%

• did so by increasing taxes from 19% to 25% in April 2023

Sunak’s immigration policy

• pledged to ‘stop small boats’

• quickly deport those who arrive illegally in the UK

• Rwanda policy became law