1979 General Election

• What were the results of the 1979 General elections?

  • Conservatives won with 339 seats and 44% of the votes.
  • Labour won 269 seats and 37% of the votes
• How did the ABC1 Class vote?


  Conservative: Nearly 60% Labour: Nearly 25%
• How did the C2DE class vote?


  Conservative: Nearly 40%

  Labour: 45%
• Labour highlighted its ability to deal with the troublesome trade unions and emphasised the experience of its leader, Callaghan
• Labour took a moderate policy on the economy and attempted to keep the extreme left factions quiet during the campaign
• Conservatives focused on ‘Labour isn’t working’ and argued that Britain could and should be doing better
• Conservatives proposed ’the right to buy’ your council house
• Conservatives promised tax cuts.
• Despite Conservatives being ahead in the opinion polls, Callaghan was 20% more favourable a Prime Minister than Thatcher in the polls
• What was the Winter of Discontent?

  A period of widespread strikes and labor unrest in the UK during the winter of 1978-1979. Public sector workers joined in with the industrial stoppages of private-sector unions, aggravating the disruption.
• What was the impact of the media on the election?

  The media made much of Callaghan’s apparent obliviousness to the Winter of Discontent, with The Sun newspaper publishing the famous headline ‘Crisis? What crisis?’. Though the Prime Minister had never said these exact words, the public nonetheless had reason to believe Callaghan was out of touch with the hardship his policies had wrought
• Who was tasked with softening Thatcher’s image?

  Advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Photo-ops for the media were arranged. Thatcher was seen tea tasting and talking to people across the country. A voice coach was hired to soften her voice.
• Thatcher wanted to convince working-class housewives who traditionally voted Labour that she was one of them. This appeal to the working class is known as populism
• • Callaghan made a political miscalculation in delaying the general election to 1979, as the Winter of Discontent – which ravaged the country – proved detrimental to his reputation.
• • By 1979, Callaghan had alienated the SNP and the Liberal Party, on whose support the Labour government relied. Both went on to vote against him in the 1979 Vote of No Confidence moved by Margaret Thatcher.
• The Conservative campaign revolved around polishing Thatcher’s public image and highlighting Labour’s weaknesses. The advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi were responsible for the successful ‘Labour isn’t Working’ campaign. The Conservative manifesto focused on broader issues while promising to deliver the Right to Buy. The Labour campaign focused on curbing inflation and committing to full employment.
• Callaghan was forced to call a general election after Thatcher put forward a vote of No Confidence in his government
• What was the swing in voter support?

  Around 5% from Labour to Conservative
• What was the vote share for female voters in 1979?


  Around 50% voted Conservative and 35% voted Labour
• What was the vote share for male voters in 1979?


  42% voted Conservative while 40% voted Labour

  Vote was quite equal