1979

• The Winter of Discontent turned the tide against the Labour government, leading the Conservatives to outperform Labour in the opinion polls consistently. According to a Gallup poll, the Conservatives reached a 20 per cent lead over Labour by the end of the Winter of Discontent on 12 February 1979.
• Overview Of The General Election Result and Impact

  • The election began 18 years of Conservative rule, under Thatcher up until 1990 and then Major until 1997, it was seen as bringing an end to the period of post-war consensus.
  • It was called after Callaghan's minority Labour government lost a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons, the most recent time this has happened.
  • Labour descended into a prolonged period of left/right infighting over policy until Blair reinvented the party in the 90s.
  • 76% turnout, with Thatcher winning a majority of 43 and 43.6% of the popular vote.
• Social, Economic and Political Context:

  • The political, social and economic context was key to the victory of the Conservatives, who won despite the personal popularity of Callaghan (compared to the unpopularity of Thatcher who lacked experience and was seen as unrelatable), and tentative signs of economic improvement in the run up to the election.
• Social, Economic and Political Context:

  • early 1979 there was the ‘Winter of Discontent’, where the govt's attempts to impose a 5% limit on pay increases collapsed as a series of strikes, by lorry drivers, health workers, refuse collectors and even gravediggers. led to a sense of national paralysis and of Labour incompetence in being unable to control militant trade unions.
  • media showed images of a miserable, strike-bound Britain.
  • this provided the Conservatives with a theme: that the country needed new direction and a govt that could grapple w/ economic & social breakdown.
• The Conservative Party used the clever slogan ‘Labour Isn’t Working’
• The political context was also important. Labour looked weak as the election was triggered

  by a withdrawal of support from nationalist parties after the result of referendums of Scottish and Welsh devolution went against the government. This left the Labour Party with no majority and forced Callaghan to go to the country at the worst possible time for his party.
• Social Factors:

  • As usual, the Conservatives dominated the upper and middle classes, whilst also making gains among the working classes for the first time (winning 11% of C2 and 9% of DE).
  • This suggests a slight decline in the importance of class and social factors, which wasdown to a number of reasons.
  • The social and political context made Labour look very weak.
  • Thatcher actively appealed to the working class in her ‘Essex Man’ strategy, with policies such as the Right To Buy council houses and support of small businesses proving popular.
• Rational Choice and Issue Voting:

  • Rational choice and issue voting can also be seen to be important as the Conservatives’ manifesto of tax cuts and the right to buy scheme offered a radical change to voters following the post-war consensus.
  • This being said, Thatcher's policy statement contained very little indication she intended to move her party so far to the right. There was a mention of returning recently nationalised industries to private hands and removing Trade Union powers, but no suggestion of the radical crusade to scale down the state sector that followed.
• Both parties gave high priority to bringing down inflation.
• The Campaign:

  • The campaign was relatively uneventful. Labour started way behind and even though they made up a little bit of ground, it was not enough.
  • the Conservatives adopted many of the techniques of modern advertising under the guidance of two professional publicity specialists, Gordon Reece and Tim Bell.
  • The slogan and poster ‘Labour Isn’t Working’ was effective.Thatcher successfully used photo opportunities, including holding a newborn calf, and sought to present herself effectively in the media.
• Key Points:

  • The wider social, political and economic context was very important, as was perceived competence.
  • Leadership played less of a role.
  • Class remained important, but slightly less so than previously.
  • The campaign had little impact on the result, as the Tories were already so far ahead.
  • Rational choice and issue voting can be seen as important, as the Conservatives wereoffering a real change.
• Conservative victory - 43.9% vote share, 339 seats
• Labour defeat - 36.9% vote share, 209 seats