Mecky Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I'm wondering who the next group of people who are targetted and bullied by the government are going to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 So why did the Tories get kicked out in 97? • Forced withdrawal from ERM in 1992 (which, paradoxically, helped recovery) • Unpopular policies, for example, rail privatisation, VAT • Air of arrogance and hubris, for example, sleaze, cheating on pairing on fishing quotas (1996), arms to Iraq, IRA prison escapes, BSE, judicial reviews, reluctance of ministers to accept responsibilities and resign • Minority government by end of 1996. Government dependent in Commons on Unionists; abandonment of IRA ceasefire early in 1996. • February 1997 Wirral South by-election: 1 7 per cent swing to Labour. (Unhappy irony: the Conservative candidate’s name, Leslie Byrom, is anagram of ‘loser by mile’) • Manifest and bitter party disunity over Europe, especially smack-of-firm-compromise ‘wait and see’ approach to a single European currency • Longest post-war electoral campaign - backfired. Boredom and further sleaze • Sniping from the wings by James Goldsmith’s Referendum Party and Alan Sked’s Independence Party • Defections by pro-Europeans such as Alan Howarth and Emma Nicholson • Unpopularity of Major when compared to Blair • Conservative Norman Lamont said government gave the impression of being ‘in office but not in power • inept campaigning, for example, ‘demon eyes’ and ‘weeping lion’ posters ridiculed • Conservative press largely turned against them especially "The Sun". • Time for a change - widely held public sentiment I cant take credit for the above, it was found here Its interesting to see that some of the above could easily be used as reason why Labour lost the 2010 election. Especially sentences such as: "Air of arrogance and hubris ... reluctance of ministers to accept responsibilities and resign". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Its interesting to see that some of the above could easily be used as reason why Labour lost the 2010 election. Especially sentences such as: "Air of arrogance and hubris ... reluctance of ministers to accept responsibilities and resign". A bit like the situation now, then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampersand Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Its interesting to see that some of the above could easily be used as reason why Labour lost the 2010 election. Especially sentences such as: "Air of arrogance and hubris ... reluctance of ministers to accept responsibilities and resign". The names and the specific issues may change but it is generally the case that, the longer a party has been in government, the more likley it is to lose the next election - there are always external factors that affect this, the principal one being the strength (or otherwise) of the opposition (and it is often true that it isn't the party in opposition which won the election, but the party in Government which lost it) but sometimes it is just "time for a change" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 A bit like the situation now, then Yes its a bit like the situation now, but pales in comparison to Labour in the 2000's and the Tories of the 1990's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 The names and the specific issues may change but it is generally the case that, the longer a party has been in government, the more likley it is to lose the next election - there are always external factors that affect this, the principal one being the strength (or otherwise) of the opposition (and it is often true that it isn't the party in opposition which won the election, but the party in Government which lost it) but sometimes it is just "time for a change" very true, but the in my view the largest clincher was Gordon Brown stubbornly clinging to power in the Labour party, which has resulted in the current crop of Labour front bencher's who are pretty poor in all measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampersand Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 very true, but the in my view the largest clincher was Gordon Brown stubbornly clinging to power in the Labour party, which has resulted in the current crop of Labour front bencher's who are pretty poor in all measure. it has always been the case (at least in my lifetime) that the Labour Party has shown more (often misplaced) loyalty to its leader than the Conservative Party Labour has often allowed their leader to continue long after it has become patently obvious to most members that he has become a liability - occasionally admittedly because of the lack of a better alternative Whereas the Conservatives tend to get shut as soon as they think he/she has become a liability - often with no idea as to who should replace them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 it has always been the case (at least in my lifetime) that the Labour Party has shown more (often misplaced) loyalty to its leader than the Conservative Party Labour has often allowed their leader to continue long after it has become patently obvious to most members that he has become a liability - occasionally admittedly because of the lack of a better alternative Whereas the Conservatives tend to get shut as soon as they think he/she has become a liability - often with no idea as to who should replace them where as Tony Blair left before he said he would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fine line Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 So why did the Tories get kicked out in 97? The last Conservative government was voted out because of the drip-drip effect of all the so called sleaziness; things that were going on in certern Tory MP's personal lives, the "Cash for Questions" row and the failure of some back bench Tory MPs to declare minor gifts or sources of income; so the public opted for a Labour government, even though Labour's track record of sleaze in local government was there for all to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fine line Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Yes its a bit like the situation now, but pales in comparison to Labour in the 2000's and the Tories of the 1990's. During the last Tory government, particularly during John Major's premiership, the Labour opposition and the press wipped themselves up into a frenzy over what was, looking back on it, a load of froth with little or no impact on the general public; yes there was the "cash for questions" row, but the brewhaha was centered around the personal sexual morality and marital fidelity of certern Tory MP's. Tony Blair has even apologised for all the sleaze attacks on John Majors government http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1570724/Tony-Blair-Im-sorry-for-sleaze-attacks.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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