GONE THE DREAM TICKET (PART TWO)
Hattersley and Cook’s “Dream Ticket” proved to be one of intense modernization. Robin Cook’s “Progress and Democracy” speech at the 1984 Labour Conference would go down in history as one of the first major acts to expel the Militants from the party. The revamped image of the party with the new Red Rose being adopted and the push for more moderate policies made the party finally an electoral force, with Hattersley running a very tight ship as leader.
As the four years of the ’83 - 87 Parliament progressed the Labour opposition grew in confidence as the Tories bounced from crisis to crisis. First the Miner’s strike in 1984, the IRA London Bombings in 1985, highlighting the failure of government security and the mass resignations following the Westland Affair further risked Thatcher’s Premiership. As time progressed further pressure was put on Thatcher as unemployment figures brought no relief to a slowly recovering economy.
By March 1987 the game was up. As Thatcher increased leadership threats from the left of the party and the defection of eight Tory MPs to the SDP-Liberal Alliance (including Edward Heath, Ken Clarke and Michael Heseltine) led to her shock resignation just prior to the expected General Election. At the Party’s spring concert and emergency election was held with Geoffrey Howe, Norman Tebbit and Leon Brittan standing to become Thatcher’s successor.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADERSHIP ELECTION (1987)
Norman Tebbit: 50%
Geoffrey Howe: 29%
Leon Brittan: 21%
Subsequent Leader/Prime Minister: Norman Tebbit
Government: Conservative Majority