So let's say Thatcher beats Heseltine and goes on to lead the Tories to the next general election. What would happen? Could she win or lose?
I dont know, she was pretty unpopular with the pool tax and the like, so I'd say "unfortunately no", although I guess she might have won a khaki election after the Gulf War, provided she backed down on things like the poll tax. I cant really see her doing that though. Personally I would probably just have had yes/no/dont know as answers, the way your poll is atm is, IMHO, more likely to provoke political arguments rather than just objective analysis of history
Damn, wrong option. I thought that option meant that I felt it was unfortunate that the majority was reduced.
In any case, yes, if she calls a khaki election then she'll scrape through like Major did in 1992. However the poll tax has to go, and someone will have to convince her of this. Repeal and replace with something less controversial.
If she only narrowly avoids defeat from Heseltine, I can see someone like Major offering to dump the ERM in exchange for Thatcher dumping the Community Charge- or, at least, adopting a watered down version of it. If she does that, a fourth term is not out of the question, but it's unlikely. The best case for the Conservative Party in general is probably a defeat, followed by a return to power around 2000.
I dont know, she was pretty unpopular with the pool tax and the like....
I think EITHER of those is more likely than the options polled.
Talk of a 'Khaki' election misses the point; (Quite apart from the wonderful precedent of 1945) Gulf greatly boosted Major's personal standing but did effectively nothing for the Tories' poll ratings....
Denis Healy said:Margaret Thatcher is wrapping herself in a Union Jack and exploiting the services of our soldiers, sailors and airmen and hoping to get away with it. The Prime Minister who glories in slaughter is at this very moment lending the military dictatorship in Buenos Aires millions of pounds to buy weapons, including weapons made in Britain, to kill British servicemen with, and that is an act of stupefying hypocrisy.
Why didn't this poll include a "Blame Thande" option? I thought that was Forum-mandated.![]()