Part 1: 1980 – A Year of Disaster.
The SDP were formed when a group of senior moderates – led by the self encompassed ‘gang of four’, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins, David Steel and Bill Rodgers, formed a new Political Party, to have a crack at breaking the mould of British Politics. Campaigning on a terms of Social Justice and Fairness, they shot up in the polls – one even suggested they would win 600 Seats. But, as Thatcher, who was unpopular, and destined for defeat, showed a resilience to return and fight, and she got lucky. With the Falklands War.
Now I don’t think it is very feasible that we can say the Falklands War would have been lost, as it most certainly would have not, but lets try to imagine, the Maggie didn’t bother about it. What would have happened if the Falklands War would have been solved politically?
So Thatcher was ruined, she was collapsing in the polls, and her own Party wanted her out. She was becoming increasingly paranoid about plots within her own party, so she called an election;
The Labour Party had been ticking over – Foot was never a popular leader, but, they could win this election, if they tried. There campaign manifesto didn’t help them, Abolishing the Lords, Selling off Trident, Leaving the EEC. It truly was, the longest suicide note in History.
So, Election day came;
Labour 247 – 23%
Alliance 246 (147 Liberals 99 SDP) – 42%
Conservative 140 – 27%
Ecology 3 – 6%
Others 20 – 2%
So who becomes Prime Minister? David Owen. The Queen called Michael Foot to the Palace, but he refused, and the next on the List, was David Owen. Without a Majority, the Conservatives, Who had become sudden converts to PR, stated they would support the Alliance, but from the Opposition side, and to give the Alliance more seats than labour – the greens supported the government.