Abstract
The 1983 British general election gave voters an opportunity to pronounce a verdict on parties that had been mixing up rhetoric and reality for the previous four years. The impact of the result will be felt for years, as politicians debate the message that the electorate was trying to send. Because of self-interest, interpretations will differ between parties, and political debate sharpens the implications of deciding that the election result encourages following an Adversary or Consensus path in future.
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Notes
The sentences come respectively from the manifestos of the Communist Party, Alliance, Conservatives and Labour. See “Question Time,” New Statesman, 3 June 1983. More generally, see Richard Rose, “Two and One-Half Cheers for the Market in Britain,” Public Opinion 6, no. 3 (1983): 10–15.
James Naughtie, “Can Labour Get Foot in No. 10 Door?” The Scotsman, 6 May 1983.
Hugo Young, “End of the Psycho-Drama,” Sunday Times, 22 May 1983.
See the MORI Newsletter, British Public Opinion. 5, nos. 5–6 (1983): 15.
Geoffrey Smith, “The Reality Behind Thatcher’s Rhetoric,” The Times, 11 June 1983.
Peter Jenkins, “When It’s All Wrapped Up, How Will She Wield the Knife?” The Guardian, 2 June 1983.
See “Labour Faces Fight at Top,” The Guardian, 11 June 1983; “Murray Condemns Political Strikes and Scargill Action,” The Times, 1 July 1983; and Frank Chapple, “Survival before Socialism,” The Times, 17 June 1983.
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© 1984 Richard Rose
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Rose, R. (1984). Epilogue: Reality Before Rhetoric: The Implications of the 1983 Election. In: Do Parties Make a Difference?. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17350-1_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17350-1_10
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