Ymgyrchu! - The Ballot Box - Elections - 1983 and the Conservative Party

1983 General Election and the Conservative Party

1983 General Election results in Wales

Labour 20

Conservatives 14

Plaid Cymru 03

Liberals 02

The Conservative Party was founded during the 1830s (the name was first used in 1831) and Sir Robert Peel formed the Party's first government in 1834. The Conservative Party was in power in Britain for most of the twentieth century although it failed to win a majority of seats in Wales during the same period.

In the 1983 General Election the Conservative Party managed to win 42.2% of the vote in Britain and 31% of the Welsh vote. Among the reasons behind this success was the party's popularity following the Falklands war and the enduring unpopularity of the Labour Party.

'10 Reasons for Voting Conservative' (32K)

'10 reasons for not voting Alliance' (24K)

The successful leader of the Conservative party at this time was Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) who became Prime Minister in 1979. She remained Prime Minister until 1990 when John Major (b. 1943) became leader of the party. In Wales the vote for the Labour Party dropped to 38% in the General Election of 1983, the lowest figure since 1918. Much of the blame for this decline fell on the party leader, Michael Foot, who resigned following the General Election. In his place came Neil Kinnock, the fifth Welsh MP to become leader of the Labour Party.

In Conwy in 1983 Wyn Roberts, the under Secretary of State for Wales faced a challenge to keep his seat from Roger Roberts (Liberals), Ira Walters (Labour) and Dafydd Iwan (Plaid Cymru). He had been the MP for the area since 1970, and had been on the front benches since 1974. He managed to retain his seat with 41.7% of the vote.

Keith Best, a solicitor from the London area won the Anglesey seat in 1983. His opponents were Ieuan Wyn Jones (Plaid Cymru) and Tudor Williams (Labour Party). He was the MP for Anglesey from 1979 to 1987 and was personal assistant to the Secretary of State for Wales between 1981 and 1984.

Other successful Conservatives in Wales were, Sir Raymond Gower in the Vale of Glamorgan, Nicholas Edwards in Pembroke (Secretary of State for Wales, 1979-87), Peter Hubbard-Miles in Bridgend, Keith Raffan in Delyn and Tom Hooson in Brecon and Radnor.

General Election 1906 and the Liberal Party
General Election 1966 and the Labour Party
General Election 1983 and the Conservative Party
The National Assembly for Wales Election 1999 and Plaid Cymru / The Party of Wales

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