The Extent of Social Liberalism (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
The Extent of Social Liberalism
Introduction: A period of social tension
The 1980s and 1990s represented a period of substantial social change that many in Britain found unsettling. While the Thatcher and Major governments promoted socially conservative policies, society was gradually becoming more liberal in its attitudes. This created a tension between official government policy and evolving public opinion. The period saw heated debates over sexuality, family structures, and moral values that shaped British society and politics.
This period was characterized by a fundamental disconnect: while government rhetoric and policy promoted traditional values, British society was moving in an increasingly liberal direction. This tension would have significant political consequences throughout the decade.
John Major's "Back to Basics" campaign
The 1993 Conservative Party conference
At the Conservative Party conference in 1993, John Major launched what became known as his "Back to Basics" campaign. Having won the 1992 election but also faced the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) crisis, Major sought to reassert Conservative values. His speech reflected concerns about the pace of social change:
Major argued that while society appeared to be changing rapidly, with "old certainties crumbling" and "traditional values falling away," the underlying values of the British people remained constant. He advocated a return to what he called traditional British values: neighbourliness, decency, courtesy, self-discipline, respect for the law, consideration for others, and taking responsibility for oneself and one's family rather than relying on the state.
The campaign's reception and consequences
The "Back to Basics" campaign was meant to reassert traditional Conservative values and appeal to voters who felt uncomfortable with social change. However, it backfired spectacularly.
During the 1990s, a series of scandals involving Conservative MPs exposed extramarital affairs, illegitimate children, and various forms of sexual misconduct. These revelations demonstrated that public expectation about the behaviour of public figures remained high, even as society was becoming more liberal in other respects.
The scandals led to numerous MPs resigning as ministers or stepping down from their positions, undermining the government's moral authority and credibility on moral issues.
The AIDS crisis and homosexuality
The emergence of AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The first case in the UK was recorded in 1981. Because gay men and intravenous drug users appeared to be particularly at risk, the disease was initially referred to as a "gay plague." This terminology both reflected and reinforced existing prejudice against homosexual people.
Government response and public attitudes
The fact that gay men and drug users were most at risk of contracting HIV made government intervention controversial. Nevertheless, the government recognised the public health threat and launched a prevention campaign in 1985. This included setting up needle exchanges and distributing leaflets to all households and schools. Billboards and television advertisements advised people: "Don't die of ignorance."
By 1987, negative attitudes toward homosexuality had reached a peak. Part of this intensification of homophobia may have been because of the identification of AIDS with the gay community. The disease stirred up greater prejudice, with some "loony left" councils accused of "promoting" homosexual lifestyles through funding support groups.
Princess Diana's intervention
In 1987, Diana, Princess of Wales, made a highly significant move to destigmatise AIDS patients. She shook hands with a patient at the Royal Middlesex Hospital, publicly challenging popular prejudices about AIDS.
This simple act demonstrated that the disease could not be transmitted through casual contact and helped reduce fear and stigma surrounding AIDS patients. Her intervention marked a turning point in public perception of the disease.
The scale of the crisis
It is estimated that over 40 million people worldwide have died of AIDS since 1981. While there is no cure or vaccine, anti-viral drugs have become increasingly effective at limiting the disease's impact. The crisis had a lasting effect on attitudes toward sexuality and public health in Britain.
Section 28 and its impact
The controversy over "promoting homosexuality"
There was a tabloid outcry in 1986 over a book, Jenny Lives With Eric And Martin, which was stocked in some London school libraries. In response to this and other perceived instances of local authorities "promoting" homosexuality, Section 28 was passed in 1988.
Section 28 was a law which banned the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities. Although it was not directly aimed at schools, many people believed that it made it illegal to discuss homosexuality in schools. The law reflected the social conservatism of the Thatcher government and its campaign under the theme of "Victorian values."
The mobilisation of the LGBT community
Unexpectedly, Section 28 proved to be the catalyst that mobilised the LGBT community in Britain as never before. The 1988 London Pride parade was double what it had been in previous years, with increasing numbers of marchers in subsequent years. The pressure group Outrage! exploded into existence and began a successful campaign for LGBT rights.
Outrage! used direct action tactics, threatening to "out" gay clergy and MPs who were not open about their sexuality. The group also took test cases to the European Court of Human Rights, challenging the unequal age of consent and the ban on homosexuals serving in the armed forces.
This demonstrated how restrictive legislation could have the unintended consequence of energizing opposition movements and accelerating social change.
Changing attitudes and legal reforms
British Social Attitudes Survey evidence
The changes in public attitudes are demonstrated by the British Social Attitudes Survey.
Survey Evidence: Shifting Attitudes (1987-1998)
The survey found that the percentage of people who believed that sexual relations between two adults of the same sex were always or mostly wrong:
- 1987: 75% believed same-sex relations were wrong
- 1998: 50% believed same-sex relations were wrong
This represented a substantial shift in public opinion over just eleven years, though it also showed that half the population still disapproved of same-sex relationships by the end of the century.
Legal reforms
Several legal reforms gradually equalised rights for gay men:
The age of consent for gay men (which had been 21) was lowered to 18 in 1994. However, equality was not achieved until 2000 when the age was further reduced to 16, matching the age of consent for heterosexual relations.
The ban on homosexuals serving in the military was eventually lifted in 2000. This followed legal challenges at the European Court of Human Rights.
These reforms demonstrated that, despite the social conservatism of government rhetoric and policies like Section 28, Britain was gradually moving toward greater legal equality for LGBT people. Notably, many of these changes came through European court intervention rather than domestic political will.
Family values and moral campaigns
Concerns about family breakdown
The 1980s saw a series of moral panics, many of which had subsided by 1997. Family campaigners feared for the future of marriage as the divorce rate hit record highs in the 1990s. The percentage of babies born to unmarried parents more than doubled from 12% in the early 1980s to 30% by the early 1990s. Single mothers and absent fathers became particular targets of criticism.
Peter Lilley's conference speech
Peter Lilley (born 1943) was first elected as a Conservative MP in 1983, after working as a stockbroker. He served as a cabinet minister under both Thatcher and Major and stood in the leadership election of 1997.
In 1992, as Secretary of State for Social Security, Lilley sang a song to the Conservative Party conference that included criticism of young women who "get pregnant just to jump the housing queue" and fathers who would not support their children. His words reflected Conservative concerns about welfare dependency and family breakdown.
The Child Support Agency
To counter perceived problems with absent parents, the Child Support Agency was set up in 1993 to try to ensure that absent parents paid maintenance for their children. This was part of the broader "Back to Basics" emphasis on personal responsibility.
The Victoria Gillick campaign
Concern about under-age sex featured prominently in Conservative moral campaigns. Victoria Gillick led a campaign against the availability of contraceptive advice to girls under the age of consent without their parents' knowledge.
Initially, the High Court ruled that this advice could only be given with the consent of a parent or guardian. However, this decision was overruled in 1985 by the House of Lords, which determined that doctors could provide such advice if they believed it was in the young person's best interest.
Mary Whitehouse and the Video Recording Act
Mary Whitehouse, a moral campaigner, continued her work until the late 1980s. She coined the phrase "video nasties" and successfully campaigned for the passing of the Video Recording Act in 1994. This legislation ensured that videos had British film classifications attached to them, aiming to protect children from unsuitable content.
The limits of social conservatism
Conservative sleaze undermines moral authority
The impact of scandals that enveloped Conservative MPs during the 1990s made it clear that public expectation about the behaviour of public figures remained high. Extramarital affairs, illegitimate children, and other sexual misconduct led to MPs resigning as ministers or stepping down.
This "Conservative sleaze" severely undermined the government's ability to promote traditional moral values and contributed to the eventual Conservative defeat in 1997. The hypocrisy of politicians advocating "Back to Basics" while engaging in the very behaviours they condemned proved politically fatal.
A more socially liberal country
Despite the social conservatism of Thatcherism and the "Back to Basics" campaign, Britain was becoming a more socially liberal country during this period. Attitudes toward homosexuality, while still often negative, were becoming more tolerant. Legal reforms gradually extended rights to LGBT people, even if these changes came slowly and often through European court intervention rather than domestic political will.
The tension between government rhetoric promoting traditional values and the reality of social change characterised this period. While politicians like Major and Lilley advocated a return to "Victorian values," society was moving in a more liberal direction, creating a disconnect between official Conservative policy and lived experience that would have political consequences.
Key Points to Remember:
- John Major's 1993 "Back to Basics" campaign backfired when Conservative MPs were caught in numerous scandals involving extramarital affairs and other misconduct
- The AIDS crisis, first identified in the UK in 1981, intensified homophobia in the 1980s, but Princess Diana's 1987 handshake with an AIDS patient helped reduce stigma
- Section 28 (1988) banned local authorities from "promoting" homosexuality but unexpectedly mobilised the LGBT community, leading to larger Pride parades and the formation of Outrage!
- Public attitudes toward homosexuality gradually became more tolerant, with those believing same-sex relations were "always or mostly wrong" falling from 75% (1987) to 50% (1998)
- Despite government promotion of traditional family values, Britain was becoming more socially liberal, with legal reforms eventually lowering the age of consent for gay men to 16 and lifting the military ban on homosexuals in 2000