In 1989, the Conservative government introduced the Community Charge, or 'Poll Tax' which was seen as unfair to the poor and was very unpopular. Thatcher was replaced as Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader in 1990 by John Major. Major led the country and the party until 1997. John Major replaced the unpopular Community Charge with the Council Tax in 1992 and led the party to a surprise victory in the 1992 General Election. Although there was a recession in the early 1990s, John Major's Conservative government started a long period of economic prosperity which would last until the late 2000s. In the 1997 General Election, the Conservatives were defeated in a landslide and lost all of their Scottish and Welsh seats. This is blamed on party splits over the European Union, the "Black Wednesday" currency problem in 1992, and the 'New' Labour Party led by Tony Blair.
The party entered thirteen years of opposition, with William Hague leading the party from 1997 to 2001. At the 2001 General Election, the party's campaign focused on several right-wing policies. Hague was seen as a powerful speaker, but his leadership was damaged by some poor publicity stunts. The party made a net gain of only one seat at the 2001 General Election. Iain Duncan Smith led the party from 2001 to 2003 and he did moderate some of the party's right-wing policies. He did not return the party to power, and Michael Howard became leader in 2003.
The Labour government under Tony Blair was becoming unpopular because of the Iraq War. Michael Howard managed to reduce Labour's majority in parliament at the 2005 General Election, from 167 to 66. Howard resigned soon after this and David Cameron became Conservative Party leader. Camerom focused on modern and environmental issues. The Conservatives had a regular lead in opinion polls from 2007 onwards and at the 2010 General Election, the party won the most seats in parliament and the highest number of votes but was 20 seats short of a majority in parliament. A coalition government was made with the Liberal Democrats and David Cameron became Prime Minister in May 11, 2010. In the United Kingdom general election, 2015 the Conservatives won 331 seats. The first Conservative-majority government since 1992 was formed.
In efforts to rebrand and increase the party's appeal, leaders have adopted policies of liberal conservatism. This has included a "greener" environmental and energy policy, and adoption of some socially liberal views. An example is the acceptance of same-sex marriage. However, these policies have been accompanied by a fiscal conservatism: they have maintained a hard stance on bringing down the deficit, and starting a programme of economic austerity. Other modern policies of one-nation conservatism include education reform, extending student loan applicants to postgraduate applicants. and Christian democracy Such policies allow poorer students to go further, but still increase tuition fees. There has also been an emphasis on human rights. The European Convention on Human Rights is accepted, and individual initiative is supported.
After the UK voted to leave the EU on the 23rd June 2016, Cameron resigned as Conservative leader and PM. On 11 July 2016 it was announced that Theresa May would become the new Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister on the evening of 13 July 2016.
Recent policies include a target to reach net zero C0 emissions by 2050, investment in clean energy and the environment, increased school funding, increased funding in science and research, increased police numbers, and increased NHS (National Health Service) funding. In 2019, the Conservative Party became the first major world government to declare a climate emergency declaration. After the 2019 general election, there are now more LGBT+ Conservative MPs in Parliament.
Support for the party comes mainly from the South of England, Eastern England and rural areas.
The Conservative Party has these seats:
House of Commons (MPs) -
House of Lords (Peers) -
European Parliament (MEPs) -
London Assembly (AMs) -
Scottish Parliament (MSPs) -
Welsh Assembly (AMs) -
Local Government (Councillors) -
Named below are all of the previous Conservative Party leaders since 1922. Their time as leader is placed in brackets.
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food prepared by placing different kinds of foods between two pieces of bread. The pieces of bread in a sandwich are referred to as slices or sheets of bread. Between the slices of bread, people often add in vegetables, meat, or cheese. The sandwich is thought to have been made first for the Earl of Sandwich, hence the name.
Many people enjoy the sandwich as it is easy and quick to make in a hurry. Also, the sandwich can be easily eaten with one hand without utensils which allows consumers to have a hand free to do other things. Some people prefer to eat a sandwich with both hands.
In many countries, children eat sandwiches for lunch at school. The sandwiches are put in a lunchbox and often wrapped in cling film to keep them fresh.
A sandwich is not limited to a single layer of filling between two pieces of bread. It can have more than one layer of filling and bread. Each layer of filling is commonly referred to as a "deck". For instance, a single decker sandwich would be the standard two slices of bread and one layer of filling. A double decker sandwich will have three slices of bread with two layers of fillings. Generally one piece, is one piece of bread cut in two with a filling between each piece.
The double decker sandwich is so called because each layer of filling forms a deck, much like a double decker bus. A club sandwich is a double decker sandwich with chicken, bacon and salad. A triple decker sandwich would consist of four slices of bread with three layers of fillings. The BLT is a common type of sandwich filled with bacon, lettuce and tomato.
If there is only one piece of bread it is sometimes called an open sandwich. Open sandwiches are very common in Scandinavian countries, e.g. in Denmark "smørrebrød" is an open sandwich.
Another form of sandwich is the toasted sandwich. The toasted sandwich can be made from slices of toast instead of bread or the sandwich is toasted whole in an oven or a sandwich presser.
Sandwiches made with different types of bread might be given unique names. A panini, for example, is usually a sandwich on a small roll or loaf which is pressed between two heavy, heated grill plates. Sandwiches are commonly made of white bread, brown bread or French bread, but can also be made of other types (e.g. a panini uses ciabatta).
Sandwiches can also be called by many other names in different parts of the world such as 'grinder', 'sub', 'hoagie' and 'wedge'.
There are many different types of sandwiches. Examples are:
There are many types of filling that can be placed within a sandwich. These include:
Open-face Bread > Filling
Standard Sandwich Bread > Filling (possibly bread) > Bread
Double Decker Bread > Filling A > Bread > Filling B > Bread
Triple Decker Bread > Filling A > Bread > Filling B > Bread > Filling C > Bread
In one episode of "The Apprentice", the apprentices were required to make sandwiches for Donald Trump.
In the French film "Taxi" the protagonist is made a special sandwich with half Bayonne ham, half Paris. This later sparks the jealousy of another character.
In the Warner Brothers cartoon "Scooby Doo", Scooby was well known to love making sandwiches with Shaggy having many layers, often with a great variety of fillings.
In the television series "Buffy", during episode 61, Buffy eyes a classmate eating a sandwich, snatches it and hungrily scarfs it down.