Liberal / Lib Dem Manifestos

1979 Manifesto

• Representative Parliament and Government
• Electoral reform - Proportional system
• Open Government
• Accountable Government
• Reform Parliament
• Fixed dates for Parliamentary elections
• Replace the House of Lords for a democratic second chamber
• Decisions to be made at a local level
• Equality for men and women
• Legislation to protect individual rights
• Recruit more police
• Modernise prisons
• Increase non-custodial sentences
• Decrease restrictions on immigration
• Reduce inflation
• National minimum wage
• Reduce personal taxation
• Improve current housing
• Reduce class sizes in schools

1983 Manifesto

• Reduce unemployment
  
• Representative Parliament and Government
• Electoral reform - Proportional system
• Open Government
• Accountable Government
• Decentralise Government
  
• Reform Parliament
• Fixed dates for Parliamentary elections
• Replace the House of Lords for a democratic second chamber
• Compulsory secret ballots in trade unions
• Equality for men and women
• Recruit more police
• Modernise prisons
• Increase non-custodial sentences
• Support NATO whilst USSR have nuclear weapons
  
• Support ban of chemical weapons
  
• Push for multilateral disarment
  
• Cancel Trident
  
• A new Bill of Rights
  
• Prevent monopolies
• Reduce Government regulation in nationalised industries
  
• Decrease restrictions on immigration
• Reduce personal taxation
• Increase child benefit
  
• Up rate pensions twice a year
  
• Increase unemployment benefit
  
• Raise the upper limit of national insurance
  
• Improve current housing
• Invest in renewable energy
  
• Reduce class sizes in schools
• Oppotunity for a wider range of subjects
  
• Improve primary school teachers training
  
• Improve NHS standards
  

1987 Manifesto

• Representative Parliament and Government
• Electoral reform - Proportional system
• Open Government
• Accountable Government
• Reform Parliament
• Fixed dates for Parliamentary elections
• Replace the House of Lords for a democratic second chamber
• Devolve powers to the nations and regions of Britain
  
• Equality for men and women
• Legislation to protect individual rights
• Recruit more police
• Modernise prisons
• Increase non-custodial sentences
• Multilateral disarment
  
• Invest in renewable energy
  
• Reduce unemployment
  
• National minimum wage
• Reduce personal taxation
• Increase child benefit
  
• Increase the basic state pension
  
• Improve current housing
• Tackle inequalities in healthcare
  
• Reduce class sizes in schools
• Improve teacher training
  
• Uphold the right to pay for private education
  

1992 Manifesto

• Representative Parliament and Government
• Electoral reform - Proportional system
• Open Government
• Accountable Government
• Reform Parliament
• Fixed dates for Parliamentary elections
• Replace the House of Lords for a democratic second chamber
• Decisions to be made at a local level
• Invest in infrastructure
  
• Reduce unemployment
  
• Increase investment in education
• Protect private pensions
  
• Equality for men and women
• Create a new Bill of Rights which will centre a new written constitution
  
• Recruit more police
• Modernise prisons
• Increase non-custodial sentences
• Increase child benefit
  
• Increase the basic state pension
• Increase invalidity benefit
  
• Abolish the poll tax
  
• Break up monopolies
  
• Reduce inflation
• National minimum wage
• Reduce personal taxation
• Improve current housing
• Invest in renewable energy
• Get rid of nuclear fission power
  
• Reduce class sizes in schools
• Give teachers better training
  
• Increase oppotunities for higher education
  
• Abolish student loans
  
• Reduce inequalities within healthcare
• Reduce waiting lists in hospitals
  
• Support NATO, maintaining a minimum nuclear deterrent
  
• Restrict Trident
  

1997 Manifesto

• Representative Parliament and Government
• Increase funding for schools
  
• Reduce primary school class sizes
  
• Improve teacher training
• Strengthen school discipline
  
• Increase oppotunities for higher education
  
• Keep inflation low
  
• Invest in infrastructure
• Reduce unemployment
  
• Reduce monopolies
• New office to reulation privatised utilities
• Increase police force
  
• Build more housing
  
• Raise housing standards
  
• Alternatives to custodial sentences
  
• Cut hospital waiting lists
  
• Reduce inequalities within healthcare
  
• Raise standard of care in NHS
  
• Dcentralise power to regions, nations and communities
  
• Create a new Bill of Rights
  
• Open Government
  
• Reform Parliament
  
• Elected House of Lords
  
• Proportional representation for voting system
• Fix parliamentary terms
  
• Crack down on tax evasion
  
• New top rate tax of 50p
  
• Expand private pensions
  
• Equality for men and women
• Support NATO
• Sustain Trident until a stage where multilateral disarment can be achieved
  

Note that they no longer talk about incrreasing benefits.

Conservative Manifestos

1979 Manifesto:

• Increase individual freedom


• Decreasing the role of the state


• Control inflation


• Create new jobs


• Uphold Parliament


• Uphold the rule of law


• Increase home-owners


• Concerntrating welfare to those in real need


• Strengthen Britain's defences


• Reduce Government borrowing


• Reduce Government intervention in industry


• Reduce the trade unions role


• Picketing limited to those who's place of work it is


• Cut income tax


• Cut marginal rates of tax


• Privatise Aerospace


• Making planning restraints less rigid


• Improve pay and conditions for police


• Tougher sentences for criminals


• Cut court procedures to stop wasteful delay


• House of Commons to vote on capital punishment


• Decentralise the NHS


• Encourage families to look after each other


• Increase in retirement pensions


• Increase Britains defence


• Counter Soviet threat in the middle east

1983 Manifesto:

• Reduce unemployment


• Keep inflation low


• Strengthen the rule of law


• Uphold parliamentary democracy


• Improve the publics quality of life


• Curb legal immunity of trade union to call strikes


• Training for the unemployed


• Make the job market more flexible (part-time work)


• Minimise legal restrictions on creating new jobs


• Privatisation


• Cut business tax


• Lower income tax


• Lower tax on capital and savings


• Ecourage loval self help initiatives


• Increase nuclear power


• Develop the motorway


• Increase owndership of property


• Raise child benefit


• Build new hospitals


• Decrease state intervention


• Suppot independent schools


• Build more courtrooms to reduce time wasting


• Build more spaces in prisons


• Keep travel costs low


• Support NATO

1987 Manifesto:

• Keep inflation low


• Cut unemployment


• Increase ownership of properties


• Encourage savings


• Increase oppotunity to rent


• Increase share ownership of homes


• Privatise state industries


• Establish a national core cirriculum for schools


• Give governing bodies of schools control over their budgets


• Increase choice for schools with different varieties


• Suport independent education


• Expand higher education oppotunities


• Protect the rights of individual trade union members


• Reduce Gornverment borrowing


• Curb state spending


• Cut income tax


• Guarentee job training places for many


• Exert pressure on Japan to open up their markets


• Fight for free and fair international trade


• Build motorways


• Increase nuclear power for electricity


• Expand hospitals


• Reduce NHS waiting lists


• Encourage occupational pension schemes


• Benefits will depend on income after tax


• Build more prisons


• Tougher sentences


• Increase police numbers


• Tighten law on immigration


• Strengthen local government and accoutability


• Fixed rate charge for local services for all over 18s


• Support NATO


• Support Trident


• Suport a world wide ban on chemical weapons
  
  

1992 Manifesto:

• Suport intervention for peace-keeping


• Strengthen NATO


• Support ban on chemical weapons


• Increase Trident


• Keep inflation low


• Control public spending


• Reduce taxes


• Increase home ownership


• Privatisation


• Reduce tax on business


• Deregulation


• Create a more open Government


• Complete the national cirriculum


• Allow for a variety of schools


• Expand higher education oppotunities


• Continue to finace training programmes forthe unemployed


• Increase police numbers


• Tougher sentences


• Continue prison building programme


• Gurantee a waiting time for operations in hospitals


• Reduce waiting times


• Encourage personal pensions


• Introduce new disability benefits


• Continue motorway building


• Replace local commubnnity charge with council tax


• Raise the threshold for inheritance tax

1997 Manifesto:

• Low inflation


• Curb Government spending


• Reduce income tax


• Reduce unemployment


• Cut Coporation Tax


• Raise the threshold for inheritance tax


• Encourage personal pensions


• Set national targets for schools


• Support choice and diversity of types of schools


• Encourage self governence for schools


• Allow schools to select some pupils


• Encourage grammar schools


• Decrease waitingtimes in hospitals


• Against national minimum wage


• Increase home ownership


• Privatisation


• Install more CCTV


• Tougher sentences


• Decrease waiting time for court


• Regenerate housing estates for better quality


• Provide more hostel spaces


• Argue for a more flexible Europe


• Support NATO


• Open Government