During the 1980s, members of the British Conservative Party who opposed some of the more hard-line policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, were often referred to by their opponents as "wets". Thatcher coined the usage in 1979–80, with the meaning of feeble, lacking hardness, or willing to compromise with the unions.[1] The label was especially applied to senior members of Thatcher's government who were nevertheless outside her inner circle and who expressed opposition to her strict monetarist policies, and her cuts to public spending.[2]
In British slang, "wet" meant weak, "inept, ineffectual, effete".[3] Within the political context, the term was used by Thatcher's supporters as both as a noun and as an adjective to characterise people or policies which Thatcher would have considered weak or "wet".
Gilmour was the most outspoken, delivering a lecture at Cambridge in February 1980 where he argued: "In the Conservative view, economic liberalism à la Professor Hayek, because of its starkness and its failure to create a sense of community, is not a safeguard of political freedom but a threat to it."[5]
In the 1980s Nick's Diner was started.[6] Named in honour of Nicholas Scott, at the time a rising star of the anti-Thatcher wing of the Party, it served as a convivial meeting ground for wet MPs.[7]
In retaliation to being labelled as "wet", Thatcher's opponents within the party began referring to her supporters as the "dries".[8] Policies which came to be labelled as "dry" included foremostly reducing public spending, cutting taxes, raising interest rates, tightly controlling the money supply, and reducing the regulatory power of the state – all policies which were closely associated with Thatcher.
Outside of the Parliamentary Conservative Party, the youth sections of the Party saw increasingly bitter factional battles between "wets" and "dries". The Young Conservatives wing of the party remained in the hands of a strong "wet" and One Nation (Tory Reform Group) faction until 1989, whilst the Federation of Conservative Students remained in the hands of an alliance of libertarian and Monday Club supporters.[citation needed]
Australiaedit
A similar factional identification exists in the Liberal Party of Australia, which is also a centre-right party like the Tories, and also has similar splits, but in terms of social policy between right-wing social conservatives and socially progressive Liberals.[9][10]
^Barberis, Peter; McHugh, John; Tyldesley, Mike (January 2000). Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century. ISBN9780826458148.
wets, dries, wets, dries, redirect, here, supporters, opponents, prohibition, prohibition, united, states, name, dries, given, name, during, 1980s, members, british, conservative, party, opposed, some, more, hard, line, policies, prime, minister, margaret, tha. Wets and dries redirect here For supporters and opponents of prohibition see Prohibition in the United States For the name see Dries given name During the 1980s members of the British Conservative Party who opposed some of the more hard line policies of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher were often referred to by their opponents as wets Thatcher coined the usage in 1979 80 with the meaning of feeble lacking hardness or willing to compromise with the unions 1 The label was especially applied to senior members of Thatcher s government who were nevertheless outside her inner circle and who expressed opposition to her strict monetarist policies and her cuts to public spending 2 Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2 1 United Kingdom 2 2 Australia 3 Notable parliamentary members 3 1 Wets 3 2 Dries 4 See also 5 References 6 Further readingEtymology editIn British slang wet meant weak inept ineffectual effete 3 Within the political context the term was used by Thatcher s supporters as both as a noun and as an adjective to characterise people or policies which Thatcher would have considered weak or wet History editUnited Kingdom edit Hugo Young identifies the most important inner wets as Jim Prior Peter Walker and Sir Ian Gilmour as well as Lord Carrington and Norman St John Stevas The outer wets were more fragmented and less visible They included Francis Pym Michael Heseltine and Lord Hailsham 4 Gilmour was the most outspoken delivering a lecture at Cambridge in February 1980 where he argued In the Conservative view economic liberalism a la Professor Hayek because of its starkness and its failure to create a sense of community is not a safeguard of political freedom but a threat to it 5 In the 1980s Nick s Diner was started 6 Named in honour of Nicholas Scott at the time a rising star of the anti Thatcher wing of the Party it served as a convivial meeting ground for wet MPs 7 In retaliation to being labelled as wet Thatcher s opponents within the party began referring to her supporters as the dries 8 Policies which came to be labelled as dry included foremostly reducing public spending cutting taxes raising interest rates tightly controlling the money supply and reducing the regulatory power of the state all policies which were closely associated with Thatcher Outside of the Parliamentary Conservative Party the youth sections of the Party saw increasingly bitter factional battles between wets and dries The Young Conservatives wing of the party remained in the hands of a strong wet and One Nation Tory Reform Group faction until 1989 whilst the Federation of Conservative Students remained in the hands of an alliance of libertarian and Monday Club supporters citation needed Australia edit A similar factional identification exists in the Liberal Party of Australia which is also a centre right party like the Tories and also has similar splits but in terms of social policy between right wing social conservatives and socially progressive Liberals 9 10 Notable parliamentary members editWets edit Anthony Barber Lord Carrington Kenneth Clarke Stephen Dorrell Sir Ian Gilmour 11 Alan Haselhurst Edward Heath Michael Heseltine David Hunt Douglas Hurd David Knox Sir Anthony Meyer Jim Prior Francis Pym 12 Nicholas Scott 13 Fred Silvester Norman St John Stevas Peter Walker Sir George Young 14 Dries edit John Biffen Leon Brittan Michael Brown Rhodes Boyson Michael Forsyth Ian Gow Neil Hamilton Michael Howard Gerald Howarth Geoffrey Howe Keith Joseph 15 Nigel Lawson Peter Lilley John Nott 15 Cecil Parkinson Michael Portillo John Redwood Nicholas Ridley Norman Tebbit Margaret ThatcherSee also editFundamentalists and gradualists List of ministers under Margaret Thatcher One nation conservatism Red Tory Young ConservativesReferences edit Safire 2008 p 802 Young 1989 pp 198 202 Oxford English Dictionary Oxford English Dictionary Young 1989 pp 199 200 Young 1989 p 200 Barberis Peter McHugh John Tyldesley Mike January 2000 Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations Parties Groups and Movements of the 20th Century ISBN 9780826458148 Sir Nicholas Scott Independent co uk 2005 01 10 Obituary Lord Biffen BBC News 2007 08 14 Retrieved 2012 03 20 Turnbull prays for broad Liberal church The West Australian July 12 2017 A Marxist analysis of the Liberal Party Red Flag Former minister Lord Gilmour dies BBC News 2007 09 21 Retrieved 2012 03 20 Former foreign secretary Pym dies BBC News 2008 03 07 Retrieved 2012 03 20 Obituary Sir Nicholas Scott BBC News 2005 01 07 Retrieved 2012 03 20 George Young BBC News 2002 10 17 Retrieved 2012 03 20 a b Hennessy Peter 2001 10 05 The Prime Minister The Office and Its Holders Since 1945 Palgrave Macmillan p 409 Further reading editSafire William 2008 Safire s Political Dictionary Oxford University Press ISBN 9780195343342 Young Hugo 1989 One of Us A Biography of Mrs Thatcher Pan ISBN 9780330328418 Portals nbsp 1980s nbsp Politics nbsp United Kingdom Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wets and dries amp oldid 1176049280, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
