Wets
Encyclopedia
During the 1980s, members of the Conservative Party
in the United Kingdom
who opposed some of the more hard-line policies of Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
were often referred to as "wets". The labels was generally applied to senior members of the government who were neverthless outisde Thatcher's inner circle and who expressed opposition to her strict monetarist
policies designed to tackle inflation and her cuts to public spending.
In retaliation to being labelled as "wet", Thatcher's opponents within the party began referring to her supporters as the "dries".
Policies which came to be labelled as "dry" policies included foremostly reducing public spending, cutting taxes, lowering interest rates, tightly controlling the money supply, and reducing the regulatory power of the state – all policies which were closely associated with Thatcher.
The term "wet" was originally applied to supporters of Thatcher's predecessor as party leader, Edward Heath
(who was Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974), as well as Heath's associates such as Jim Prior and Peter Walker
. It came into common use after being used by Thatcherites as a way to label opponents of her policies. Post-Thatcher, the term has commonly been used as a disparaging term for liberal or left-wing ideas.
, the domestic equivalent to the "Wets" are called Red Tories.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who opposed some of the more hard-line policies of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
were often referred to as "wets". The labels was generally applied to senior members of the government who were neverthless outisde Thatcher's inner circle and who expressed opposition to her strict monetarist
Monetarism
Monetarism is a tendency in economic thought that emphasizes the role of governments in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It is the view within monetary economics that variation in the money supply has major influences on national output in the short run and the price level over...
policies designed to tackle inflation and her cuts to public spending.
In retaliation to being labelled as "wet", Thatcher's opponents within the party began referring to her supporters as the "dries".
Policies which came to be labelled as "dry" policies included foremostly reducing public spending, cutting taxes, lowering interest rates, tightly controlling the money supply, and reducing the regulatory power of the state – all policies which were closely associated with Thatcher.
The term "wet" was originally applied to supporters of Thatcher's predecessor as party leader, Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
(who was Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974), as well as Heath's associates such as Jim Prior and Peter Walker
Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester
Peter Edward Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, MBE, PC , was British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet as the Environment Secretary , Trade and Industry Secretary , Agriculture Minister , Energy Secretary and Welsh Secretary...
. It came into common use after being used by Thatcherites as a way to label opponents of her policies. Post-Thatcher, the term has commonly been used as a disparaging term for liberal or left-wing ideas.
Origin of the term
Historically, the term "wet" was English public school slang for someone judged to be weak, feeble or "soppy". Within the political context it was used both as a noun and an adjective to describe people or policies which Thatcher would have been considered to be weak or "wet".Notable Wets
- John BiffenJohn BiffenWilliam John Biffen, Baron Biffen, PC, DL , was a Conservative member of the House of Lords, who previously spent 36 years in the House of Commons.-Early life:...
- Ian Gilmour
- Francis PymFrancis Pym-Bibliography:****- External links :...
- Nicholas ScottNicholas ScottThe Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Paul Scott, PC, JP , was a British Conservative Party politician.Scott was educated at Clapham College and was national chairman of the Young Conservatives in 1963...
- Sir George YoungSir George Young, 6th BaronetSir George Samuel Knatchbull Young, 6th Baronet is a British politician. He is currently the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal, and has served as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament since 1974, having represented North West Hampshire since 1997, and Ealing Acton before...
- Ken Clarke
- Michael HeseltineMichael HeseltineMichael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
- Anthony MeyerAnthony MeyerSir Anthony John Charles Meyer, 3rd Baronet was a British soldier, diplomat, and Conservative and later Liberal Democrat politician, best known for standing against Margaret Thatcher for the party leadership in 1989...
- Douglas HurdDouglas HurdDouglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
- Jim Prior
- Edward HeathEdward HeathSir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
- Peter WalkerPeter WalkerPeter Walker may refer to:* Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, British politician* Peter Walker , American landscape architect* Peter Walker , the name of two members of a Scottish brewing family, and their two companies...
- Lord CarringtonPeter Carington, 6th Baron CarringtonPeter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, is a British Conservative politician. He served as British Foreign Secretary between 1979 and 1982 and as the sixth Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988. He is the last surviving member of the Cabinets of both Harold Macmillan and Sir...
- Anthony Barber
Canada
In CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the domestic equivalent to the "Wets" are called Red Tories.