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Conservative Party Archive: Party Political Broadcasts, Speeches and Press Releases

 Collection

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Transcripts of Party Political Broadcasts, Speeches and Press Releases, 1951-2002, from:

  1. General Election.
  2. Shadow Ministers.
  3. Ministers.
  4. Individuals.
  5. Miscellaneous Broadcasts and Speeches.
  6. Press releases.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951-2002

Extent

44.67 Linear metres (295 boxes)

Language of Materials

  • English

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries, Conservative Party Archive [followed by shelfmark, e.g. PPB 2/1].

Please see our help page for further guidance on citing archives and manuscripts.

Full range of shelfmarks:

PPB 1-204, 206-240, 242-246, 248-292

Collection ID (for staff)

CPA PPB

Abstract

Transcripts of Party Political Broadcasts, Speeches and Press Releases, 1951-2002

Biographical / Historical

This collection of transcripts of Party Political Broadcasts, Speeches and Press Releases spans from 1951 to 2002 and covers a broad range of topics. Speeches of Conservative Party Ministers and Shadow Ministers were collected and filed in chronological order by Conservative Central Office, alongside an alphabetically arranged series of speech transcripts. Specific General Election speeches, broadcasts and press releases are grouped by year, from the 1951 to the 1997 General Election. The collection also contains various other types of speeches, from constituency speeches to platform speeches at conferences.

Party Political Broadcasts were originally aired on BBC radio as part of the 1924 General Election, and first televised in 1951, following the creation of a Committee on Political Broadcasting between the BBC and the three main political parties in 1947. This Committee regulated the number of broadcasting slots given to each party. These public addresses were initially very formal, sometimes as simple as broadcasts of party manifestos, however evolved greatly over time. By the 1970s they were often presented as advert style features, even including celebrity endorsements and Hollywood producers. More recently, these broadcasts have been made independently of the BBC or any other broadcasters, and are now limited to five minutes in length.

Custodial History

The archive of the Conservative Party was established as a source for academic study at the Bodleian Library in 1978 by an agreement made between the University of Oxford and the Conservative Party, and brought together surviving historic papers of the Party previously held in various locations including Newcastle University Library and the former Conservative Central Office in Smith Square, London. Since 1996, ownership of the archive has been vested in the Conservative Party Archive Trust. The archive includes records from all three areas of Party organisation: parliamentary, voluntary and professional.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Conservative Party.

Title
Conservative Party Archive: Party Political Broadcasts and Speeches
Status
Published
Author
Finding aid prepared by Emily Tarrant
Date
2004
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository

Contact:
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom