The property owning democracy was another reason which links to prosperity. Since more people could own their own homes, it led to a time that Macmillan coined the "property owning democracy". This also links to Macmillan's promise to build 300,000 houses per year, a target which they reached, and another reason why people were so able to own their own homes. Again, this lifestyle improvement saw the public in a much better place than they had been under Labour ruling, and the public would be much more inclined to continue voting for the Conservatives when they knew they had met and exceeded targets for housing. Macmillan's "never had it so good" speech rang true for many people, who used it as a way to realise that they indeed hadn't been so well-off before, and would be persuaded by that to continue voting for the Conservatives. helping them to dominate elections.
Another factor which links to the lifestyle improvements was the greater availability of credit, which led to more people being able to afford mod cons and luxury items. There was a consumer boom during this time, when more people than ever before were able to buy items they previously couldn't afford thanks to the availability of credit; meaning they could pay for an item over a long period of time in small sums. People had not experienced this before and would have seen it as something that was much better than what they had during the Labour government, and they wouldn't want to risk losing these luxuries by voting for what they remembered to be the "rationing party", meaning it was another reason why the Conservatives dominated.
Labour provided ineffectual opposition during this time, mainly because of major divides in their party. Senior members often couldn't agree on who the "true character" of the party was and what they really stood for, meaning they wouldn't really be able to create an effective manifesto that held the same values the entire way through it. Without an effective manifesto, they didn't have a good chance of winning over the public and ultimately winning the election. They were also remembered as the "rationing party", as they had been the post-war government during 1945-51. During the Conservative's time in power their major strength had been improving the public's welfare and lifestyle, so they would be heavily favoured over Labour, who's own welfare policies failed to meet the same standard, making this a reason why Labour weakness affected the elections.
There were also further divides within the Labour party, over issues such as unilateralism. The party couldn't decide within itself whether or not they supported the anti-nuclear movement, again another reason why their manifesto wouldn't have been as strong as it could have been. Similarly, a group within the Labour party called the Bevanites (followers of Aneurin Bevan) wanted larger trade unions and wanted to work this into their policies, which other members of the party disagreed with. Such strong opposition within the party would have reflected negatively on them as a whole, they came across as unreliable and paired with the Conservative's strength during this time, weak too. This aspect of Labour weakness was another reason for which the Conservatives dominated.
Overall, the most important reason for the Conservative dominance was the growing prosperity during this time. It was the most significant as it allowed all the other welfare policies to go forward, and without them, the Conservatives wouldn't have succeeded as they did. It led to a rise in wages and the availability of credit and mortgages, meaning people had more disposable income for luxury items and were more likely to get a mortgage, and therefore own their own house. Without these important welfare changes, the public would likely not have been impressed with the Conservatives, as their government would have been similar to that of post-war Labour, which is why it can be perceived as the most important. Although Labour weakness affected the elections, Conservative strength affected it in a much greater way.
