1964-70 Flashcards
1964 election statistics
con-43.6%
lab-44.1%
1966 election statistics
lab-47.9%
con-41.9%
1970 election statistics
con-46.%
lab-43.0%
wilson’s leadership style
-liked to play his ministers off with one another
-became difficult to trust, as he always felt he was a cut above his ministers and could do their job better
-closest confident was Marcia Williams, his political secretary
-appealed to both sides of the party and helped to heal divisions after Gaitskell
union legislation
-1964 Prices and Incomes Act: unions and gov. failed to agree on wages and price rises, failed
-1965 Trade Disputes Act: compromised with unions, supported closed shop
-1966 Emergency Budget Cuts: called for wage freezes and incited unions into industrial action, Seaman’s strike
‘In Place of Strife’ 1969
-Castle’s proposals published in the white paper :
-permanent committee on industrial relations to be set up
-industrial boards to be established to hear cases
-safeguards against unfair dismissals, legislation to prevent unofficial strikes
-28 day cooling off period before a strike went ahead
-strike ballots could be imposed
results of ‘In Place of Strife’
-highly controversial
-LP divided and TUC issued their own programme for action
-50 rebel MPs are against it
-Wilson was lukewarm about it
-began to cause splits in the party
-the issue of the unions remained unsolved
wilson’s economic aims
-modernise britain using technology
-promote growth
-control inflation and move away from stop-go
-improve balance of payments
-develop welfare state
-promote relationship with unions
-invest in education and develop workforce
department of economic affairs
-made for and headed by George Brown (chancellor-callaghan, not a fan)
-national plan launched sept 1965, aimed at stimulating industrial production and exports (forecast 4% annual growth by investing in technology)
-national plan quietly dropped in 1967, following devaluation
-DEA was designed to focus on long term solutions, and the treasury on the short term causing rivalry
-after brown moved to the foreign office in 1966, DEA suffered and ended 1969
economic issues
-inherited £750 million balance of payments deficit from conservatives
-£1 billion IMF loan 1964, as a result government couldn’t fulfil promise of raising school leaving age, disappointed electorate
-another IMF loan 1967
-prices and incomes freeze 1966
-devaluation of the £ Nov 1967, $2.80 to $2.40
impact of devaluation (positive and negative)
-negative: Wilson’s reputation severely damaged (pound in your pocket speech), 1967 EEC rejection from De Gaulle
-positive: growth in exports, Jenkins replaced Callaghan as chancellor, harsher budget, tax increases but by may 1969 britain was in a surplus of £387 million
economic successes
-growth rate averaged 2.7% per annum
-communications across britain improved with the opening of the BT tower in 1964, the building of motorways and concord’s first flight 1968
-the party’s win in 1966 was due to the electorate being impressed by the government’s modernising approach
-1963-70 exports increased by 40%
economic failures
-inflation was running at 12% compared to the average of 4% in the 1960s
-gap between the unions and government became evident in the 1966 and 67 strikes
-devaluation, damaged wilson’s reputation and caused callaghan to step down as chancellor
-GB still lagged behind internationally in terms of growth rates
foreign policy aims
-to save £2billion on defence spending by 1970
-to keep the party united, hard left still opposed nuclear deterrent and EEC entry
-pro-america
-keep commonwealth links
foreign policy: decolonisation, south africa
-1961 left commonwealth
-apartheid in place
-GB put sanctions in place
-1970 cricket tour cancelled
foreign policy: decolonisation, rhodesia
-1965 Iain declared UDI
-white minority rule, 220,000 white over 4 million black
-oil sanctions imposed by GB, but ineffective
-wilson attempted talks with smith in 1966&68 but refused to use military action against white minority rule
-14 years of racial tension, only solved in 1980
foreign policy: decolonisation, withdrawal from suez
-withdrawal due to economic overstretch
-1967, Healey (Defence Secretary) announced withdrawal and set a timetable
-there were protests from those countries relying on british defence, and the US feared the growth of communism
-1967 devaluation crisis, and the wilson jenkins 1968 budget accelerated the withdrawal
foreign policy: EEC
-1966 application: Wilson lukewarm, Jenkins and Brown committed 1967 meeting, Wilson refused to give up ‘special relationship with US’
-1967 rejection: De Gaulle vetoed ‘velvet veto’, feared GB attempt to control EEC, poor economy 1967 (devaluation), xenophobia, special relationship (fear of US influence)
foreign policy: US, cold war
-wilson believed negotiations could bring an end to tensions with Russia, thus ending conflict in vietnam
-e.g. Genva conference, London, and Moscow
-plan of two phases initiated to end war, but US backed out
-dampened US and GB relations
foreign policy: US, vietnam
-n. vietnam wants to unite with s. vietnam, US wanted to stop this, wilson refused to send troops
-wilson’s ‘finest hour’, as he gave moral support but not troops, yet still managed to keep US loans
-public reaction to vietnam war: 1968 anti-war demos (Grosvenor Square April 1968) made Wilson less inclined to send troops