2.8 Wilson and Race Relations Flashcards
Who was Home Secretary between 1965 and 1967?
Jenkins
What was the 1965 Race Relations Act?
Made it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of race in public places
Which two new bodies were set up as a result of the 1965 Race Relations Act?
Race Relations Board
National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants
Why were people disappointed with the 1965 Race Relations Act?
It lacked strength.
A Conservative amendment made discrimination in public places a ‘civil misdemeanour’ rather than a criminal offence
What key areas did the 1965 Race Relations Act not include?
Employment and housing
Who led the Community Relations Act in 1965?
Frank Cousin (he left after 2 years)
Who did tensions grow between in Kenya in th 1960s?
African majority and Asian minority
Who did the British government offer British passports to in 1963?
Kenyan Asians
Between December 1967 and February 1968, how many Kenyan Asians entered Britain
7,000
Who was unhappy that the government were helping Kenyan Asians?
Right-wingers like Duncan Sandys and Enoch Powell.
Heath warned of ‘serious social consequences’
When was the Commonwealth Immigrant Bill introduced?
1968 - under Wilson
What was the Commonwealth Immigrant Bill?
Only passport holders with ‘substantial connections’ within Britain by virtue of their birth, their father’s or grandfather’s, could enter
Entry of East African holders of British passports would be reduced under a voucher scheme to what number?
6-7,000
Why was Callaghan denounced?
The Bill was reactionary
What gave the government respite from criticism over the Commonwealth Immigrants Bill?
Enoch Powell’s racial campaign
What does Morgan argue about the Commonwealth Immigrants Bill?
Race entered British politics at centre stage
What happened in places like Bradford and Luton?
P***-bashing (racially motivated attacks)
What did the Race Relations Board and the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants commission?
A Political and Economic Planning Report
What did the Political and Economic Planning (PEP) report argue
‘Discrimination against coloured members of the population operates in many fields not covered by the existing legislation and that it operates on a substantial scale’
How did PEP carry out its investigation?
Questionnaires, interviews, and situation tests
What happened in these investigatory PEP situation tests?
Multiple people applying for the same job and the same flat but with names that were clearly white British, West Indian and Hungarian.
The West Indian applicant was nearly always treated unfairly, then the Hungarian applicant and the white British applicant fared the best.
What was discovered about race and mortgage rates?
Non-white citizens were liable to be charged higher mortgage rates
What did the 1968 Race Relations Act outlaw?
Discrimination in housing, employment, the provision of goods and services, in trade unions and in advertising.
What was the problem with the 1968 Race Relations Act?
Like before, it lacked strength
During the first year of the Act, how many offenders were actually put on trial?
One.
What group made a brief appearance in 1964-5?
A British version of the KKK
Workers at both Paddington and St Pancras dealt with what (even by 1966)?
The colour bar
The Conservative candidate for Ssmethwick had a 7.2% swing towards him in 1964. What slogan did some of his supporters use?
‘If you want a n***** for your neighbour, vote Labour’
He refused to condemn this.
When was the Racial Preservation Society set up?
1965
What did the Racial Preservation Society do?
Promoting racial purity
When were the National Front set up?
1967
What did the National Front put at the heart of their ideas?
Immigration
What speech was given by Enoch Powell in 1968?
Rivers of Blood
What analogy did the Rivers of Blood speech use?
The River Tiber overflowing with blood
When was the Yorkshire Campaign to Stop Immigration set up?
1970 in Bradford
What did the TV show, Til Death Do Us Part, highlight?
It was a working class Tory from London’s East End emphasisng love of monarchy and fear of black people.
