3:9 Heath's government - Content Flashcards
What were Heath’s aspirations for Britain when he became prime minister after winning the 1970 election?
He had a clear and detailed programme of policies for the modernisation of Britain.
What experience did Heath have?
He had been leader of the opposition for five years, longer than most Conservative leaders - meaning, he had a lot of experience
How was Heath’s social background different to that of other Conservative party leaders?
He attended a state school, unlike the Old Etonians who dominated the party
How was Heath as a politician?
> Perceived as stiff and prickly in dealing with people
His colleagues saw him as too honest; not skilful enough in pleasing political allies
Good as policies but not at politics
How prepared was Heath when he came into government in 1970?
Very well prepared
> Had spent his time in opposition developing detailed policies, especially on industrial relations and economic modernisation
> He was very knowledgeable on the issues surrounding the EEC - he was the chief negotiator from 1961-63
What posed a threat to Heath’s future as party leader after the problems of the 1970-74 period and election defeats of 1974?
Several Conservative backbench MPs were determined to force a leadership contest
Who was the key challenger to Heath for the position of party leader?
Margaret Thatcher
> Her policies were more to the right of Heath and Macmillan
> She supported the monetarist and free-market policies put forward by Enoch Powell and Keith Joseph
> She was able to exploit the sense that things were going badly wrong with both the party and with the country
What was the result of the 1975 Conservative party leader election?
Thatcher defeated Heath
> Following this, Heath lost much support from those who now supported Thatcherism
What did the Conservatives do in January 1970, ahead of the 1970 election?
They held a party conference at Selsdon Park to approve a policy programme which would form the basis of their manifesto at the election.
What policies did the Selsdon Park programme consist of?
> Reforms to trade unions
Immigration controls
Cuts to public spending
An end to public subsidy of ‘lame duck’ industries
What is a lame duck industry?
An industry that is unable to compete and survive without support from the State
However, the Selsdon Park programme was not intended to be a complete rejection of post-war consensus politics, since…
Heath still believed in ‘One Nation Toryism’ and the post-war consensus
Name 3 of the many reforms during the Heath premiership.
- The school leaving age was raised to 16
- Local government was reorganised
- The British currency went decimal, bringing it more in line with the currencies of other European countries
However, what were the 2 main focuses of the Heath administration?
The economy & industrial relations
Who was Heath’s chancellor?
Anthony Barber
Which 2 economic tactics did Barber implement, hoping to improve the economy?
- Cuts to public spending
- Tax cuts, in an attempt to encourage investment
What was the economic impact of Barber’s policies?
They caused the ‘Barber boom’, with a rapid rise in inflation. However, this inflation was not accompanied by economic growth; unemployment went up, which was a highly unusual thing to happen at the same time as inflation.
The complications of the ‘Barber Boom’ led to the creation of which word?
Stagflation: describes the unusual combination of inflation and stagnant economic growth (often producing unemployment) at the same time
Heath’s government had wanted to reduce state intervention in industry. However…
unemployment was starting to reach one million, so the government felt compelled to take action. This action would have had to go against their aspirations in their manifesto.
Which companies did the government invest in, going against their previous economic principles?
- The prestigious engineering firm Rolls Royce was nationalised in 1971
- Government money was poured in to prevent Upper Clyde Shipbuilders going bankrupt
This reversal of previous free-enterprise policy in 1971-72 can be described as…
Heath’s U-turn
What evidence was there that the government’s investment into modernising industry was improving the economy?
Unemployment had fallen back to 500,000 by 1973
However, which 2 detrimental events would cause the economy to suffer once again?
- The oil price crisis of 1973
- The energy crisis that followed
What was the initial trigger of the oil price crisis of 1973?
The Yom Kippur War in the Middle East. The war prompted OPEC to declare an oil embargo.
What impact did the oil embargo have on the British economy? (3)
- Oil exports suddenly stopped
- The price of oil rocketed to four times the usual levels
- Long queues formed outside petrol stations
The oil price crisis of 1973 was the context for…
the National Union of Miners (NUM) to demand a huge new pay rise in November 1973. This would lead to a dramatic struggle between the NUM and the government.
From the start of Heath’s premiership, he had industrial disputes to deal with… (3)
- A large pay settlement for dustmen
- A postal workers’ strike
- A ‘go-slow’ by power workers which led to power cuts
How did Heath’s government respond to these problems in industrial relations?
They brought in the Industrial Relations Act in 1971
What was the Industrial Relations Act of 1971?
It was very similar to the proposals in Barbara Castle’s ‘In Place of Strife’
> It set up an Industrial Relations Court
> It provided for strike ballots
> It ensured a ‘cooling off period’ before official strikes could begin
Heath also abolished the National Board for Prices and Incomes
What was the impact of the Industrial Relations Act of 1971?
It was not taken well by the trade union
> Both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) were opposed to it.
> It only led to more major strikes in 1972
Describe the major strikes of 1972.
Involved miners, civil servants, power workers and many more.
1972 saw the highest number of days lost in strikes since…
the General Strike of 1926 - nearly 24 million days
What was the impact of the miners’ strike in 1972, since their demands from the government were not being met?
The use of flying pickets, particularly the Yorkshire miners, virtually stopped the movement of coal around the country.
How did the government react to the impacts of the miners’ strike and how did they try to resolve it?
> They declared a State of Emergency, schools were closed and 1.2 million workers were laid off
> The government set up the Wilberforce Committee to examine the miners’ demands
> They announced a three-day week to save electricity
What was the result of the dispute between the miners and the government?
The Wilberforce Committee came down on the side of the miners, and the NUM leader Joe Gormley was able to negotiate a generous wage settlement.
What was Heath’s 1972 Industry Act?
> It tried to manage wage demands
> It aimed to involve the government, the TUC and the CBI in agreeing wages, prices, investment and benefits
How did the Right of the Conservative Party react to the 1972 Industry Act?
They heavily criticised it, especially Enoch Powell
However, the Industry Act of 1972 seemed to do little to settle industrial disputes, since…
> There were further industrial disputes with firefighters and power workers
> In November 1973, the oil crisis led to another increased wage demand from the miners, which went beyond the government’s limits
How did the miners’ strengthen their demands?
They introduced an overtime ban
How did Heath attempt to settle the dispute?
> He hoped to reach a compromise with the miners and to avoid a strike
> Yet, at the same time, he announced that a three-day week would be re-introduced from the beginning of 1974
> He moved Whitelaw from the Northern Ireland Office to be minister of employment, as he was considered a skilled negotiator
However, what were the impacts of Heath’s attempt to settle the dispute with the miners?
> Whitelaw as minister of employment failed
> The miners refused to accept their pay offer
Since the government refused to treat the miners as a special case, they…
called a national strike in January 1974
When did Heath call a general election?
February 1974. He intended the central issue of the election to be ‘Who governs Britain?’
What did the results show throughout and at the end of the campaign?
Opinion polls favoured the Conservatives, but the final result showed a small swing against them.
Labour won how many more seats than the Conservatives?
Five more seats than the Conservatives
This suggests that the miners’ strike somewhat…
brought down the government
However, since the result of the February 1974 election was inconclusive, this led to…
a hung parliament in which neither party had an overall majority
The result reinforced the idea that…
> 1974 was a year of political crisis not just economic crisis
Voters were not enthusiastic about either of the two main parties
There was an increase in support for the smaller parties
In summary…
> Ongoing problems with Britain’s economy were exacerbated by a breakdown in industrial relations
Failure to deal with this led to the Conservative government losing the 1974 election
When Heath’s government came into power in 1970, they also inherited huge problems in…
Northern Ireland, which was experiencing an explosion of sectarian violence
Why was Britain now under pressure to tackle the situation?
> The British army was struggling to keep the peace
> The political situation in Belfast was close to complete breakdown
> After Bloody Sunday, Britain admitted that they couldn’t deal with the situation alone
> Britain was also facing international pressure to intervene
As the situation deteriorated…
a number of paramilitary organisations sprang up on both sides of the political divide
Which two republican paramilitary organisations formed?
> IRA (Irish Republican Army)
INLA (Irish National Liberation Army)
Which two loyalist paramilitary organisations formed?
> UDA (Ulster Defence Association)
UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force)
Who was Brian Faulkner?
Leader of the UUP (Ulster Unionist Party), who led the Belfast government
What attempts to find a political solution had Heath’s government already made?
> Heath backed Faulkner
> Heath went along with policies of imposing night-time curfews and the introduction of internment in 1971
What was internment?
Locking up suspects without trial
Why were these policies ineffective at diffusing the situation?
> They were ineffective security measures
They alienated the nationalist communities
What % of those interned between 1971 and 1975 were Catholics?
95% Catholics
How did Jim McVeigh, an IRA commander, say about internment?
internment was “among the best recruiting tools the IRA ever had”
Therefore, Catholics and nationalists began to regard the British army as…
an enemy occupying power
What was organised on 30th January 1972?
NICRA (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association) organised a march to protest against internment.
Where did the march take place?
The Bogside area of Derry
What happened when the British army got involved to handle the march? (Battle of the Bogside)
> British soldiers fired live ammunition, leading to a massacre in which 26 unarmed civilians were shot, with 13 being killed on the day.
> All those killed were Catholics
What was the impact of this event, which became known as ‘Bloody Sunday’?
> It fuelled Catholic and nationalist hostility towards the British army even further
When was the Battle of St Matthew’s?
June 1970
What was the Battle of St Matthew’s?
A gun battle fought between the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Ulster loyalists
What were the impacts of the Battle of St Matthew’s?
> The British Army and police were deployed but did not intervene
> 3 killed and at least 26 wounded
> A propaganda victory for the nationalist cause
When was Operation Demetrius?
August 1971
What was Operation Demetrius?
> The mass arrest and internment (imprisonment without trial) of 342 people suspected of being involved with the IRA
> Conducted by the British Army
> Proposed by the NI government and then approved by the British government
> The interrogation techniques were later thought to be torture
What were the impacts of Operation Demetrius?
> The use of internment and the abuse of those arrested led to mass protests and a sharp increase in violence
> Amid the violence, about 7,000 people fled or were forced out of their homes
What happened on 3rd February 1972, shortly after Bloody Sunday?
The British Embassy in Dublin was burned down by nationalist demonstrators
Over the course of these events, the IRA experienced…
an increase in support and were able to raise a lot of funds in the US
1972 was the bloodiest year of the troubles. How many explosions were there?
Nearly 1400 explosions
How many shooting incidents were there in 1972?
Around 10,000 shooting incidents
How many people were killed in 1972?
480 people
What did Heath do in March 1972?
> He suspended the Stormont Parliament in March 1972 and brought in direct rule from Westminster
> He also appointed William Whitelaw as secretary of state
What was Heath’s aim to resolve the conflict in Northern Ireland?
> Defeat the IRA, as the unionists and loyalists wanted
> Find a permanent political solution that would ensure peace
In an attempt to do this, Heath had to…
negotiate with the main Northern Irish political parties
What were the main unionist and loyalist parties?
> Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Alliance
What were the main nationalist and republican parties?
> Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP)
Sinn Fein
On 6th-9th December 1973, Heath and Whitelaw negotiated the…
Sunningdale Agreement
What was the Sunningdale Agreement?
A complex plan for a power-sharing government. It proposed:
> A power-sharing Executive of both nationalists and unionists - both sides would be guaranteed representation
> New Northern Ireland Assembly elected under a system of proportional representation
> A Council of Ireland, which would have some input from the Republic of Ireland
How did unionists react to the Sunningdale Agreement?
> Both the UVF and UDA were opposed
The UUP voted to pull out in January 1974
They hated it, since they saw any influence by the Republic over Northern affairs as a step closer to a united Ireland
On 10th December, a day after the SA was agreed…
loyalist paramilitaries formed the Ulster Army Council, who opposed Sunningdale
Faulkner, head of the Executive, was replaced as leader of the UUP by…
Harry West, who was opposed to the agreement
Why did the IRA hate Sunningdale?
> They did not want peaceful cooperation with Britain - simply one united Ireland
They didn’t want a compromise, they wanted a victory
What was the Republic of Ireland’s view of the agreement?
They were pleased with it
How did Britain react to Sunningdale?
They didn’t care very much about the agreement; the Northern Ireland problem was a secondary issue compared to other important British affairs
What evidence is there that Britain did not prioritise the Northern Ireland problem?
Whitelaw was initially chief negotiator for Sunningdale, but he was replaced by a less experienced politician
The prospects of a settlement in NI were undermined by the problems going on in mainland Britain:
> The miners’ strike
The February 1974 general election
Content summary:
> Heath’s background
Heath in 1970
Conservative leadership contest
Selsdon Park Programme
Barber’s economic policies
State intervention - ‘lame ducks’ and U-turn
Oil price crisis
Industrial disputes
Industrial Relations Act 1971
Strikes of 1972
The State of Emergency
Industry Act 1972
NUM’s national strike
February 1974 election
