Chapter 9 Flashcards
What was Edward heaths background
Was born into a working class/ lower-middle class he attended a grammar school so was the only prime minister from the Conservative Party post war to not attend eton or harrow. Heath gained an organ scholarship to Oxford where he achieved a second class degree in ppe
What was Edward heaths career in pollitics before prime minister
-he was elected leader of the Conservative Party 1965(5 years before 1970 election)
- was mp for bexley Kent from 1950 - 2001
- served as chief whip under Eden and shadow chancellor under sir Alec Douglas home
What was heaths leadership like
-He was perceived as stiff and prickly in dealing with people.
- didn’t get involved in plots
-he was regarded as to honest for his own good
- policies not pollitics
- he knew eec policies inside out
What was the selsdon park conference
Held In the January before the 1970 election, this conference would aid to form the conservative party’s manifesto at the election
What where the key features of the selsdon park policy program
Tax reform
Better law and order
Reforms to trade unions
Immigration controls
Cuts to public spending
End of public subsidy of lame duck industries
What reforms took place during heaths premiership
School leaving age was raised to 16
Local goverment was recognised
British currency went decimal
What is decimalisation
Came into force in 1971
The new British currency would have 100 pence in the pound Rather than 144 pennies bringing it more in line with the currencies of other European countries
What was the barber boom
Anthony barber was made the new chancellor, he initially introduced cuts in public spending, he introduced tax cuts to try and encourage investment. This caused a rapid rise in inflation known as the barber boom
What is stagflation
The unusual combination of inflation and stagnant economic growth ( which often produces unemployment) at the same time. It is unusual to have increased unemployment at the same time as inflation.
What was heaths u turn
The prestigious engineering company rolls Royce was nationalised in 1971, money was also poured into preventing upper cycle shipbuilders going bankrupt.
What was progress was made by 1973
The investment the goverment had put into modernising industry seemed to be working. Unemployment had fallen back to 500,000. However, this was to change with the oil crisis of 1973 and the energy crisis that followed
What caused the oil crisis of 1973
The Yom Kippur war In the Middle East. The war prompted OPEC to declare an oil embargo. Exports suddenly stopped. The price of oil rocketed to four times the usual levels
Why was the oil crisis significant for miners
Energy in the uk was largley dependent on coal now so allowed miners to demand wage increases in November 1973
What industrial disputes where there for heath leading up to the miners strikes
Dockers strikes, large pay settlements for dustmen, a postal workers, go slow by power workers which led to power cuts.
What was the industrial relations act 1971
Very similar to Barbara castles proposal, it set up an industrial relations court and provided strike ballots and a cooling off period before official strikes could begin. Both the trade union congress and the confederation of British industry were opposed to it.
How many working days where lost in 1972
24,000,000
Highest since 1926
Ambulance drivers, miners, firefighters, civil servants, power workers
Who was Arthur scargill
Leader of the Yorkshire miners, played a big part in the successful strikes of 1972 and 1974
What where the miners strikes of 1972
Started on the 9th January 1972 used flying pickets to stop the movement of coal. 9th of feb a state of emergency was declared, schools were closed and 1.2 million were laid off.
What was the wilberforce committee
Was set up to examine demands of miners and announce 3 day week to save electricity. Mun leader Joe Gormley was able to negotiate a generous wage settlement
What was the industry act of 1972
Aimed to involve the government the TUC and the CBI in agreeing wages, prices, investment and benefits this was heavily criticised by the right of the Conservative Party such as Enoch Powell
How did the miners use 1973 oil crisis for their own agenda
Lack of oil due to the yom kippur war meant reliance on coal as a result they demanded even higher wages which was beyond the limit
Who was Willie Whitelaw and how did he deal with miners ?
Willie whitelaw was an old upper class conservative member. He was highly effective in the the Irish sunning dale agreement. In December 1973 he moved to the department of employment. He was ineffective miners refused to accept the pay offer and the government refused to treat miners as a special case
What happened in the miners strike of 1974
January 1974 num called a national strike, heath then imposed three day week to conserve electricity, people didn’t like the new limit as they weren’t earning as much
What happened in the 1974 general election
Labour won 5 more seats then Tory but did not have they also didn’t have a majority.
What was the seat distribution in the 1974 election
301-297 37 other seats so no majority
Labour formed a minority government
What was direct rule
Heath suspended the stormont parliament in march 1972 and bought in direct rule from Westminster, appointing Willie whitelaw as Secretary of State
What was heaths aim by implementing direct rule
Not to try and defeat the ira, as the unionists and loyalists wanted, but to look for a more permanent political solution that would ensure peace. This led to negotiations with the main northern Irish political parties
What was interment
Locking up suspects without trial
Was interment successful ??
Ineffective as it alienate nationalists, interment only created a more significant bitterness 95% of interns where catholics, interment was the best recruitment the ira ever had
What was heaths policy on Northern Ireland
Night time curfew was imposed
Interment
What was the sunning dale agreement
A complex plan for a power sharing government with the support of the sdlp and the alliance of the UUP
What did suning dale agreement proposed
A power sharing executive both sides would be guaranteed representation
A new Northern Ireland assembly system underneath proportional representation
A council of Ireland
How was sunningdale agreement undermined
The settlement was undermined by issues in mainland Britain by the miners strike and 1974 general election. Those parties opposed to sunnigdale put up a single candidate in each constituency in Northern Ireland
What happened on the 30th January 1972 Bloody Sunday
Northern Ireland civil rights association had organised a march against internment. British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians, 13 killed on the day. The day became known as booody Sunday. Paratroopers were sent in
What increased violence was there between 1970 and 74
March 1971 3 British soldiers killed
Feb 1972 aldershot barrack 7 killed
Feb 1974 m62 army coach 12 killed by ira bomb
What happened in 1972 concerning violence
1382 explosions 10628 shooting incidents.
Who was Brian Faulkner
The Ulster unionist party leader who led the Belfast government, he went along with night time curfew and interment, resigned in 1972 after direct rule
Who was Ian paisley
Led the loyalist opposition to the catholic civil rights movement in the 1960s and was involved in setting up parliamentary loyalist organisations. He was an mp from 1970 yo 2010 and an mep from 1979 to 2004. First minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2008
Who was John Hume
Was involved in the Irish civil rights movement of the 1960s, he co founded the social Democratic Party and became the leader in 1979. He won the noble peace prize. Instrumental in bringing ira ceasefire
Who was Martin McGuiness
Member of the provisional Ira in the early 1970s although he claimed to have left in 1974. He was elected as mp for Sinn Fein in 1997. He was sin feins cheif negotiator at the talks that lead to Good Friday agreement. He later became deputy first minister in the devolved northern Irish assembly after 2007
