Chapter 9: Heath's government Flashcards
When did Edward Heath win the election?
1970 - experienced - he had already been conservative leader for five years
How did Stagflation occur during Heath’s premiership?
New chancellor Anthony Barber introduced cuts to public spending, and tax cuts to increase investment - this caused a rise in inflation, but without economic growth (employment rose rapidly)
What was the Heath Government U-turn?
government had to use state intervention
* Rolls Royce was nationalised in 1971
* Upper Clyde shipbuilders were supported to prevent them going bankrupt
-This was a drastic change as the Conservative manifesto had promised to end public subsidy of lame duck industries
What happened to the currency under Heath?
it went decimal - more in line with the currencies of other European countries
What caused the 1973 oil price crisis and what was the impact of this?
Yom Kippur war in the middle east - OPEC declared an oil embargo - exports stopped which caused oil prices to quadruple
What was the Industrial Relations act and how successful was it?
- set up an industrial relations court
- strike ballots and cooling off period
- not successful - opposed by the Trades Union Congress
What was the scale of strike action in 1972 and how many days were lost?
miners, ambulance drivers, civil servants and hospital workers went on strike - 23, 909,000 days were lost
What happened during the 1972 miners strike?
strike was led by Arthur Scargill - stopped the movement of coal around the country - government declared a state of emergency, schools were closed and 1.2 million workers were laid off - three day week declared to save electricity - wage settlement eventually agreed
What happened when miners made new demands in 1973?
miners have an increased wage demand - Heath hopes he can negotiate and prevent another strike - announced the re-introduction of the three day week from 1974
- brought in Willie Whitelaw - skilled negotiator
- negotations failed - miners refuse to accept pay offer and NUM called a national strike (january 1974)
What was the result of the february 1974 election?
hung parliament - no party had an overall majority
- voters were not enthusiastic about either of the main parties
- labour enventually formed a minority government (they won five more seats)
What happened on Bloody Sunday?
What were the political consequences?
- Northern ireland civil rights organisation organised a march to protest against internment
- British soldiers fired live ammunition - thirteen were killed
- British embassy in Dublin was burnt down and support for IRA grew
- March 1972 - Heath suspended stormont parliament and brought in direct rule from westminister (Willie Whitelaw - secretary of state)
Direct rule - ruled from london instead of having its own parliament
What was the 1973 Sunningdale agreement?
What was the public response?
plan for a powersharing government -
* power sharing executive of both unionists and nationalists
* new assembly elected under proportional representation
* council of ireland would have some input from the republic
- Republican and loyalist extremists were opposed (UVF AND UDA - UUP voted to pull out)
- 11 of 12 constituencies returned candidates who opposed the agreement
What was internment ?
How did people respond?
locking up suspects without trials - alienated nationalist communities as 95% of those interned were catholics - british army was viewed as the enemy
