Labour Givwnrmant Of Wilson And Callaghan

Question 1

What happened in the 1974 election?

Answer 1

-Wilson won a majority (was only 3)

Labor gained 18 seats

Conservatives lost 21 seats

Question 2

How did Wilson deal with industrial relations following his (1974) election win?

Answer 2

Wilson had pre- negotiated a ‘social contract’ with the trade union congress-
reaching an agreement with the national union of miners = ending 3 day working work

Denis healey, chancellor issued budgets to deal with economic crisis & not annoy unions (July:reduced VAT, increase food subsidies, March: tax increases)

Question 3

What economic reforms did Wilsons government do in (1974-76)?

Answer 3

(1975) Healy budget impose steep rise in tax & cutting public spending

(1974) nation’s enterprise board established: this
-administered governmant shareholdings on private companies (are able to give financial aid)
-Aims were to increase investment

-(1975) Formal pay restraints

Question 4

What were the limitations of the economic reforms (1974-1976)

Answer 4

• nationalsing british leyland. A failing car manufacturer created controversy

• social contract not limited to wage demands

-(1975) formal pay restraint:: had intensified party division as left wingers did not want to put too much pressure on the unions

Question 5

What was economic developments like in Callaghan’s premiership (1976-79)

Answer 5

Failure:
-(1976) in government , Denis Healy receive £3 billion loan from International Monetary Fund
Which lead to spending cuts
(So Britain economy looked weak) BALANCE: Callaghan handled well = economy recovery

Success
-North Sea oil increase finance
-(1978) nine oil fields in production
- inflation had fell to 10% -unemployment also fell

Question 6

What did Callaghan do to strengthen government in (1977)?

Answer 6

Made the lib lab pact

Question 7

What was the lib lab pact?

Answer 7

Meant that 12 liberal mps could vote within government = defeat Conservative Party vote of no confidence

Callaghan promises to plan to deal with devolution in wales and Scotland

Question 8

What is devolution?

Answer 8

Transfer of power to lower levels of giovernmant

Question 9

How was devolution dealt with in Scotland and wales following the lib lab pact?

Answer 9

The devolution acts were passed in (1978) and a referendum followed which resulted in narrowly enough people saying yes for Scotland and a large majority saying no in Wales

So resulting in it failing as there wasn’t an simple majority

So the Scottish nationalist mos withdrew supports from the labor party

Question 10

What started the winter of discontent?

Answer 10

Trade union congress reject 5% wage increase limitation proposed by labor government

Meant trade unions demanded more

Question 11

What had occurred in the winter of discontent?

Answer 11

Lorry drivers went on strike in winter (1978) =[15% wage increase]

-disruption to transport (lorry drivers)
-strikes by public sector workers (grave diggers, clerical staff and dustmen)

Question 12

What were the consequences of the winter of discontent?

Answer 12

Trade unions achieved average pay increase of 10% in (1979) march

Had big psychological impact

Question 13

What had started the (1979) election?

Answer 13

() government lost vote of no confidence in parliament on the Scottish devolution issue as Scottish nationalist voted against government
(Gov lost 311 votes to 310)

Question 14

What were the results of 1979 general election?

Answer 14

Conservatives won 329 seats

Labor win 269 seats

Conservatives win 43.9% of votes

Labor won 36.9% of votes

Conservatives were able to gain lots of support from the winter of discontent and drop in support for liberal Scottish national party

Question 15

What was the consequences of the sunning-dale agreement for the Labour government

Answer 15

The ulster workers council was established by shipyard workers to bring down the power sharing executive

So the shipyard workers went on strike in (1974)

Question 16

What was the British response to the ulster workers council actions? And it’s impact?

Answer 16

The British government declared state of emergency

= chief executive of power sharing executive resigned
= Wilson implement direct rule

Then Wilson established a northern Irish constitution convention that had an election held in (1975) with most opposing a power sharing government

So by (1976) the sunningdale agreement collapsed and the executive dissolved

Question 17

What else did the Labour government implement in to solve the troubles in Northern Ireland?

Answer 17

(1976)The removal of special category status which mean everyone in prison was treated equally

Question 18

What were the consequences of removing special category status?

Answer 18

Paramilitaries in prison disliked this idea so they created an blanket protest which developed into (1978) a “dirty protest”

By (1979) 250 prisoners took part in protest hoping to gain there status back