Labour Governments 1974-79 key dates and info Flashcards
By when had the October 1974 majority for Labour disappeared?
By 1977
When were the two elections in 1974?
February and October
What was the Labour majority in October 1974?
3
What was the Labour-Lib pact?
12 Liberal MPs agreed to vote with the government, allowing them to survive a vote of no confidence.
What were the results of the devolution referendums?
52% yes 48% no in Scotland, 62% turnout.
20% yes, 80% no in Wales, 59% turnout.
Scotland were not granted devolved government as 40% of electorate needed to vote in favour.
What was the Conservative majority in the 1979 election?
43 seats
What was the peak level of inflation during the 1974-79 Labour governments?
15%
What was the balance of payments like when Healey entered office as Chancellor in 1974?
£3 billion deficit
What was Healey’s early 1975? When was this?
April 1975 - steep tax raises and spending cuts
What was the NEB? When was it created?
The National Enterprise Board, set up in 1974 under Tony Benn.
When were formal pay restraints introduced?
1975
When did Wilson negotiate the Social Contract with the TUC?
While in opposition, in 1973
When did Harold Wilson resign as Labour leader?
March 1976
When did Callaghan plan for an IMF loan?
In September 1976
When did Healey receive an IMF loan? How much was it?
He received a loan of £3 billion in December 1976.
What was the economic situation by 1978?
Inflation was at 10%, unemployment at 1.6 million.
Industrial days off was at a 10 year low. GDP grew by 3.4%.
When did devolution referendums take place in Wales and Scotland?
1st March 1979
What caused the Winter of Discontent?
In Autumn 1978, the TUC rejected a 5% pay rise.
What pay rise did lorry drivers achieve during the Winter of Discontent?
15%.
What was the average pay increase from the winter of discontent?
10%.
What were the key events of the Troubles under Labour 1974-79?
May 1974 - Ulster Workers Council Strike + Loyalist car bomb kills 26 in Dublin, 7 in Monaghan + Sunningdale collapses.
October 1974 - Guildford pub bomb kills 5
November 1974 - Birmingham pub bomb kills
October 1975 - 12 killed in UVF attacks
October 1976 - blanket protest begins
March 1979 - Airey Neave killed in Commons car park by IRA bomb.
When did UWC leader Harry Murray announce a strike?
May 1974
From when was Special Category Status removed for terrorist prisoners?
1976.
When did the ‘dirty protest’ begin?
1978
By 1979, how many prisoners were participating in the dirty protest?
Over 250
