wilson and labour governments Flashcards
1
Q
who won the 64 election and with what majority?
A
labour - wilson
5 seat majority
2
Q
who led the tories into the 1964 election?
A
Home
- after the loss he was replaced by Edward Heath
3
Q
overview of wilson’s ideology and leadership
A
- previous bevanite (labour left), also however served in gaitskell’s cabinet
- critics argue he was an opportunist, however was able to link labour to modernisation
- seen as classless, contrast to previous Sir Alec Home, an etonian
- state school education changed britain into more of a meritocracy
- smoked a pipe and had a yorkshire accent
- relaxed and a skillful performer on television
- even though he had great oracy skills, was insecure about his leadership and relied on spads.
- tendencies to focus on short term problems rather than longer-term planning
4
Q
who was wilson’s ‘personal secret secretary’?
A
marcia williams
5
Q
define devaluation
A
lowers the value of a currency in comparison to other currencies in a fixed exchange system
6
Q
zeitgeist
A
feeling/spirit in the air
- wilson was seen to have caught this
7
Q
meritocracy
A
plans based on an individuals merits
- wilson encouraged this atmosphere due to being state educated following alec home
8
Q
what was wilson’s phrase?
A
‘a week is a long time in politics’
9
Q
who was labour leader until 1955?
A
atlee
10
Q
who was leader of labour in 1955?
A
gaitskell
11
Q
what was clause IV?
A
commitment to nationalisation
12
Q
what countries were in the new commonwealth?
A
india and nigeria
13
Q
what is gdp?
A
value of all goods and services made within a country’s borders
14
Q
what percentage of women were married in the 1950s?
A
75%
15
Q
who stood as a union movement candidate in kensington north in 1959?
A
oswold mosley
16
Q
what was abolished for teenage boys in 1960?
A
national service
17
Q
which sub-culture was linked to crime throughout the 1950s?
A
teddy boys
18
Q
in which month and year were the mods and rockers clashes?
A
may 1964
19
Q
which country rejected britain’s application to join the EEC in 1963?
A
france
20
Q
where was the ‘winds of change speech’ and who by?
A
macmillan
south africa
21
Q
which country did britain support when sending troops to korea in 1950?
A
america
22
Q
factor of labour victory in 1964: attitudes of the electorate towards the Tory party
A
- social security threats via profumo affair (russian spy threats)
- Home aristocracy, gave up peerage to enter commons, electorate thought they were out of touch
23
Q
factor of labour victory in 1964: home’s leadership
A
- could not relate to the people ‘grouse - moor conception of tory leadership’
- constant fire fighting of affairs/scandals
- only lost by 5 seats however
24
Q
factor of labour victory 1964: labour party election campaign
A
- wilson was able to appeal to the people, had a sense of humour
- heavy and clear branding - red lettering and talk of the future
- influence of ‘white heat’ speech, redirection to the future, away from tory establishment and economic struggles
25
factor of labour win 1964: wilson’s leadership
- popular, good oracy skills
- linked labour to modernisation unlike the tories
- more down to earth and relateable
26
factor in labour win 1964: revival of the liberal party
- jo grimond led
- doubled tally from previous election to get 3m votes
- victory was not translated into seats because of FPTP
- took tory seats
27
factor of labour victory 1964: social change in britain
- decline of deference
- disillusionment with the establishment
- affluence and culture reviving
28
details about wilson’s political positioning
- stayed neutral ultimately to keep labour as a united front
- able to side both factions of the party
- primarily left wing, worked for both gaitskell and bevan
- would be pragmatic about political positioning, will change position when it suits him and the party
29
details about wilson’s image
- short-termist led to criticism of being selfish and two-faced
- pipe rather than a cigar
- popular and a good sense of humour
- associated with working class rather than previous aristocrats
- had ‘humble roots’
- beatlemania era
30
details about wilson’s political skills
- devaluation came with heavy criticism
- steered away from controversial topics and kept to science and tech development
- excellent speaker
- short-termist
- good and clear election campaigns
- prioritised labour staying as a united party
31
details about wilson’s leadership style
- able to unite the party after struggles of division
- used a presidential style of campaign
- sense of humour
32
details of ‘white heat’ speech
- leadership speech, 1963
- gaitskell just died, hence needed to appeal to revisionists too, so doesn’t talk on controversial topics
33
‘either side of industry’ meaning, white heat speech
- trade unions and lack of investment made by tories
- suggesting reform of working with unions
34
‘white heat’ meaning
- technological productivity
- britain will be smoking heat of technological change
- criticism of tories for lack of investment made
35
who was chancellor of labour party 1964-1967
james callaghan
36
who was chancellor of the labour party 1967-1970
roy kenkins
37
when was devaluation and what did the exchange rate change to?
1967
$2.80 to $2.40
38
what was the result of the 1967 election and what was the majority?
labour win
4 seat majority to 96 seat majority
39
what was the balance of payments deficit in 1964?
£800m
40
three economic policy challenges wilson inherited
- £800m balance of payments deficit
- lack of international competitiveness due to lack of investment and therefore prices in gb higher than foreign prices
- reduction of sterling markets as more colonies joined independence
41
four union policy challenges wilson inherited
- strike action used to increase wages
- 50% british workforce were unionised
- high labour costs made products more expensive and reduced competitiveness
- labour was allied to unions who funded the party
42
what were wilson’s five economic policy aims
1. reduce inflation
2. increase exports
3. pay off overseas debts
4. improve the economy and make britain more competitive
5. maintain the value of the £
43
what problem would increasing exports address?
balance of payment deficit (reducing imports was not an option, raw materials and food were needed)
44
what were the headlining points about the economic difficulties wilson inherited?
- high inflation and balance of payments deficit (£800m deficit)
- large expense of maintaining overseas military bases
- overvalued pound which made british products less competitive
- wilson claimed he would never devalue the pound
- several runs on the £ 1964-70
45
what was the problem with maintenance of military bases abroad?
could not be easily reduced whilst maintaining britain’s status as a global power
46
what is a run on the pound?
1. if goods do not sell well, fewer want sterling
2. therefore its value is perceived to have fallen
3. need more £ to buy goods, causing inflation
4. bankers around the world change £ to other currencies
- value of the pound therefore falls as exports become cheaper as foreigners get MORE £ for their currency. Imports however get more expensive as you need MORE £ to buy them
47
why was devaluation not an option in 1964?
- international reputation
- fear of knock on effect to USA (could trigger run on $)
- rise in import prices would contribute to inflation
- reduce the savings of hard working, labour voting families
- tiny majority would require second election, wilson feared ‘devaluation would sweep us away’
48
what was the other option to devaluation?
1. increase taxes
2. limit wages
3. increase tariffs
4. cut government spending
= reducing power of individuals and businesses
49
why and who by was devaluation considered not an option?
- bank of england, cabinet and treasury at beginning stated devaluation was not an option as feared an international shock and alienation of america
50
which Labour MP and when reflected on the actions of devaluation policies? what did he say?
Anthony Crosland
1975
‘constrained public spending, antagonised trade unions, alienated large groups of workers, killed the National Plan and frustrated policies for improving the industrial structure’
51
when were import charges introduced? and what were the details?
- autumn of 1964
- 15% imports charge
- reduced to 10% in feb 1965, abolished 1966 after fierce international opposition and threat of retaliation
- part of the 1964-1967 deflationary policies
52
which budgets affected income tax and how?
autumn 1964 and spring 1965
increased it
- part of the deflationary policies 1964-1967
53
what taxes were brought in and when that were part of the deflationary policies?
- on alcohol, tobacco and petrol
- also introduction of corporation tax
- autumn 1964 and spring 1965
- raised £475m in revenue
54
why was deflationary impact minor? (deflationary policies 1964-1967)
- commitment to manifesto pledges (increased pensions, investment into welfare state and abolition of prescription charges) meant the revenue created from new taxes was put back into the economy
55
aim and intent of deflation
- didnt want to reverse manifesto pledges and let public loose confidence in the gov, would also loose international alliances and confidence in the pound
- wanted to bring down prices
- treasury, cabinet and bank of england supported against devaluation
56
how successful was deflation?
- unsuccessful in bringing prices down as manifesto pledges cancelled out affect of new taxes
- failure in import taxes shows incompetency and reduces legitimacy
- international loans cancelled out by military spending
57
did the electorate ‘feel the pinch’ of deflation/an overvalued pound?
no
- behind the scenes and public did not experience discontent to a noticeable level
58
what did wilson do economically after his 1966 election win?
- continued deflation rather than pursuing devaluation
- made huge cuts including mandatory freeze on all wages and prices for 6 months
59
what was the aim and intent of the national plan?
- an annual growth rate of 3.8% over 6 years
- an increase in exports of 5.25% annually to deal with balance of payments deficit (double of what had been achieved in the past)
- had a checklist of 39 initiatives
- focussed on regional development
- national board for prices and incomes created.
- so ambitious as gov wanted to create a positive image for britain, and raise confidence in the pound
60
when was the national plan?
september 1965
61
what did the national board for prices and incomes do?
- ensured wage increases only rose if accompanied by an increase in productivity
- although had no power to enforce decisions
- relied on co-operation of trade unions who did not support wage restraint
62
what was the DEA?
- department for economic affairs
- tried to make the british industry more competitive
63
why was the DEA closed and when?
1969
- national plan would only work through investment and expansion, however deflationary policies made this impossible (wilson and callaghan committed to this)
- wilson refused to acknowledge the problem
- lack of cooperation between callaghan (treasury) and brown (dea) made success even more unlikely
64
why was the national plan doomed from the beginning?
- too ambitious to be achieved
- growth targets were political rather than economically realistic
- 39 checklist points lacked coherence
65
successes of the national plan
- relatively minor however and not primarily due to the plan
- motorways were built in north of england
- new manufacturing sites in southern wales (merseyside and tyneside)
66
how successful was the national plan?
- dea closed due to wilson, callaghan and brown not cooperating
- no mechanism for targets to be met as national board for prices and incomes had no power to enforce anything
- relied upon trade unions who did not support wage restraint
- some developments/successes
67
when was the seamen strike and why?
- may 1966
- demanded pay rise
- damaged british exports and poor trade threatened a run on the pound (perception of pound weakness, people pull out investments and stocks)
68
when and why did the dockers strike in liverpool, manchester and london ?
- sep 1967
- goods for export piled up
- wanted pay rise
69
what was the TRADE deficit report of sep and oct 1967?
- sep = £52m
- oct = £107m
- doubles
70
what were the unemployment figures of 1967 compared to 1964?
1967 = 2.5m
1964 = 1.7m
71
what was britain’s balance of payments deficit by nov 1967?
£1500m
72
what were the economic challenges by 1967?
- balance of payments deficit of £1500m
- no chance of further international loans
- reserves had been spent, which held up the value of the sterling
73
when was devaluation?
nov 1967
74
who announced devaluation and to who?
- callaghan
- the cabinet
75
who argued for devaluation and when?
- early nov 1967
- head of economics section of whitehall (civil servant)
- sir alex cairncross
- he had previously been opposed to devaluation
76
what were the immediate impacts of devaluation?
- run on the pound
- £1 = $2.40
- jenkins takes over as chancellor and callaghan resigns
77
what military enforcements were withdrawn as a result of devaluation and when?
- british forces in east of the suez (apart from hong kong and persian gulf) were to be withdrawn by 1971
- announced jan 1968
78
what did the spring budget of 1968 entail of?
- harsh budget by jenkins
- increased taxation by £923m - more than double the record tax increase
79
what was the aim and intent of devaluation of 1967?
- wanted a more competitive economy internationally
- wanted to increase the purchasing power of the pound
- wanted to bring down inflation and prices
- prescription charges reintroduced
80
how successful was devaluation?
- march 1968 crisis in the dollar due to vietnam war caused movement from $ to £
- caused another run on the pound
- Queen agreed to 4 day bank holiday to let banks recover and to save the pound, a second devaluation was avoided
- although by 1969, there were signs of improvement, balance of payments showed a surplus and the value of sterling rose
81
what would the second devaluation caused by the crisis on the $ could have been?
£1=$1.50
82
successes of economic policy
- balance of payments was improving by 1969
- value of sterling was maintained
- gov policy encouraged industrial development in key areas (merseyside and tyneside)
- road transport improved in north of england
- prescription charges abolished 1964
- rent rebates introduced (housing benefits)
- exports rose (68-70), by 1970 £800m more than imported
83
what were 7 failures of economic policy?
- manifesto pledges had to be abandoned (prescription charges reintroduced and school leaving age raised)
- high unemployment, 2.7m by 1967 (highest since 1945)
- gov forced to devalue pound
- national plan achieved little, abandoned 1967
- still not a member of EEC, did not benefit from europe’s rapid growing rate
- inflation brought prices to 18% higher than 1970 compared to 1964
- living standards began to fall due to wage freezes
84
what manifesto pledges had to be abandoned?
- prescription charges reintroduced 1966
- school leaving age raised to 16
85
what were the unemployment rates by 1967?
2.7 million
highest since 1945
86
what percent was inflation raising prices by?
18% higher in 1970 than 1964
87
closed shop
employers only hire people who are members in their favoured trade union
88
shop steward
union rep for that place of work
89
ballot
vote of union members whether or not to strike. majority needed to vote in favour
90
wildcat strike
unofficial strike held with no notice/no ballot and without the union’s endorsement
91
picket line
workers stand outside the place of work to tell people why they are striking and try to prevent non-strikers from entering work
92
flying pickets
- group of striking workers travel between workplaces to picket them
93
work to rule
working to the letter of the contract and not taking on any additional responsibilities with the aim of slowing production (not doing overtime)
94
what was the Trade Union Congress (TUC)?
- 1868 to provide a coordinated voice for labour movement
- annual congresses
- elected council for day to day business
- elected president - victor feather was in charge when wilson was PM
- influential at labour party conferences, block voting system and funding
- callaghan was a supporter of the unions
95
what was the membership of the Transport and General Worker’s Union (TGWU) by 1970s?
2 million
largest trade union outside of the communist bloc
led by Jack Jones
96
who led the TGWU?
jack jones
97
who was president of the TUC?
Victor Feather
98
how many men and women belonged to unions in the late sixties?
eight million men and two million women
99
what effect did wildcat strikes have?
- hard to predict or prevent for employers
- often provoked internecine feuds or rivalries between different groups of workers
- keep tarnishing the reputation of the unions
100
how did brown respond to wildcat strikes?
- offered an annual wage increase of 3.5 percent
- unions chose to ignore this, 1966 wages were rising more than three times the recommended rate
101
what did wilson respond to trade unions ignoring the wage offer with? what effect did it have?
- a 6 month wage freeze
- suggestions came around that the relationship would crack if labour persisted in their policies
102
what percentage of disputes with trade unions were wildcat?
90%
103
what were the effect of radical shop stewards?
- irresponsibility endangered the health of the economy
- communist and marxist groups wielded a disproportionate influence in some unions
104
which trade unions was known for communist influence?
Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions
105
which unions were also associated by radicals and who were they?
- TGWU and the Amalgamated Engineering Union
- Jack Jones and Hugh Scanlon
106
what effect did inflation have on the unions?
- perceived their earnings to be falling behind rising prices
- led to pay rise competition between unions
107
were the strikes significant to productivity?
- no
- working time lost to strikes was far less than lost to illness (andrew graham)
- graham argues that of the five billion days worked every year, five million/0.1 percent were lost to strikes.
- when trebling this to count for the knock on effect, impact on productivity and competitiveness was almost wholly insignificant
108
why was legislation addressing industrial relations deemed necessary by 1969?
- unpredictable wildcat strikes (90% of all strike action)
- large wage increases ended up countering deflation
- radical nature of some shop stewards made the norm for trade unions far-left
- exaggerated low-pay crisis led to competition for pay rises
109
how many strikes are there in 1970 compared to 1964?
3,906 = 1970
2,534 = 1964
110
how many days are lost in terms of strike action in 1964 and 1970? why is there a large increase from 1967 to 1970?
1964 = 2.2m
1970 = 10.9m
- increase because of wage caps and repression against unions
111
what were the ‘in place of strife’ key proposals
- strike ballot requires before strike action could commence
- 28 day cooling off period during which workers return to work
- industrial relations court backed up with financial penalties to enforce legally binding decisions (initially proposed by Heath)
112
reason for implementing strike ballots
- removes wildcat strikes
- reduces shop steward power
113
reason for implementing cooling periods
- to allow period of negotiations
- compromise may be agreed
114
reason for implementation of the industrial relations court
- to reduce likelihood that unions ignore gov policy or agreement
115
what are the three main reasons ‘in place of strife’ failed?
- weak cabinet unity
- lack of backbench discipline
- union leaders disagreeing
116
examples of weak cabinet unity during passing ‘in a place of strife’
- callaghan was looking to the future for a potential leadership challenge and also wanted a renewed reputation following humiliation of devaluation, wanted to secure backing of the unions so therefore opposed
- march 1969, 15 members of Labour’s National Executive Community voted against ‘in place of strife’. Including callaghan. castle demanded wilson to sack him.
- in june 1969, jenkins also removed support
- castle and callaghan hated each other
- castle and wilson made the proposals for ‘in place of strife’, then addressed the cabinet, many upset they weren’t consulted sooner
- victor feather (TUC) leader formed an alliance with callaghan and houghton. callaghan then removed from inner cabinet for accused of being a spy for the TUC
117
why was callaghan removed from the inner cabinet during ‘in a place of strife’?
- Victor Feather formed an alliance with him and houghton
- then accused of being a spy for the TUC
118
who was douglas houghton?
chairman of the parliamentary labour party
119
examples of weak backbench discipline during ‘in place of strife’
- unions sponsored MPs by funding election campaigns. 150 trade unions sponsored labour MPs. TGWU and AUEW asked sponsored MPs to vote against castle’s bill
- wilson’s attempts to reform HOL also collapsed, backbenchers threw entire programme of gov into doubt
- backbench MPs opposed general standings of the bill
120
examples of union leader problems during ‘in place of strife’
- union bosses opposed proposals
- TUC leader, Feather more willing to enter discussion, him and castle did not get on
- didn’t like the change of power, now limits on their power
- unions sponsored MPs to vote against bill and for their campaigns
- TUC alliance with callaghan
-
121
what was the outcome of ‘in place of strife’
- wilson and castle had to renegotiate with the unions
- allowed TUC to intervene in inter-union disputes
- nothing changed, only got worse
122
where did unofficial strikes take place 2 weeks after the resolution of ‘in place of strife’
- dock strikes, leyland strikes, GPO and NHS threats
123
how many working days were lost in 1970 due to strikes?
7 million
record rose to 23.8 million under heath
124
why was wilson’s position so weak by april 1969?
- alienated trade unions
- cabinet untrust
- deep sense of disillusionment and defeatism
- home secretary (jenkins) in open revolt
- ministers only held together by contempt for harold wilson
125
who were the main contenders for labour leadership by 1969 and why?
- callaghan and jenkins
- callaghan favoured ideological spectrum (centre left), however humiliated by devaluation
- jenkins however had more support
126
why did wilson survive this challenge to his position as PM?
- both cancelled each other out as didnt like each other
- Jenkins ultimately supports wilson just because he hates callaghan
- kept confident during rumours
127
how would you sum up wilson’s position by 1970?
- weak but strong confidence kept public in favour
- saw it as unlikely
128
unionist
support british union
129
loyalist
support british union
130
republican
support irish union
131
nationalist
support irish union
132
RUC
royal ulster constabulary
133
IRA
irish republican army
134
paramilitary
a non-state military force
135
gerrymandering
altering constituency boundaries to favour protestants
136
when was NI created?
1922, following the irish civil war and the anglo-irish treaty of 1921
137
five reasons for tension between protestants and catholics by the 1960s
- gerrymandering
- discriminatory behaviour against catholics in housing, employment and electoral boundaries so catholics could not vote and therefore couldn’t be voted into parliament
- 1921 partition extremely controversial, 26 counties in republic of ireland and 6 in northern ireland
- historical tension between catholics and protestants
- RUC attacked catholics who conduct peaceful protesting
138
how did you have the right to vote in northern ireland during the sixties?
- had to rent or own a home to vote
- discrimination prominent through catholic access to housing in NI, meaning they couldn’t get into political power
- 2k catholics on housing waiting list, whereas 0 protestants on same list
139
what was the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA)
- condemning gerrymandering in elections and demanded the disbanding of the RUC and faire distribution in financial resources (voting, housing and employment reform)
- took from black civil rights movement campaign in usa
- shows a lack of trust in government for reform
140
when was NICRA’s first major public protest? where and why did it happen?
- aug 1968
- london derry
- RUC baton charged marchers to break up protest
- declared by authorities it was an illegal march, allowing RUC to use violence
- an attempt to secure protestant power
141
who was rev ian paisley?
- leader of anti-catholic unionism
- exploited protestant bitterness
142
when and what was the battle of the bogside?
- 12-14 aug 1969
- apprentice boys went on an annual march in london derry
- RUC stormed the bogside but were held back into two days of rioting
- TV broadcasts showed RUC beating catholics
143
what was stormont’s reaction to the battle of the bogside?
- offered to improve housing and to change constituency boundaries
- however sparked more rioting from unionists
144
when were the british army deployed into northern ireland? in support of who?
- 14 aug 1969
- in support of RUC
145
what was the initial reaction to the deployment of the british army into northern ireland?
- welcomed by catholic community, cheering and clapping
- as soldiers encircled catholic bogside area with protective barbed wire
- thought maintenance of peace would happen, ‘neutral policing’
146
what was the Ulster defence regiment? when was it formed?
- 1970
- largest regiment in the british army
- members came and joined from the local community, mainly protestant
147
what was the IRA’s response to the british army being deployed?
- been dormant until this point, even though formed in 1919.
- did not only attack unionism, also attacked NI troops as representatives of their hatred for the british government
- IRA saw the british as having ‘imperialist’ rule as the root cause of ireland’s problems
148
social challenges on race relations facing labour in 1964
- smethwick colour bar
- brainwashing into real extent of immigration, fuelled by far-right/extremist ideas
- continuation of white flight
- immigrants facing violent prejudices
149
what was the smethwick colour bar?
- pubs refused to serve black people
- barbers refused to cut black people’s hair
150
examples of brainwashing about extent of immigration
- between 1964 and 1974, 8/10 people said there were too many black people in britain
- birmingham shopkeeper said, ‘now I get into my car at the weekends and drive to where I cannot see a black face’, showing persistent assumptions that non-white immigration is a problem
- net emigration was larger that net immigration
151
examples of continuation of ‘white flight’
- 1953 and 1958 west indian population massively grows:
1,500 to 3,000 Wolverhampton
8,000 to 30,000 Birmingham
152
examples of non-white immigrants facing violent prejudice
- carribean, indian and pakistani faced violence
- chinese owned properties brunt in birmingham
- customer killed outside chinese shop in st helens
- middlesborough white rampage, ‘lets get a w*g’
153
economic race relations challenges facing labour in 1964
- british rail operated a colour bar
- bristol bus refused to employ black people, 1963 boycott
- persistent problems with letting black people rent
- trade union motion 1955, (TGWU) ‘“coloured’ drivers not to be employed”
154
political race relations challenges facing labour in 1964
- birmingham immigrant control association set up and supported by osborne, also the smethwick colour bar
- smethwick tory campaign in the 1964 election. fear race relations could loose election/threaten government
- some labour MPs supporting extremist ideas, 5 seat majority threatened
- tory backbenchers (cyril osborne) arguing immigants brought disease, prostitution and crime
155
who was cyril osborne?
- tory far-right extremist on immigration
- told telegraph white people were soon to be outnumbered by non-white immigrants
- argued immigrants brought disease, prostitution and crime
156
who were the apprentice boys?
- loyalists organisation that marches annual to commemorate the closing of the gates to the city of derry to catholic forced in 1688
157
who were the apprentice boys?
- loyalists organisation that marches annual to commemorate the closing of the gates to the city of derry to catholic forced in 1688
158
what type of paper was ‘in place of strife’?
- white paper
- document written by the government that sets out a possible policy direction but makes no commitments
159
which labour MPs supported immigration extremist ideas?
- rogers and harrison
160
what were the details of the smethwick tory campaign?
- incumbent gordon, lib dem MP
- tory candidate peter griffiths
- 1964 general election
- tory campaign posters read, ‘vote labour for more n*** type neighbours’
- rumoured gordon’s daughter married to a black man
- national 3% swing to labour, smethwick constituency 7% swing due to campaign
161
what was the national swing towards labour in the 1964 election?
3%
162
what was the smethwick constituency swing and who to?
7% to tory, peter griffiths
163
what were the negative impacts of the ‘rivers of blood speech’
- enoch powell received 110,000 letters following it, only 2,000 were disapproving of the speech
- april poll showed 74% agreed with what he said
- wave of racial assaults following
- influence of KKK and martin luther king assassination
- doker and meat porter strikes
- downing street protest march
164
what were the positive impacts of the ‘rivers of blood speech’
- heath sacks him and never speaks to powell again
- further race relations act 1968
- nottinghill carnival is held annually to celebrate ethnic minorities cultures
- youth culture endorses into ethnic minority cultures
- increase in foreign food shops
- wilson made retaliating speech, very strong and completely shuts down powell. also stands by his social reforms
165
important quotes from ‘rivers of blood’ speech
- ‘the black man will have the whip hand over the white man…’, slavery metaphor
- ‘total transformation to which there is no parallel in a thousand years of english history’, since the norman conquest this is the largest transformation of people in a negative light
166
provenance of the ‘rivers of blood’ speech
- at conservative political centre, shows he is addressing tory supporters
- birmingham, racial tensions high here, smethwick colour bar, indian population is growing in midlands
- april 1968, same time as race relations act debates
167
provenance of the ‘rivers of blood’ speech
- at conservative political centre, shows he is addressing tory supporters
- birmingham, racial tensions high here, smethwick colour bar, indian population is growing in midlands
- april 1968, same time as race relations act debates
168
who won the 1970 election?
- tory win (heath)
169
details of 1970 election
- some analysts argue 2.5 million voted tory because of powell’s position
- cross party issue, many lib dem’s voted tory in support of powell
- labour were credited for their 6 years but their position in 1970 was weak
- heath was hard-working, conscientious and had an image of competence
- ideas the post-war consensus was not working, they supported tory’s new ideas
170
who was james callaghan?
- wilson appointed him as chancellor 1964, served also as home and foreign secretary under wilson
- associated with centre-right of the party
- made excellent links to unions
- succeeded wilson as PM in 1976
171
who led the DEA and what did it stand for?
- led by George Brown
- department of economic affairs
172
what was the aim of the dea?
- to secure the restraint needed to prevent inflation rising
- to ensure stop-go economics worked
173
who was george brown?
- working-class trade union background
- centre right of party
- deputy leader 1960-1970 of labour
- resigned 1968 after row with wilson
- wilson defeated him in the 1963 leadership campaign
174
two social reforms that were private members bills (backbenchers)
- abortion bill (david steel lib dem MP)
- family planning (edwin brooks MP)
