Wilson social policy 1st Flashcards
restoring legations
Soicety had undergone changes since in 1950 but by 1960 these had begun to break, ‘changes from the top’ were already clear ‘from below’
Private members bill
This was where backbenchers MPs could pass legislation through the bill as Wilson and Brown didn’t want to ‘liberalise’ Britain and were more set out on moral issues.
Capitial punishment
there were anti-hanging campaigns so in 1965 hanging was abolished for 5 years, 1969 it was made purniment
Divorce reform
until 1960 divorce required that one party had convinced adulatory, this was hard to prove unless they could afford private detectives, so the divorce reform act of 1969 allowed for a ‘no fault’ divorce following the ‘breakdown’ of marriage, this required for them to be lived apart for 2 years and both agreed to divorce, or they lived apart for 5 years and one agreed to divorce. following this reform there was a rise in divorce, 2/100 before which grew to 10/100
rivers of blood
1968 Read by Enoch Powell (conservative) which was an ‘evil speech’ he was saying that immigration is negative and harmful
Race Relation Act
1965 - made it illegal to discriminate on the ground of a public place, there were 2 new boards formed, Race Relations Board and the National Committee, though many were disappointed because it was nit a criminal offence, only a misdomeraner.
Kenyan Asians
1963 the government agreed to offer British passports to Asian Residents
between 1967 and 68 7000 entered
Commonwealth immigrants Bill
in February 1968 Labour introduced the bill which meant that only passport holders with ‘substantial connections’ with Britain by their birth or fathers. This reduced the amount of immigrants coming.
pep report
the National Committee and the race relations boards had came together to commission the potential and economic planning it agreed that ‘Discrimination against coloured members of the population in any fields not covered by the existing legislation that operates on a substantial scale’
2nd Race Relation act
1968 to outlaw discrimination in housing, employment, trade unions and the provision of goods and services, yet it lacked strength
Drugs
68 = protests to legalise weed and nearly 25,000 prosecutions of drug possession on teenagers.
the Drug Act of 1967 made it unlawful to possess drugs
Sex
1970 only 9% of women were on the pill, anti-Abortion attitudes remained consistent.
abortions
until 1967 abortion was illegal except on strictly medical grounds. between 100,000 a d 200,000 illegal abortions, the abortion act of 1967 permitted legal abortion with the consent of 2 doctors. Abortions increased from 4/100 in 1948 to 17/100 in 1975.
homosexual
1960s men could be imprisoned for up to 2 years for participating in homosexual acts. 1967 sexual offences act meant that if both parties consented and both over the age of 21 and it was private it was allowed.
