Tillerscast 13: the Britain of the ’60s and ’70s – an introduction

Britain 1964-79

ONE – The 70s: where Britain went wrong OR The Age of Opportunity, Britain 1945 -2010?

TWO – Wilson 1964-70, 1974-76, Heath 1970-74, Callaghan 1976-79

General Elections 1964, 1966, 1970, February 1974, October 1974: the Conservatives only won one, 1970. You can read about 1964 here, 1970 here, 1974 here and snap general elections (1966, both 1974) here
Harold Wilson is the only party leader since 1906 to have won four general elections

Wilson is one of only four Labour leaders to have won a general election
Heath is the only Conservative leader since 1906 to have lost three general elections

THREE – Economics of the madhouse?

Inflation, stagflation
Sterling 1966/67 (1967 devaluation), 1976 (IMF)
Unions: seamen’s strike 1966, In Place of Strife 1969, 1972 Industrial Relations Act, Miners Strikes 1972/74 (‘Who governs Britain’?), Winter of Discontent 1979

Chancellors: spenders (Maudling, Barber, Healey mk 1), retrenchers (Callaghan, Jenkins, Healey mk 2)
Income policies: Wilson, Heath, Healey
The Heath U-turn of 1972
Oil shocks 1973, 1979
Taxes were high
The end of Keynesianism: Callaghan & paying ourselves more than we can afford
You can get a good overview of economic policy and the crises by reading about the chancellors: Callaghan, Jenkins, Barber, Healey

FOUR – Labour’s small majorities and minority governments

Wilson 1964-66, Labour 1974-79
You can read about the Callaghan Years here

FIVE – There were bitter internal divisions

Labour in government: especially 1966/67, 1969, 1975/76
Labour in opposition 1970-74
Labour & Europe
Labour left, especially in the late ’70s
Tories in 1968 (Enoch Powell), 1975 (Heath vs Thatcher)

SIX – Race was a big issue

Smethwick 1964
Rivers of Blood 1968 & Alf Garnett
1968 and 1971 Immigration Acts
1965, 1968 and 1976 Race Relations Acts
Ugandan Asians

SEVEN – The permissive society: Swinging ‘60s, 70s dystopia?

Sex and drugs and rock’n’roll

Women: Equal Pay Act 1970
Roy Jenkins at the Home Office

Progressive education
Anarchy in the UK

EIGHT – Into Europe

1967: you can read about it here
1971/7: you can read about it here
1975: you can read about it here and here

NINE – World

East of Suez
Vietnam
The return of the Cold War

TEN – Northern Ireland

Robert Tombs, The English & their History or David Edgerton, The Rise & Fall of the British Nation
1969 saw the deployment of British troops
1972: interment, direct rule
The abyss: 1972 saw 496 deaths
In Dublin & Monaghan 1974: 33 killed, 300 injured in attacks by the Ulster Volunteer Force
Birmingham Pub Bombing, 1974: 21 killed, 182 injured
1974 Prevention of Terrorism Act, counter-terrorism
Airey Neave and Lord Mountbatten murdered in 1979

ELEVEN – The good ‘70s?

Social mobility: Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Watch the opening credits. Can anyone work out where Terry is trying to catch the bus? The first episode also features one of my favourite one-liners, concerning Hartlepool…