Heath - New Right Policies

Question 1

What was the zeitgeist of Britain in the 1970s?

Answer 1

National morale was at an all time low
It was a nation with an identity crisis

Question 2

What was in the Selsdon Park Policy Programme?

Answer 2

Tax reform, improved law and order, trade union reform, immigration control, cuts to public spending, end of public subsidy to ‘lame duck’ industries

Question 3

When was the Industrial Relations Act?

Answer 3

1971

Question 4

What did the Industrial Relations Act do?

Answer 4

Restricted the right of workers to strike by introducing a new concept of ‘unfair industrial practice’.
A National Industrial Relations Court was created with the authority to judge the validity of strike action
Union were required to put themselves on a government register if they wanted to retain their legal rights.

Question 5

Who was John Davis and what were his aims?

Answer 5

Head of the Department of Trade and Industry - wished to allow market forces to chart Britain’s economic course, rather than outside influence.

Question 6

Give an example of how John Davis went about achieving his aims.

Answer 6

Advised against rescuing failing companies with taxpayer money, hoping this new competition would inspire industry and the dog-eat-dog nature of this new world would foster healthy competition.

Question 7

Who was Anthony Barber and what were his aims?

Answer 7

Chancellor of the Exchequer - introduced tax cuts, reductions in public spending and cuts in subsidies payed to local authorities to go with tax concessions for the wealthy

Question 8

What did Barber do in line with the political zeitgeist?

Answer 8

Scrapped the Prices and Incomes Board, hoping this would allow the Government to relinquish its control of the economy, handing over power to Heaths beloved market forces.

Question 9

What role did Thatcher play and what did she do?

Answer 9

Education minister - withdrew the free milk to schoolchildren showing the swinging cuts the Government was making - weren’t well received by the public - “Margaret Thatcher, Milk Snatcher”

Question 10

What did inflation rise to under Heath?

Answer 10

15%

Question 11

What were the political consequences of rising inflation?

Answer 11

Needed to restore restrictions i.e. The Prices and Incomes Board. Labelled the “Silent Killer” - meant the Government was no longer able to deliver its original policy - Heath abandoned his policy of market forces being allowed to work

Question 12

What were the economic impacts of inflation?

Answer 12

Led to rising prices, wiped out people’s savings, damaged the economic strength of the country.

Question 13

How did Heath U-turn on his policy of not rescuing failing companies?

Answer 13

Bailed out Rolls Royce and Upper Clyde Shipbuilders - forced to support Rolls-Royce to avoid national embarrassment.

Question 14

How was the Industrial Relations Act unsuccessful?

Answer 14

Unions refused to subscribe to the Governments register
Led to strikes causing mayhem throughout Heaths premiership

Question 15

When was the Miner’s strike under Heath?

Answer 15

1973

Question 16

What happened with the Miner’s strike?

Answer 16

Miners went on strike for better pay, which forced Heath to implement the 3 day week in an attempt to outlast the miners.

Question 17

What was the outcome of the Miner’s strike

Answer 17

Resulted in the election which Heath would go onto lose.

Question 18

What did the Local Government reform do?

Answer 18

The Act “tidied up” local Government to reflect the new growing and changing population. Created new boroughs and renamed many areas. It created two types of government, metropolitan and non-metropolitan

Question 19

How did people respond to the Local Government reform?

Answer 19

A lot of backlash against the Act as people felt it was an attack on local identity - removal of historical counties caused anger. In Berkshire people lit a bonfire to protest at the removal of a white horse from the local area.

Question 20

What happened to the Liberal party throughout the early 1970s?

Answer 20

Underwent a revival under the leadership of Jeremy Thorpe, wining a string of by-elections in 1972 and 1973

Question 21

Why were the Liberals becoming more popular?

Answer 21

Begun to appeal to disaffected voters and continued to do so throughout the campaign. Thorpe came across as young and charismatic, often attempting to appear above the two-party fray.

Question 22

What were the Liberals manifesto like for the 1974 election?

Answer 22

Their manifesto “You can Change the Face of Britain” supported voting reform and devolution, however, their economic policy has been described as “impossibly vague” by historian Dominic Sandbrook.

Question 23

What was decimalisation, and why was it introduced?

Answer 23

Switching to a decimal system of currency, switching from shillings and pence to a currency based on units of ten. Intended to make working with money simpler.