Wilson Government Flashcards
(39 cards)
When was Wilson PM?
And who for ?
1964-70
Labour
How did Wilson appeal to the public?
His image was to be ‘classless’ he wanted to be more in touch with the public such as smoking from a pipe and was the first pm that had been educated at a secondary school.
What deficit did labour inherit?
£800 million
What is devaluation?
Lowers the value of a currency in comparison to others. Makes imports more expensive but help exporters by making British goods cheaper in other countries.
Was the department of economic affairs a success?
NO. Set up and led by George Brown with the aim of setting up the restraint needed to prevent inflation rising. Abandoned in 1967.
What led to devaluation?
1965,1966 Sterling crises.
1967 outbreak of war in Middle East affecting oil supplies.
August 1967 national dock strike .
What did the pound drop to?
BY 14%. Equivalent to 2.40 US dollars
When was Britain’s second application to join the EEC declined?
1967
How did Roy Jenkins improve the economy?
Raised taxes, tightened government spending in all areas of the economy. Not popular but led to a surplus in 1969.
What did Barbara Castle’s in Pace Of Strife mean for the unions?
28 Day ‘cool off’.period before a strike went ahead
Strike
ballots imposed
Industrial relations court to prosecute those who broke the rules
Why was there divisions within the Labour Party?
Deaths of Bevan from the left and gaistksell from the right of the party led to Wilson being the sole leader. Personal rivalries with Brown, Callaghan or Jenkins disrupted Wilson’s work.
What were catholics in NI referred to as? And what did they believe Ireland should be like?
Loyalists or Nationalists
Ireland should be united as one.
What were Protestants referred to as?
Unionists.
Believed in a division in Ireland.
What accusations did the Royal Ulster Constabulary Force and the Irish police force receive?
Biased against catholics.
Failure to protect Catholics in 1968 riots.
When did Wilson send British Army troops in to ease the tension?
August 1969
When were the first signs of the end of the post war consensus?
1970, economic policies unsolved by consensus policies, trade unions increasingly uncooperative, social problems and poverty not ended.
How did Labour lose the 1970 election?
Heath had greater strengths then was given credit for. Labour had several setbacks as inflation was still up and Powell’s ‘rivers of blood speech’ may behave increased conservative popularity.
When and What was the National Plan?
1964
Brown’s DEA aimed to increase industrial production , and exports by increasing cooperation between government, employers and trade unions
When was the National plan abandoned?
1967
When and what did the abortion act mean?
1967
Permitted legal termination of pregnancy where two doctors certified that there were serious health risks for mother and baby.
When was the abolition of the death penalty?
1969
When and why was the Open University discovered?
1969
higher education insistuation established to enable previously unqualified students to read for degrees by studying broadcast radio or tv.
When were the two race relation acts?
1965 and 1968
What did the race relation acts include?
prohibition of racial discrimination in public places and in areas such as employment or housing
Set up of race relations board- investigates racial cases of racial discrimination
Set up of community relations commission
