Social/Domestic Policy of Wilson and Callaghan

1975 EEC Referendum

Wilson held a referendum on whether the public wanted to be in the EEC. Titled “Do you think that the UK should stay in the European Community (the Common Market)?”

Heath had negotiated Britain into the EEC in 1973 without public vote.

Wilson wanted direct democracy to settle not only a public debate, but also an Parliamentary debate.

Those of the ‘NO’ Campaign, who wanted to leave the EEC due to two reasons:

Bad for workers:

• Michael Foot (Labour)

• Barbara Castle (Labour)

Bad for Britain’s independence:

• Toney Benn (Labour)

• Enoch Powell (UUP)

• Ian Paisley (DUP)

Those of the ‘YES’ Campaign, who wanted to remain in the EEC:

• Roy Jenkins (Labour)

• Ted Heath (Conservatives)

• Margaret Thatcher (Conservatives)

• Jeremy Thorpe (Liberals)

Those in the ‘YES’ Campaign were more broad in-terms of political parties so had better public impression.

Outcome of the 1975 EEC Referendum

July 1975

YES = 17 million (68.3%)

NO = 8 million (32.5%)

Despite Wilson successfully avoiding a Labour split, the referendum showed a possibly lack of commitment by the UK to the rest of the EEC nations.

Feminism, 1970-79

2nd Wave ran from 1963-1980 with progress including:

1970 - Initial Women’s Liberation Meetings allowed for Women’s liberal groups to spring across the country

Nov. 1970 - Disrupted the Miss World Contest as it ‘objectified women’

1971 - Women could take out mortgages without a male guarantor

1971 - NHS supply the birth control pill making it more widespread

March 1971 - Liverpool and Manchester see demands for equal pay and 24hr nurseries

1975 - Castles reforms to State Earnings related pension scheme with the Social Security Pensions Act

1975 - Employment Protection Act introduced paid maternity leave & outlawed dismissal on pregnancy grounds

1976 - Rape Crisis Centre opens in London, Domestic Violence Act

1977 - UN inaugurates International Women’s Day

1977 - ‘Reclaim the Night’ Marches

Limitations from Radicals (Separatists) who were against patriarchal oppression, and Socialists who were in favour of financial independence.

Sex Discrimination Act 1975

Passed in 1975, to end discrimination against men and women on the basis of their gender or marital status.

Set up the Equality Opportunities Commission to oversee both the SDA and EPA.

But only 9 investigations in 8 years with only 10% of claims in the workplace successful.

Equality in Trade Unions

TUs were still dominated by men, but by 1977 women’s wages went up to 70% of men’s (from 59% in 1970).

Race and Immigration

1976:

• National Front had 20,000 member and were very active in the Brick Lane and Southall areas of London.

• Race Relations Act - Established the Commission for Racial Equality. NF held marches in response which often led to violence.

• Riots at Notting Hill Carnival injured 300.

Jan 1976 - Aug 1978 - Over 100 incidents including 2 marches and 1/3rd increase in assaults and robberies of Asians and African-Caribbeans. Anti-Nazi League set up to counteract the ‘Paki-Bushing’ which occurred.

1979 - Teacher and Anti-Nazi League supporter Blair Peach murdered in a demonstration blocked by police. The Met took responsibility in 2010.

Youth Culture - Punk Movement

Began in 1975 with British bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned, and The Buzzcocks played loud, fast guitar music with shouty vocals.
Rejected hippy culture and attitude was key reflecting the social alienation many young people felt.

Youth Culture - Skinheads

Developed from Mod Culture at the end of the 1960s. Tended to be working class who were initially apolitical but by the end of the 1970s were linked with the National Front and Football Hooliganism.

Environmentalism

Focus on protecting the planet and its wildlife. Drew on some 1960s issues but by the 1970s it used the counterculture to gain momentum.

CND campaigned against the use of Nuclear Energy with 5 incidents occurring at Sellafield Nuclear Power station between 1975-79.

Outrage in 1975 when it was discovered Beagles in laboratories were forced to smoke 30 cigarettes a day to study the effects. Animal rights protestors carried out violent attacks on pharmaceutical labs from 1973.

The Animal Liberation Front formed in 1976 and used extreme violence: letter bombs were sent to MPs, including Thatcher in 1984.

Greenpeace UK founded in 1977.

Northern Ireland, 1974-79 - Collapse of Sunningdale

The agreement Heath’s government signed to introduce a power-sharing executive collapsed due to the Ulster Workers’ Council Strike began on 15th May 1974.

Collapsed fully on 28th May 1974 after the power-sharing chief exec. Faulkner resigned and Wilson was forced to reinstate direct rule.

Northern Ireland, 1974-79 - HMP Maze

NI prison which began as an internment camp which kept paramilitary detainees.

Divided along paramilitary lines although the site of many protests & violent activates, including hunger strikes, mass escape attempts, and Murder.

Nicknamed “University of Terror” as prisoners learnt how to commit deadlier offenses post-release.

Northern Ireland, 1974-79 - 1975 Election

July 1975 - UUP won the election and were so extreme they revoked the power-sharing convention in 1976.

Northern Ireland, 1974-79 - Special Category Status

In 1976, Wilson revoked status from terrorist prisoners, which meant they were no longer considered political prisoners and would be treated as criminals.

Disliked by Paramilitaries as they believed they were engaged in a war and weren’t criminals.

Northern Ireland, 1974-79 - Blanket and Dirty Protests

In response to losing SCS in 1976, INLA and IRA prisoners refused to wear the prison uniform and instead were either naked or only wore blankets.

In 1978, these escalated as Republican prisoners alleging ill treatment by prison guards refused to leave their cells. This meant they couldn’t “slop out” instead they smeared excrement on their cell walls.

By 1979, >250 prisoners were taking part in the protest and demands were growing for them to regain their political status.