Heath's Government

How was Heath different to old Etonian leaders?

he was educated at a state school

How was Heath perceived by others?

as stiff and prickly in dealing with people, as well as a bit too honest

Why did Heath seem well prepared for government?

he had spent his time in opposition developing detailed policies (knew the issues around the EEC inside out)

Who emerged as a key challenger to Heath, that had a lot of support?

Thatcher

What led to the British army being perceived as the enemy in NI?

measures like the introduction of internment in 1971

What did British soldiers do on Bloody Sunday?

they fired live ammunition at a march against internment, killing 13 of the 26 unarmed civilians shot

What happened following Bloody Sunday?

the British embassy in Dublin was burnt down

What did the Conservatives hold the January before the 1970 election?

a conference at Selsdon Park to reform their manifesto

What was included in the new manifesto for the 1970 election?

tax reform, better law and order, cuts to public spending and the end of subsidy for ‘lame duck’ industries

What did Heath still believe in?

the post-war consensus

What was the school leaving age raised to?

16

What happened to the British currency?

it went decimal

What did the new Chancellor introduce?

cuts to public spending, cuts to encourage investment

What did cuts to public spending cause?

a rise to inflation (known as the Barber Boom)

What happened to unemployment due to the lack of economic growth?

it grew-causing stagflation

What was nationalised in 1971 to take action against economic failures?

Rolls Royce

What was the government pouring money into Rolls Royce known as?

the famous U-turn

By 1973, what had unemployment fallen back to?

500,000

What did OPEC declare in 1973?

an oil embargo-due to the Yom Kippur War

What did the oil embargo in 1973 cause?

exports to stop and the price of oil was 4x usual, with large queues outside of petrol stations (Oil Crisis of 1973)

What did the NUM demand in 1973 after the oil crisis?

a huge pay rise

What act did the government bring in to try and deal with strikes?

the Industrial Relations Act

What did Heath abolish to try and help with strikes?

the National Board for Prices and Incomes

What did the Industrial Relations Act set up?

an Industrial Relations Court, provided strike ballots and a ‘cooling off’ period before initial strikes began

How did the TUC and CBI react to the Industrial Relations Act?

they were opposed to it

What sectors were involved in major strikes in 1972?

miners, ambulance drivers, firefighters, civil servants and others

How many strike days were lost in 1972?

23,909,000 (highest amount of days lost in strikes since 1926)

What did right wing party members criticise about Heath’s trade union methods?

he tried to manage wage demands WITH trade unions

How did miners strengthen their demands for a pay rise in 1973?

they introduced an overtime ban

What did Heath introduce to keep the economy afloat during trade union issues?

a three-day working

What did the NUM call in 1974?

a national strike

What did Heath call for on 28th February 1974?

a general election (‘who governs Britain?’)

What was the result of the general election in 1974?

a small swing against the Conservatives, despite them being favourite in the opinion polls for most of the campaign-then a ‘hung parliament’, where no party had overall majority