Labour in Power 1964-1970
- Created by: yazmintaylorx
- Created on: 04-01-18 11:25
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- Labour in Power 1964-1970
- Wilson & the White Heat
- speech given 6 months before 1964 election
- captured mood at the time
- modernise Britain using technology
- strengthen economy by improving the balance of payments
- develop the welfare state
- work with the TUs
- speech given 6 months before 1964 election
- 1964 Election
- Wilson's govt. promised more meritocratic Britain based less on class & more on talent
- also promised rapid modernisation of the British economy & society
- Wilson himself happy to be seen as a populist PM
- Labour's victory was incredibly narrow
- a majority of just 3 seats meant the govt. was unlikely to last a full 5 year term
- inherited a terrible economic deficit
- Kitchen Cabinet
- Wilson, like many PMs, preferred the advice of a small group of ministers & his advisers
- his so-called 'kitchen cabinet' often made decisions without consulting full cabinet
- Was a particularly paranoid person who believed there were plots against him
- he indulged in intrigue & gossip to an extreme degree
- his advisers: George Brown, James Callaghan, Barbra Castle, Roy Jenkins, Tony Benn & Marcia Williams
- the DEA
- W created the Dept. of Economic Affairs to dilute the power of the Treasury
- 'whichever party is in office, the Treasury is in power'
- an exercise in 'divide & rule' in govt. or what W called 'creative tension'
- Brown's DEA produced a National Plan with ambitious growth forecasts for the economy
- Treasury retained power to overrule them
- if NP had worked, could have helped avoid 1967 Devaluation Crisis
- W created the Dept. of Economic Affairs to dilute the power of the Treasury
- The Devaluation Crisis 1967
- Wilson was right to delay
- economy may have improved
- Labs majority was only 4 seats
- a 'wait & see' approach perhaps sensible
- devaluation would have caused shock & panic on currency market
- Wilson was wrong to delay
- if they had devalued earlier, they could have blamed it on Cons
- by waiting they made the situation worse
- they should have cut back on B's overseas military bases sooner
- by reversing policy they made themselves look indecisive
- Damage to the economy
- wasted millions supporting pound at £2.80
- overvalued £ made exports more expensive
- Damage to Wilson
- made govt. look weak, dishonest & incompetent
- sudden policy u-turn seemed like a panic move
- Foreign Policy Effects
- accelerated withdrawal from East of Suez
- troops out of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Malaysia & Singapore by 1971
- high tech warplane TSR2 abandoned, though Healey & Wilson wanted to keep it
- 1967 commitment made to upgrade Polaris system to more advanced & costly spec
- no serious debate about B giving up costly British nuclear deterrent
- Wilson was right to delay
- Wilson & the White Heat
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