“Harold Wilson’s leadership was the key factor in the failures of the Labour government from 1964 to 1970.”
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“Harold Wilson’s leadership
was the key factor in the failures of the Labour government from 1964 to 1970.”
- Economic
- Inherited Problems from the Conservatives
- £800m BoP deficit made it hard to break away from 'stop-go' policies
- External Factors
- The shift in the economic structure of Britain created unavoidable economic problems.
- The government had very marginal effect in easing the negative impacts of this shift
- Outbreak of war in the Middle East, The Arab-Israeli, Six-Day War.
- Detrimentally affected oil supplies
- The shift in the economic structure of Britain created unavoidable economic problems.
- Wilson
- Way too much R&D spending
- 34.5% of the budget between 1963-65
- Not Wilson pre-1966
- Electorate sufficiently impressed with the progressive outlook of Wilson
- Wilson post 1966
- Devaluation if devaluation had been introduced earlier & not been dramatised the way it had been; it could have been passed off as an economic adjustment.
- DEA the failure of the DEA can be attributed to Wilson as he chose an inadequate team in order to keep everyone happy when he should have elected an able body.
- Way too much R&D spending
- Inherited Problems from the Conservatives
- Political
- External Factors
- Trade Unions were incrasingly uncooperative which upset Wilson's policies
- Wilson Cabinet
- He was anxious in private and depended largely on his kitchen cabinet
- Esp. Marcia Williams, political secretary.
- Appointed Jenkins as Minister of Aviation who had trouble understanding briefings due to his 'non-scientific mind'
- Appointed Frank Cousins as Minister of Technology
- He had no interest in technological development
- He was anxious in private and depended largely on his kitchen cabinet
- Wilson Post-66 Industrial Relations
- Wilson imposed spending cuts and a wage freeze, confident from his victory.
- This angered the left of the party and the TUs
- Seamen's & Dockers' Strike broke out in 1966
- 'In Place of Strife'
- Barbara Castle produced a white paper
- 28-day cooling off periods between strikes
- Requirement of strike ballots
- Created party divisions, Callaghan and at least 50 MPs were ready to rebel
- Wilson imposed spending cuts and a wage freeze, confident from his victory.
- External Factors
- International
- External Reasons
- Due to the economic situation left by the Conservatives, Britain was heavily dependent on the USA
- 'We can't kick our creditors in the balls!'
- The rejection of the EEC was simply due to Wilson's inability to cut relations with the US
- Smith was highly rigid and it was unlikely that he would've cooperated with anyone, yet alone Wilson.
- Due to the economic situation left by the Conservatives, Britain was heavily dependent on the USA
- External Reasons
- Northern Ireland
- Wilson post 66
- British intervention in Aug 1969 was OTT, peace negotiations would have been more fruitful
- Reawakened the dormant IRA
- British intervention in Aug 1969 was OTT, peace negotiations would have been more fruitful
- External Reasons
- Wilson was preoccupied with majorly important political and socio-econ problems in the mainland
- The tensions had preexisted since the 1920s.
- Wilson post 66
- Economic
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