Political Pressure and Economic Policy

British Government 1970–1974

1st Edition - March 25, 1982
Author: Martin Holmes
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 1 - 6 3 5 2 - 9

Political Pressure and Economic Policy: British Government 1970-1974 discusses the shift in British economic policy following the electoral victory of the Conservatives in 1970. It… Read more

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Political Pressure and Economic Policy: British Government 1970-1974 discusses the shift in British economic policy following the electoral victory of the Conservatives in 1970. It attempts to explain not just the immediate reasons for the policy reversals, but also the political context in which they were made in terms of the difficulty of sustaining the “Quiet Revolution” policies when they so clearly appeared to contradict the post-war Keynesian consensus to which the Conservative Party was still committed. The book is organized into three parts. Part I discusses the events leading up to the “Quiet Revolution,” which involved major policy reversals that led the Conservative Party towards a path radically different from the status quo. Part II examines specific policy changes such as passage of the Industrial Relations Act; the U-turn over industry policy; the “N minus 1” policy; and the “Health dilemma” strategy. Part III focuses on Mr. Edward Heath's Prime Ministerial style of Government.

AcknowledgmentsPart I Introduction Chapter 1 Electoral Victory and the 'Quiet Revolution' 1.1 Opposition 1964-1970 1.2 The 1970 General Election 1.3 The 'Quiet Revolution'Part II Political Pressure and Economic Policy Chapter 2 The Industrial Relations Act: Its Origins, Operation and Consequences 2.1 The 1960s' Background 2.2 The Implementation of the Act 2.3 The Docks and Railways Disputes 2.4 Putting the Act 'on Ice' Chapter 3 The U-turn over Industry Policy 3.1 Disengagement 3.2 Rolls-Royce 3.3 The Upper Clyde Shipbuilders' Crisis 3.4 The Political Pressure of Rising Unemployment 3.5 The Industry Act and the Return to Interventionism Chapter 4 The 'N minus 1' Experiment and the Reaction to Rising Unemployment 4.1 The Background to 'N minus 1' 4.2 The Politics and Economics of Unemployment 4.3 The 1972 Miners' Strike Chapter 5 The 'Heath Dilemma' and the Drift to Incomes Policy 5.1 The 'Heath Dilemma' Strategy 5.2 The Tripartite Talks 5.3 The Resort to Statutory Controls Chapter 6 The Operation of Stages I and II 6.1 The Freeze 6.2 By-Election Anxieties 6.3 Stage II and the Dash for Growth Chapter 7 Stage III, the Miners' Strike and the February 1974 Election 7.1 The Secret Downing Street Meeting 7.2 The Miners' Dispute Escalates 7.3 The TUC Initiative 7.4 The February 1974 ElectionPart III Conclusions Chapter 8 Policy Reversals and Prime Ministerial Power 8.1 Mr Heath's Style of Government 8.2 The politics of Confrontation? 8.3 The Criticisms of the Conservative Right Chapter 9 Policy Reversals and Contemporary Conservatism 9.1 The Context of Conservatism 9.2 Economic Priorities and Political Pressure 9.3 Final AssessmentPart IV Appendixes I Chronology II Select BibliographyIndex