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April 16, 2026
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The 70s 80s 90s Blog

Three Decades of History with TV historian Tony McMahon

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    1986 – 40 years ago in Britain

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    1976 – 50 years ago in Britain

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    School summer holidays in the 1970s

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2013

Thatcher miners
  • Politics

When Thatcher caved in to the miners

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago4 years ago09 mins

In 1981, Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher caved into the miners but was simply biding her time for a future showdown

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James Anderton
  • 1981 riots
  • Politics

1981 Moss Side riot – police station mobbed

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago3 years ago011 mins

The 1981 Moss Side riot followed on from similar violence in Toxteth, Brixton and Southall but was largely over in 48 hours

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nuclear free zone
  • Politics

Nuclear free zones – the early 80s movement

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago4 years ago14 mins

The early 1980s saw many local councils in the UK declare themselves to be nuclear free zones but what did this actually mean?

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  • Culture
  • Politics

Postcards from the Thatcher years

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago8 years ago01 mins

These were blu-tacked to my bedroom wall when I was a student – found them yesterday languishing at the bottom of a plastic bag unopened since 1984.  I am a terrible hoarder! Don’t know who the artist was or whether these are in any way collectable – your views or info appreciated.

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  • Politics

Labour PM Callaghan loses to Thatcher

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago3 years ago213 mins

1979 saw Tory leader Margaret Thatcher defeat Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan in a stormy general election as Tony McMahon remembers

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gay skinhead
  • 1981 riots
  • London
  • Music

1980s Skinhead Gays – a complicated story

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago4 years ago018 mins

The 1980s gay skinhead scene involved both an element of cosplay but also some individuals who were neo-Nazis and LGBT

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  • Culture

Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane in the 70s – my memories

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago8 years ago04 mins

Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane in the 70s – my memories

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  • Politics

Short sharp shock – Thatcher’s regime for wayward youth

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago6 years ago516 mins

Short Sharp Shock was a prison regime introduced by the Conservative government in the early 1980s for young people that was brutal and didn’t work

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  • Culture
  • Politics

Margaret Thatcher as the Queen

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago3 years ago01 mins
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Toxteth riot
  • Politics

NME in Liverpool after the 1981 riots

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago6 years ago07 mins

The NME (New Musical Express) visited the Toxteth district of Liverpool after the 1981 riots and got a very frosty welcome from local youth

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Buy Original Rude Boy – biography of Neville Staple, The Specials

Boxing and racism in the 80s

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Tony McMahon – your blogger – circa 1982

TV historian Tony McMahon journeys through the politics, culture, and history of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s

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