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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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Terry Hall
  • 1981 riots
  • Culture

Terry Hall from The Specials – 1959-2022

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago3 years ago13 mins

Just a week before Christmas 2022 – the lead singer of The Specials Terry Hall passed away as Tony McMahon reports

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strike action trade unions
  • Politics

Will trade union strike action ever revive?

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago3 months ago09 mins

2022 has seen an increase in strike action but how does it compare to previous decades especially the Thatcher era in the 1980s

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Recession 2022
  • economics

Today’s recession – any lessons from the 1980s?

The 70s 80s 90s Blog3 years ago3 years ago015 mins

The recession of 2022 and 2023 has big similarities but also huge differences with the early 1980s recession of Margaret Thatcher as Tony McMahon discovers

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  • Politics

UK inflation in the 1970s and 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago4 years ago015 mins

Inflation is on the rise again but will it ever be as bad as the 1970s? Tony McMahon compares that decade to the situation now.

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  • Culture
  • Politics

Shocking anti LGBT bigotry in parliament in the 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago3 months ago014 mins

A debate in the House of Lords on the Local Government Act reveals 1980s homophobia at its very worst as Tony McMahon discovers

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1970s sweet shop
  • Culture

Sweet shops in 1970s Britain

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago3 months ago47 mins

The 1970s sweet shop was a magical experience for kids swept away by the supermarkets in subsequent decades

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  • London
  • Politics

1979 Southall – a riot and its consequences

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago4 years ago124 mins

1979 saw tensions fuelled by extreme Right activity reach breaking point in Southall as a riot broke out. Tony McMahon looks back.

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  • 1981 riots

British Asian youth on the march

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago4 years ago020 mins

British Asian youth began a concerted fightback against racism and bigotry in the late 1970s after a period of horrific attacks as Tony McMahon discovers

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  • Politics

What motivated skinhead attacks in the 70s?

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago4 years ago121 mins

The late 1970s saw a wave of attacks on LGBT people and ethnic minorities by young thugs of identifying as skinhead so what was the motive? Tony McMahon investigates.

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  • 1981 riots

Memories of Liverpool in 1981 – part seven

The 70s 80s 90s Blog4 years ago4 years ago222 mins

The 1981 riots in Liverpool and elsewhere were a political challenge for Marxists, especially the Militant, as Tony McMahon discovers

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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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