Brixton Riots – Lord Scarman investigates
After the April 1981 riot in Brixton, Lord Scarman was sent to investigate the causes and found they were spontaneous and not planned
1981 riots
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The 1981 New Cross Fire and the Brixton Riots
The New Cross Fire in 1981 claimed the lives of black youth at a birthday party and the aftermath would undoubtedly contribute to the Brixton riots
1979 UK General Election changes history
The 1979 general election saw Margaret Thatcher swept to power in the United Kingdom ushering in an era of polarisation as well as free market economics
Ska and 2Tone – the sound of Coventry
Walk down Oxford Street today and it’s impossible to avoid glimpsing the ever present influence of 2Tone whether it’s the black and white check patterns, porkpie hats, tonic suits, etc, etc. The style pioneered by The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat has proved to be timeless. Don’t believe me – look at these images…
SUS law – a cause of the 1981 riots
The stop and search SUS laws were based on the Vagrancy Act of 1824 and caused massive resentment among black youth in the 1980s
Thatcher: the lady is not for turning
At the 1980 Conservative Party conference Margaret Thatcher declared that the lady was not for turning but turn she did on economic policy
Give Us A Future say 80s jobless youth
Contrary to what many think, youth in the 80s were often jobless and in dire poverty with one terrible training schemes to provide an income
Four Coventry heroes in the Ghost Town
Four Coventry black British heroes of the late 1970s and early 1980s should be immortalised argues author Tony McMahon
The Queen shot at in 1981
An incident you may have forgotten or been unaware of – but back in 1981, Her Majesty The Queen was shot at several times during the annual Trooping Of The Colour. In those days, the Queen rode side saddle down the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and that’s when an unemployed military…
Young, black and British in 1970s Coventry
Being young, black and British in 1970s Coventry was tough but Neville Staple and Errol Christie escaped from the Ghost Town