SNP topples Labour PM Callaghan in 1979
In 1979, SNP MPs toppled the Labour government of James Callaghan opening the door to over a decade of Margaret Thatcher as Tony McMahon discovers
1979
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London reacts to Maggie in 1979
London and the south east had a swing to the Tories in 1979 that was 50% higher than the rest of the country. The GLC was already in Tory hands under the leadership of Horace Cutler. He was looking forward to a close working relationship with Thatcher around issues that would eventually move in his…
James Callaghan heckled by Pat Arrowsmith
Jim Callaghan heckled during his 1979 election speech
The Jeremy Thorpe scandal
The Jeremy Thorpe scandal rocked British politics in the late 1970s and nearly destroyed the Liberal Party that he led
Labour PM Callaghan loses to Thatcher
1979 saw Tory leader Margaret Thatcher defeat Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan in a stormy general election as Tony McMahon remembers
Short sharp shock – Thatcher’s regime for wayward youth
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
Thatcher downfall expected in 1984
In its end of year edition in 1979, The Economist predicted the imminent downfall of Margaret Thatcher but instead she endured for another decade
The day the 1970s died
The 1970s were a stormy decade in politics and music and Tony McMahon sets out to find how the 1970s died
The Warriors – the best cult movie of 1979
The 1979 movie The Warriors was hated by critics at the time but has deservedly acquired cult status as Tony McMahon discovers
Missing Words – The Selecter and Pauline Black
Missing Words – The Selecter and Pauline Black