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October 16, 2026
  • Was TV better in the 1970s and 1980s?
  • Summer of 1976 and Climate Change
  • 1986 – 40 years ago in Britain
  • Iran on the eve of the 1979 revolution

The 70s 80s 90s Blog

Three Decades of History with TV historian Tony McMahon

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    Was TV better in the 1970s and 1980s?

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    Summer of 1976 and Climate Change

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  • 1986 Britain

    1986 – 40 years ago in Britain

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    Iran on the eve of the 1979 revolution

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  • Drought 1976

    1976 – 50 years ago in Britain

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    School summer holidays in the 1970s

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ken livingstone

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1980s Skinhead Gays – a complicated story

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 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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  • Politics

Ken Livingstone and detention camps for political dissenters

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago10 years ago02 mins

Back in 1983, Thatcher went to the country for a fresh electoral mandate after a rocky first term as prime-minister. From 1979 to 1981, unemployment had skyrocketed and large parts of the manufacturing sector had collapsed. The summer of ’81 saw riots and interest rates were fearsomely high. But electoral salvation came in 1982 when…

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GLC Thatcher
  • Politics

Thatcher destroys the GLC

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago4 years ago04 mins

In 1985, Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC and other metropolitan county councils that had been a thorn in her side

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  • 1981 riots
  • Politics

1981 riots blamed on left-wing agitators

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago6 years ago03 mins

During the 1981 riots there were attempts by the media and politicians to blame left-wing agitators for the violence that erupted in UK cities

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  • Politics

Ken Livingstone in the 1980s

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago6 years ago04 mins

Ken Livingstone – always at the centre of controversy – meeting Irish Republicans and Soviet representatives

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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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