James Callaghan: Difference between revisions
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Then [[Harold Wilson]] resigned in 1976 he was made the new leader of the Labour party and thus Prime Minister. |
Then [[Harold Wilson]] resigned in 1976 he was made the new leader of the Labour party and thus Prime Minister. |
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It was already a minority government and lost seats by-election by by-election causing James Callaghan to deal with the Liberals and all kinds of little parties to get the support he needed to keep in control. Yet by the autumn of 1978, opinion polls showed Labour in the lead. In what is now considered a [[Face Palm]]-inducingly bad idea, Callaghan refused to call an election [[What Could Have Been|that could have given his party a majority]], and announced that fact by singing an [ |
It was already a minority government and lost seats by-election by by-election causing James Callaghan to deal with the Liberals and all kinds of little parties to get the support he needed to keep in control. Yet by the autumn of 1978, opinion polls showed Labour in the lead. In what is now considered a [[Face Palm]]-inducingly bad idea, Callaghan refused to call an election [[What Could Have Been|that could have given his party a majority]], and announced that fact by singing an [[wikipedia:Waiting at the Church|old music hall song]] to ridicule the opposition. |
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Labour's policy since Wilson returned to office in 1974 had been to deal with economic difficulties by limiting pay rises in the public sector, which seemed to work: inflation had been falling and economic growth had resumed in 1978, accounting for Labour's popularity, and Callaghan gambled that by delaying the election, another year of the policy would be enough to gain a Labour majority. But Callaghan's gamble [[Hoist By His Own Petard|blew up in his face spectacularly]]: the unions rejected the extension of the income policy and went on strike, causing the infamous "Winter of Discontent" in 1978/79. |
Labour's policy since Wilson returned to office in 1974 had been to deal with economic difficulties by limiting pay rises in the public sector, which seemed to work: inflation had been falling and economic growth had resumed in 1978, accounting for Labour's popularity, and Callaghan gambled that by delaying the election, another year of the policy would be enough to gain a Labour majority. But Callaghan's gamble [[Hoist By His Own Petard|blew up in his face spectacularly]]: the unions rejected the extension of the income policy and went on strike, causing the infamous "Winter of Discontent" in 1978/79. |
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