NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok, I have to do an essay on the economic situation of Britain in the 1970s, with particular regard to the high level of industrial action of the time. Books are great, yeah, but I was hoping that anyone on here who had a first hand experience of Britain in the 1970s could tell me more. So. Help? Please?

Ok, I have to do an essay on the economic situation of Britain in the 1970s, with particular regard to the high level of industrial action of the time. Books are great, yeah, but I was hoping that anyone on here who had a first hand experience of Britain in the 1970s could tell me more. So. Help? Please?

Watch some of the early episodes of "Are You Being Served". A lot of jokes made about the British economy of the 1970s.

Watch some of the early episodes of "Are You Being Served". A lot of jokes made about the British economy of the 1970s.
I'd rather skewer myself with a barge pole, thanks very much.

I'd rather skewer myself with a barge pole, thanks very much.

Yeah, but that won't help you at all, will it?

Yeah, but that won't help you at all, will it?
It'd mean I'd either:
1. Not have to do the essay, on account of being dead OR
2. Get a deadline extension on account of being in hospital.
See? It helps...now, where did I leave that barge pole?

It'd mean I'd either:
1. Not have to do the essay, on account of being dead OR
2. Get a deadline extension on account of being in hospital.
See? It helps...now, where did I leave that barge pole?
Do you have this book?
Alan Booth, The British Economy in the Twentieth Century. Houndsmill: Palgrave, 2001. x + 244 pp. $65.00 (hardback), ISBN: 0-333-69841-X.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Labour_Party

Scroll down to the 1970s.

Do you have this book?
Alan Booth, The British Economy in the Twentieth Century. Houndsmill: Palgrave, 2001. x + 244 pp. $65.00 (hardback), ISBN: 0-333-69841-X.
It's on loan from the uni library.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Labour_Party

Scroll down to the 1970s.
I've used that, although I'm not actually allowed to reference Wiki in essays. Well, I can, but I lose marks.

You have no neighbors who are in their 40s or 50s who lived through the "Winter of Discontent"?

Get yourself about 100 pounds, go down to a working class pub, and find some guys in their 40s or 50s and ask them about it.

All I can remember from the rife industrial action in te 70's were masses of random power cuts, Random transport strikes (got to like walking a lot) having to cut down on everything because there was no refuse collection and delivery, couldn't read or see what was going on due to strikes in Printworkers, typesetters and media unions, and prices rising almost daily.

at the time is was te worst type of socialism, it was the 'me me me' greedy socialism that seemed to call the strikes, as a result industry was afraid to do anything, so could not grow or perform, perfect recruiting ground for a Rightwing extremeist authoritarian Middle class take over (cough thatcher Hawkkkkk spit).

If they (Union reps) had been a little more reasonable in their calls for action (a lot where reasonable but there was a ell of a lot of tools down for the hell of it) ten as well as some well performing ationalised industries we would also have a good union structure left, as opposed to most places where wen tey state you are a member of a union you may as well write your own P45.

the consequences of the strikes left us (Merseyside) with a terrible stigma no docking industry killed off a lot of ancillary manufacturing, the resulting actions of te conservative governmet in essentially neutering the unions as led to Union reps being chosen more for teir managemet brown nosing ability opposed to the scroat level that they are to represent (IMHO)

It was grim for a lot of people - a real washout apparently. There were a few serious commentators actually asking whether Britain was about to become the first nation to actually recede from developed world status and start going backwards.


That said I didn't experience it myself, born in 1977 so my memories are of the cot-based variety

It was grim for a lot of people - a real washout apparently. There were a few serious commentators actually asking whether Britain was about to become the first nation to actually recede from developed world status and start going backwards.


That said I didn't experience it myself, born in 1977 so my memories are of the cot-based variety

If you consider that the Labour government was considering borrowing from the IMF, that was a real possibility.

INFLATION: Check it out

1966 - 4.00%
1967 - 2.53%
1968 - 4.78%
1969 - 5.61%
1970 - 6.55%
1971 - 9.85%
1972 - 7.32%
1973 - 9.58%
1974 - 17.23%
1975 - 26.99%
1976 - 18.13%
1977 - 17.10%
1978 - 8.60%
1979 - 14.19%
1980 - 19.65%

Anthony Barber's price controls failed to control inflation in 1970-73. It then got worse when the oil price increased 4-fold in 1973, sending infltion even higher in 1973-78. There was another oil price shock in 1979-80, sending sending inflation soaring again.

By the way, Britain had to be bailed out by the IMF on one occasion.

at the time is was te worst type of socialism, it was the 'me me me' greedy socialism that seemed to call the strikes, as a result industry was afraid to do anything, so could not grow or perform, perfect recruiting ground for a Rightwing extremeist authoritarian Middle class take over (cough thatcher Hawkkkkk spit).

The worst type of socialism is where the government actually interferes with your personal life, eg. Smoking ban, Drinking age, Drug laws, etc.

INFLATION: Check it out

1966 - 4.00%
1967 - 2.53%
1968 - 4.78%
1969 - 5.61%
1970 - 6.55%
1971 - 9.85%
1972 - 7.32%
1973 - 9.58%
1974 - 17.23%
1975 - 26.99%
1976 - 18.13%
1977 - 17.10%
1978 - 8.60%
1979 - 14.19%
1980 - 19.65%

Anthony Barber's price controls failed to control inflation in 1970-73. It then got worse when the oil price increased 4-fold in 1973, sending infltion even higher in 1973-78. There was another oil price shock in 1979-80, sending sending inflation soaring again.


Hey, cool, thanks for that. Just one question - where'd you get those figures from? I can't reference the NS General forum in my essay (as much as I'd like to :p ), and I can't find exact figures anywhere else on the internet (or books for that matter). Also, is that just the peak rate for each year, or an average for each year?

Annual average that I calculated for some data that was from the National Statistics (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp) website.

I seem to recall the 70s only being slightly more depressing than the 80s...