BBC Politics 97

3 May 1979

The general election of 1979 was to prove a political watershed. Most historians and commentators agree that the election of Margaret Thatcher marked a break in post-war British history. The era from 1945 - 1979 had been characterised by a 'consensus' style of politics, in which the main parties mostly agreed on certain fundamental political issues and concepts such as the mixed economy, the role of the trades unions, the need for an incomes policy and the nature of the provision of public services such as health and education. This was now to change. Most of all, Mrs Thatcher's election heralded a change in the politics of unemployment.

A victorious Mrs Thatcher gave a speech from the steps of No 10...

Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan was forced to go to the country after his government lost a vote of confidence. Callaghan had had the option of calling an election in the Autumn of 1978, but decided to carry on and face the country after the economy had improved. Unfortunately the "winter of discontent" that followed severely damaged the government's economic policy and its standing in the polls. Although the government picked up slightly in the polls during the campaign, on 3 May 1979 Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister.

Mr Callaghan was generous in defeat...

Party	Votes	Seats	Change	UK Vote Share (%)	GB Vote Share (%)
Conservative	13,697,923	339	+ 62	43.9	44.9
Labour	11,532,218	269	- 50	36.9	37.8
Liberal	4,313,804	11	- 2	13.8	14.1
Others	1,677,417	16	- 10	5.4	3.2

The Campaign The Result Background

Jim Callaghan

Harold Wilson's successor as Prime Minister and Labour leader, Jim Callaghan

The Labour government that came to power in 1974 (as a minority administration from February and with a wafer thin majority from October) faced difficult economic circumstances, with inflation and unemployment both running at post-war record levels. The government also 're-negotiated' the UK's terms of entry into the EEC and had this endorsed in the 1975 referendum. in April 1976, Prime Minister Harold Wilson was succeeded by Jim Callaghan.

Callaghan had been Chancellor and Home Secretary in the 1964-70 adminstration and served as Foreign Secretary from 1974. He remains the only Prime Minister to have served in all three 'great offices of state' before entering Number 10.

Callaghan's parliamentary position became increasingly precarious. By April 1976 the government had lost its formal majority. The immediate reasons were a by-election defeat, the defection of two of Callaghan's backbenchers to form a new 'Scottish Labour Party' and the defection of the maverick John Stonehouse.

However, Callaghan managed to survive, mainly because the other opposition parties did not seem ready to unite to defeat him. By March 1977, after further by-election losses, he agreed to a parliamentary arrangement with David Steel and the Liberal Party which became known as the 'Lib-Lab Pact'.

The Lib-Lab pact ended in August 1978. The pact had been unpopular with some activists in both Parties, and in any case, an election was expected soon.

Callaghan could have gone to the country in the Autumn of 1978. The economy was improving and the Government had recovered some of its popularity. There was considerable speculation and controversy in the Cabinet about when the best time to go would be. Callaghan sought to end the speculation by singing an old Marie Lloyd song 'Waiting at the Church' to the TUC Congress. This was misunderstood in some quarters and he put the country's mind at rest in a broadcast in which he confirmed that he would not call an election until 1979. He was expecting that another round of pay policy would demonstrate to the electorate the success of his economic policy.

In the event, the pay policy did not hold and the scenes of industrial unrest were to be remembered as the 'winter of discontent'. Callaghan hoped to keep public sector pay claims under 5%. When tanker drivers forced the Government to give them a 14% raise, the flood gates opened. By the end of January, water workers, ambulance drivers, sewerage staff and dustmen were involved in industrial action, heralding the 'Winter of Discontent'.

Crisis what crisis

The Sun blasts Callaghan as out of touch

On returning from an international economic conference in Guadeloupe, the Prime Minister showed himself to be out of touch with the mood of the country. When asked about the growing industrial crisis facing Britain, Callaghan denied any crisis existed, leading to The Sun headline 'Crisis? What Crisis?'

When the devolution referenda were held, Wales voted 'no' and while Scotland voted 'yes' the majority was insufficient to make the decision binding. On the same day, 1 March 1979, the Government lost two by-election seats to the Conservatives. The SNP now withdrew its support from the Government and a vote of no confidence (on an SNP motion on devolution) was passed on 28 March. Callaghan called the general election for 3 May.

The Prime Minister pours scorn on the opposition as they prepare a vote of confidence . . .

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The Campaign

Margaret Thactcher

Margaret Thatcher, elected Tory leader in 1975

Five weeks passed between the Labour Government's defeat and polling day. Margaret Thatcher, who replaced Edward Heath as leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, prepared to go the electorate determined to pin the blame for the 'Winter of Discontent' firmly on the Government's shoulders. From the start of the campaign the Conservatives looked the likely winners, running ten points ahead in the polls. The only worry for the Conservatives was Thatcher's personal unpopularity when compared with Callaghan.