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He joined the [[Conservative Party]] and started to work for the [[Conservative Research Department]]. He was elected to the British Parliament in 1950 as Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West, a constituency he held until 1974. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (1955–1957), and Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1957–1958). In 1958 he resigned over public expenditure together with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, [[Peter Thorneycroft]] and [[Nigel Birch]]. The Prime Minister, [[Harold Macmillan]] famously dismissed their action as "[[little local difficulties]]". Powell returned to Macmillan's government as Minister of Health (1960–1963) and even entered Cabinet. He declined to serve under [[Alec Douglas-Home]] to protest against the way Macmillan handled his succession.

He joined the [[Conservative Party]] and started to work for the [[Conservative Research Department]]. He was elected to the British Parliament in 1950 as Conservative Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West, a constituency he held until 1974. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (1955–1957), and Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1957–1958). In 1958 he resigned over public expenditure together with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, [[Peter Thorneycroft]] and [[Nigel Birch]]. The Prime Minister, [[Harold Macmillan]] famously dismissed their action as "[[little local difficulties]]". Powell returned to Macmillan's government as Minister of Health (1960–1963) and even entered Cabinet. He declined to serve under [[Alec Douglas-Home]] to protest against the way Macmillan handled his succession.

==Immigration==

==Immigration==

Labour Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] reversed the Labour Party's traditional policy favouring unrestricted Commonwealth immigration. With an eye on public opinion and election returns, Wilson developed a three-phased race-relations policy, including tightened immigration controls, prohibition of domestic racial discrimination and incitement, and creation of local conciliation and integration mechanisms. His pragmatic, carefully balanced immigration and race-relations policies were in the short run successful, not least because of acquiescence by the opposition Conservative leadership. Racial issues, conspicuous in some urban working-class constituencies in the 1964 general election, were marginalized in the 1966 election. During Wilson's second administration (1966-70), pressure by Asian immigrants from East Africa and Powell's populist Conservatism rekindled race-related issues.<ref>Dennis Dean, "The Race Relations Policy of the First Wilson Government". ''Twentieth Century British History'' 2000 11(3): 259-283  in [[EBSCO]] </ref>

Labour Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] reversed the Labour Party's traditional policy favouring unrestricted Commonwealth immigration. With an eye on public opinion and election returns, Wilson developed a three-phased race-relations policy, including tightened immigration controls, prohibition of domestic racial discrimination and incitement, and creation of local conciliation and integration mechanisms. His pragmatic, carefully balanced immigration and race-relations policies were in the short run successful, not least because of acquiescence by the opposition Conservative leadership. Racial issues, conspicuous in some urban working-class constituencies in the 1964 general election, were marginalized in the 1966 election. During Wilson's second administration (1966–70), pressure by Asian immigrants from East Africa and Powell's populist Conservatism rekindled race-related issues.<ref>Dennis Dean, "The Race Relations Policy of the First Wilson Government". ''Twentieth Century British History'' 2000 11(3): 259-283  in [[EBSCO]]</ref>

Powell often warned of the dangers of immigration and multiracialism and their affects on national identity, and was expelled from the shadow cabinet of [[Conservative Party]] leader [[Edward Heath]] in 1968 after his notoriously inflammatory 'Rivers of Blood' speech. He also opposed Britain's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) (now the [[European Union]]), which he believed undermined British sovereignty.

Powell often warned of the dangers of immigration and multiracialism and their affects on national identity, and was expelled from the shadow cabinet of [[Conservative Party]] leader [[Edward Heath]] in 1968 after his notoriously inflammatory 'Rivers of Blood' speech. He also opposed Britain's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) (now the [[European Union]]), which he believed undermined British sovereignty.

Working-class support for Powell's speech of 20 April 1968 was widespread, especially among London dockers, who struck in support between 23 and 26 April. One reason given was that Powell was being penalized by the political establishment for daring to say what was commonplace in white working-class communities: that there were too many colored immigrants. This points to a possible explanation for the contradiction between the left-wing attitudes generally associated with dockers and other strongly unionized workers and the overtly right-wing orientation of Powell's discourse. The strikers were showing their confidence in their own ability to act independently of the dominant authority structures of British society, including the established trade union hierarchy and the Labour Party. Racism therefore provides only a reductionist answer and cannot be isolated from other equally important factors in the context of general discontent with the Labour government of the time.<ref>Fred Lindop, "Racism and the Working Class: Strikes in Support of Enoch Powell in 1968." ''Labour History Review'' 2001 66(1): 79-100 in [[EBSCO]] </ref>

Working-class support for Powell's speech of 20 April 1968 was widespread, especially among London dockers, who struck in support between 23 and 26 April. One reason given was that Powell was being penalized by the political establishment for daring to say what was commonplace in white working-class communities: that there were too many colored immigrants. This points to a possible explanation for the contradiction between the left-wing attitudes generally associated with dockers and other strongly unionized workers and the overtly right-wing orientation of Powell's discourse. The strikers were showing their confidence in their own ability to act independently of the dominant authority structures of British society, including the established trade union hierarchy and the Labour Party. Racism therefore provides only a reductionist answer and cannot be isolated from other equally important factors in the context of general discontent with the Labour government of the time.<ref>Fred Lindop, "Racism and the Working Class: Strikes in Support of Enoch Powell in 1968." ''Labour History Review'' 2001 66(1): 79-100 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>

==Outsider==

==Outsider==