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Line 46: − − =="Crisis? What crisis?"== − It is generally held that these three words sealed the fate of the governemnt, even though the person to whom they were attrributed never actually said them. At the height of the strikes, Callaghan flew to Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, to attend a summit. On his return to Heathrow, he was asked what he made of the mounting chaos. He gave a typically complacent, convoluted answer, "I don't think other people in the world would share the view [that] there is mounting chaos". A journalist for The Sun translated that as "Crisis? What Crisis?" and this was the newspaper's headline on 11 January 1979. Callaghan's standing in the polls went from a five-point lead over the Conservatives in November 1978 to a 20-point deficit in February 1979. After losing a confidence motion, he was forced to call a general election and the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher won by a landslide. Labour received its lowest share of the vote since the war, while the Liberals and the Scottish and Welsh nationalists saw their support slump from previous highs enjoyed in 1974.
Winter of Discontent (view source)
Revision as of 14:09, November 21, 2008
, 14:09, November 21, 2008oops put para in wrong place
[[Image:Waste collectors strike 1978.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Uncollected refuse spilling onto the streets remains an iconic image of the Winter of Discontent]]
[[Image:Waste collectors strike 1978.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Uncollected refuse spilling onto the streets remains an iconic image of the Winter of Discontent]]
While the transport strike was still in force, many public sector workers launched strikes of their own. The railwaymens' unions, the '''National Union of Railwaymen''' (NUR) and the '''Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen''' (ASLEF)<ref>A popular joke among workers at the time was that "ASLEF" stood for "As'lef'ma'train in the depot"</ref> had begun to close down the public transport network, and on 22 January the public sector unions called a "Day of Action" which saw 1.5 million workers refusing to work, the largest general stoppage of work in the UK since the General Strike of 1926. Schools and airports were forced to close and ambulance drivers and nurses working for the [[National Health Service]] began refusing to treat patients except for life-threatening emergencies. Many workers who struck on the Day of Action simply did not return to work afterwards, staying out on strike until February. In late January, gravediggers went out on strike, and health officials began contingency planing for burials at sea. However, after two weeks of strike action, the gravediggers achieved a 14% pay increase and returned to work. Waste collection workers were also on strike, and refuse began to pile high in the streets. They remained on strike until 21 February, achieving an 11% increase.<ref name="aspden" />
While the transport strike was still in force, many public sector workers launched strikes of their own. The railwaymens' unions, the '''National Union of Railwaymen''' (NUR) and the '''Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen''' (ASLEF)<ref>A popular joke among workers at the time was that "ASLEF" stood for "As'lef'ma'train in the depot"</ref> had begun to close down the public transport network, and on 22 January the public sector unions called a "Day of Action" which saw 1.5 million workers refusing to work, the largest general stoppage of work in the UK since the General Strike of 1926. Schools and airports were forced to close and ambulance drivers and nurses working for the [[National Health Service]] began refusing to treat patients except for life-threatening emergencies. Many workers who struck on the Day of Action simply did not return to work afterwards, staying out on strike until February. In late January, gravediggers went out on strike, and health officials began contingency planing for burials at sea. However, after two weeks of strike action, the gravediggers achieved a 14% pay increase and returned to work. Waste collection workers were also on strike, and refuse began to pile high in the streets. They remained on strike until 21 February, achieving an 11% increase.<ref name="aspden" />
=="Crisis? What crisis?"==
It is generally held that these three words sealed the fate of the governemnt, even though the person to whom they were attrributed never actually said them. At the height of the strikes, Callaghan flew to Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, to attend a summit. On his return to Heathrow, he was asked what he made of the mounting chaos. He gave a typically complacent, convoluted answer, "I don't think other people in the world would share the view [that] there is mounting chaos". A journalist for The Sun translated that as "Crisis? What Crisis?" and this was the newspaper's headline on 11 January 1979. Callaghan's standing in the polls went from a five-point lead over the Conservatives in November 1978 to a 20-point deficit in February 1979. After losing a confidence motion, he was forced to call a general election and the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher won by a landslide. Labour received its lowest share of the vote since the war, while the Liberals and the Scottish and Welsh nationalists saw their support slump from previous highs enjoyed in 1974.
==Political and social impact==
==Political and social impact==
*the confrontation between the state and the National Union of Mineworkers in 1984-1985
*the confrontation between the state and the National Union of Mineworkers in 1984-1985
*the abandonment of [[Keynes' General Theory]] which had been the blueprint for Britain's post war settlement
*the abandonment of [[Keynes' General Theory]] which had been the blueprint for Britain's post war settlement
==Media==
==Media==