The flame of British Liberalism burns steady and brighter: A timeline from 1945

pipisme

Richard Crossman, Labour MP for Coventry North-East and a former Postmaster-General, and Minister of Transport, died 5 April 1974. Labour easily won the resulting
by-election on 30 May 1974.

Christopher Mayhew left the Labour Party and joined the Liberal Party on 9 July 1974. He was MP for Woolwich East. The Labour majority in the House of Commons was now reduced from eight to six. Mayhew had served in the Attlee governments as Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office and Minister of State at the Foreign Office, and in the Gaiitskell and first Callaghan governments as First Lord of the Admiralty.
 

pipisme

In September 1973 the Natiomal Union of Miners (NUM) called an overtime ban, because they wanted to retrieve the pay they had lost since their last settlement in 1972. However the Employment Secretary, Anthony Greenwood, made an offer which satisfied the NUM, and they called off their overtime ban.

Thr oil embargo and the quadrupling in oil prices by Arab nations in October 1973, during the Arab-Israeli War that month, happened as in OTL. The government imposed the following restrictions to conserve fuel : a 50 mph speed limit, reductions in street lighting, and requiring television broadcasts to end at 10,30 pm each day. These measures were lifted in January 1974 when the oil embargo was lifted and oil prices fell. However unlike in OTL, there was not a three day working week,
 

pipisme

When the Labour Party was in opposition plans for a university of the air had been drawn up by the shadow Education Secretary, Jennie Lee. Because such a university would have major broadcasting implications, these plans were discussed at a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Broadcasting in early May 1973. The members of the committee were as follows:
Lord Privy Seal: Lord Shepherd
Home Secretary: Ted Short
Education Secretary : Jennie Lee
Environment Secretary: Peter Shore
Industry Secretary: Eric Heffer (he was responsible for government policy on broadcasting)
Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales: Tom Fraser and Cledwyn Hughes
Attorney- General: Sir Samuel Silkin
Government Chief Whip: Bob Mellish
Financial Secretary to the Treasury: Dick Taverne
Minister of State Board of Trade: William Rogers.
It was chaired by the Lord President of the Council, Michael Foot.

The question for consideration was whether the university of the air should be broadcast by one of the three existing channels, BBC 1, BBC 2, or ITV, or on a new fourth channel. Jennie Lee wanted it to be in prime time on a fourth channel. She proposed that the channel would broadcast education programmes until 8pm, followed by light entertainment programmes, whose advertising would subsidise the education programmes.

The committee referred the matter to the Official Committee, a committee of civil servants, to consider its cost and viability. They reported that the initial and running costs of a fourth channel would be prohibitive without advertising. However advertising would remove it from the BBC and put it under the umbrella of the Independent Television Authority (ITA), which was unacceptable.

The information on this book is based on the chapter University of the Air in the book Jennie Lee: A Life by Patricia Hollis, Oxford University Press 1997.
 

pipisme

The report of the Official Committee poured cold water on the idea of a new fourth channel for the university of the air. So it would be broadcast on an existing BBC channel. The university of the air was discussed by the cabinet at its meeting on 10 July 1973. While most of the cabinet supported Jennie Lee, Anthony Crosland, the Trade Secretary, and Denis Healey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, were sceptical about the university of the air.

Crosland and Lee did not like each other. He felt inferior to her politically. She was more senior in the Labour Party than he was. She was part of Labour Party history, and on the National Executive Committee of the party. He was not. She was better known than him in the country. [1]

It was agreed that Jennie Lee would write a White Paper on the proposed university. This was published in October 1973.

[1] Information taken from Jennie Lee: A Life , cited above.
 

pipisme

The White Paper teceived a hostile reaction from the education press. In the opinion of the Times Education Supplement "a university is a community not a mode of communication." ( 1) In November 1973, the cabinet that a bill establishing an open university, as it was now called, would be prepared and introduced into the House of Commons. The Open University Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons in January 1974. It was opposed by the Conservative Party. After passing through all its stages in the Commons and the Lords, the bill became law in the second week of April 1974.

(1) Quotation taken from Jennie Lee : A Life
 
Last edited:

pipisme

James Callaghan carried out a substantial reshuffle of his government on 29 July 1976. The changes were as follows: Edward Short resigned as Home Secretary; Merlyn Rees from Northern Ireland Secretary to Home Secretary; Shirley Williams from Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection to Northern Ireland Secretary; Gwyneth Dunwoody from Minister of State Department of Social Security to Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection. Jennie Lee resigned as Secretary of State for Education and Science; Reginald Prentice from Minister of Overseas Development to Education and Science Secretary; David Ennals was promoted from Minister of State Foreign Office to Minister of Overseas Development; William Rogers replaced him at the Foreign Office.

Harold Wilson resigned as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; Anthony Greenwood from Employment Secretary to Duchy of Lancaster; Walter Johnson from Minister of State Department of Employment to Employment Secretary. Tom Fraser resigned as Secretary of State for Scotland ; John Smith from Minister of State Scottish Office to Secretary of State for Scotland: John Mackintosh from Under Secretary of State Scottish Office to Minister of State Scottish Office, Roy Jenkins resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury; Dick Taverne from Financial Secretary to the Treasury to Chief Secretary; Roy Hattersley from Minister of State Department of Trade to Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He was replaced at the Department of Trade by David Marquand.

I don't want Callaghan' s government in this TL to be a copy of his government in OTL.
 

pipisme

Other changes in the government reshuffle were that Lord Shepherd resigned as Lord Privy Seal; Frederick Peart from Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to
Lord Privy Seal and given a life peerage: John Silkin promoted from Minister of State Department of Environment to Minister of Agriculture etc. He was replaced at Environment by Caerwyn Roderick. David Owen was appointed Minister of State Department of Social Security,

The most controversial feature of the reshuffle was the appointment of Shirley Williams as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She was the first woman to have Irish governmental responsibility, though not the first Catholic. Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1687 to 1691, and Viscount Fitzalan was the last Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from April 1921 to January 1922.
 

pipisme

In this TL the Sunnigdale Agreement, the power sharing executive and its collapse because of a strike by the Ulster Workers Council, happened as in OTL.

Shirley Williams' appointment was vociferously condemned by Ian Paisley. He said that the " Loyalist people of Ulster will never accept a Roman Catholic as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland."

In a television interview Williams was asked if as a Catholic she could be impartial as regards Northern Ireland. She replied that she could and would be impartial. She would work day and night to bring peace to the province, for a settlement which is acceptable to both unionists and republicans. She affirmed the government's policy that there would be no change in the constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, unless a majority voted to join the Irish Republic.

Williams met with leaders of all political parties in Northern Ireland, including Sinn Fein and Vanguard Progressive Unionist, but not with with the Democratic Unionist Party and the United Ulster Unionist Movement who refused to meet her. She also met with represe tatives of the Ulster Defence Association, the largest paramilitary group in Northern Ireland, the Ulster Workers Council, and the Official IRA.

Though not known at the time, Williams authorised civil servants from the Northern Ireland Office to have secret talks with the Provisional IRA. But the Ulster Volunteer Force, the biggest Loyalist terrorist group, refused to enter into any talks.
 

pipisme

There were three by-elections on 4 November 1976, all in Labour seats. Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central caused by the resignation of Edward Short on his appointment as chairman of Cable and Wireless; Walsall North caused by the conviction of John Stonehouse for insurance fraud; and Workington caused by Frederick Peart having received a life peerage,

All three seats were held by Labour, but with greatly reduced majorities. Harry Cowans held Newcastle Central with a majority of 20.8% over Liberal. In the 1973 general election the Labour majority was 47.4% over Conservative. David Winnick won Walsall North with a majority of 6.2% over Conservative, down from 32.5% in the general election. Dale Campbell Savours was elected in Workington with a majority of 4.5% over Conservative. In the general election the Labour majority over Conservative was 25.2%.

In these by-elections in OTL the Tories gained Walsall North and Workington from Labour.
 

pipisme

In March 1974 Callaghan appointed a Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom) with the Scottish judge, Lord Kibrandon, as chairman, and fifteen other members. Its terms of reference were as follows:
To examine the functions of parliament and government in relation to the nations and regions of the United Kingdom.
To consider whether any changes are desirable in those functions in present constitutional and economic relationships. (1)

The Cambridge by-election on 2 December 1976, caused by the appointment of David Lane (Conservative) was held by the Tories, with a majority of 5.1% over Liberal. In the 1973 general election, the Conservative majority over Labour was 4.7%..

Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for Trade and Labour MP for West
Bromwich East, died on 19 February 1977 after suffering a massive cerebral haemorrhage six days previously. His death was as in OTL. In the subsequent government reshuffle, Callaghan moved John Diamond from Secretary of State for Transport to Secretary of State for Trade, and promoted Tony Benn from Minister of State Department of Industry to Transport Secretary.

(1) These terms of reference were similar to those of the Royal Commission on the Constitution in OTL. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Commission_on_the_Constitution_(United_Kingdom)
 
Last edited:

pipisme

The West Bromwich East by-election on 28 April 1977, caused by the death of Anthony Crosland, was held by Labour. But their majority over Conservative fell from 17.8% to 1.1%. The Liberals kept their second place in the Conservative seat of Saffron Walden in the by-election on 7 July 1977. Labour won the Birmingham Ladywood by-election on 18 August 1977. Their majority over Conservative fell from 37.9% to 20.8%.

Millie Miller, the Labour MP for Ilford North, died on 29 October 1977. With a general election due no later than Monday 24 April 1978, but in practice Thursday 20 April, the Government Chief Whip did not move the writ for the by-election. Instead the constituency remained vacant until the general election.

A statement was issued to the media from 10 Downing Street on 13 March 1978,
stating that a general election would be held on 20 April. Parliament would be dissolved on 23 March and nominations close on 3 April. Easter Sunday was 26 March, so much of the campaign would take place after Easter.
 

pipisme

Among the MPs who retired from the House of Commons at the general election were Barbara Castle, Roy Jenkins, Jennie Lee, Michael Stewart, and the Speaker, Donald Wade. When the general election date was announced the average Conservative lead over Labour in the opinion polls was 8.1%.. The last polls before polling day showed an average Conservative lead of 3.6% .
 

pipisme

Rattigan said:
What’s the thinking behind Roy retiring from the Commons so early?
Click to expand...
According to Barbara Castle, when Callaghan became Prime Minister, "Roy had become increasingly detached from the party and made no attempt to hide the fact." But if Callaghan had appointed Jenkins Foreign Secretary, which was the post he really wanted, he would have remained attached to the Labour Party. (1) It was the same in this TL.

The number of seats won by each party in the general election were as follows (1973 general election):
Conservative: 310 (275)
Labour: 287 (322)
Liberal: 16 (16)
SNP : 8 (6)
Ulster Unionist: 5 (7)
Democratic Unionist: 2 (1)
Plaid Cymru: 2 (2)
Alliance: 1 (- )
Independent Republican: 1 (-)
Independent Ulster Unionist: 1 (-)
SDLP: 1 (1)
United Ulster Unionist: 1 (-)
( Vanguard Progressive Unionist: 3)
( Independent Labour: 1)
( Speaker: 1)
‐--------------------
Total: 635 (635)
---------------------

(1) Taken from the book Fighting All The Way by Barbara Castle, London: Macmillan, 1993.
 
Last edited:

pipisme

The percentage votes for each party in the general election were as follows (1973 general election):
Conservative: 39.2 (35.6)
Labour: 34.7 (38.1)
Liberal: 19.7 (20.7)
SNP: 2.6 (2.0)
Plaid Cymru: 0.5 (0.5)
Others: 0.3 (3.0).
The national swing from Labour to Conservative was 3.5%.

Conservative gains from Labour were as follows: Aldridge-Brownhills, Anglesey, Basildon, Birmingham Yardley, Brecon and Radnor, Brentford and Isleworth,
Brighouse and Spenborough, Bristol North-West, Chorley, Coventry South-West, Croydon Central, Dartford, Enfield North, Fulham, Gloucestershire West, Gravesend, Hemel Hempstead, Ilford North, Ilford South, Lichfield and Tamworth, Loughborough, Meriden, Newark, Norfolk North- West, Northampton North, Northampton South, Pembrokeshire, Peterborough, Portsmouth North, Putney, Rochester and Chatham, Rossendale, Rugby, Southampton Test, Sowerby, Upminster, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield, Woolwich West. Total = 39.

Conservative gains from Liberal were Bodmin, Hazel Grove, and Orpington. They also gained Huddersfield West from Speaker. Labour gained Aberdeen South, Dunbartonshire East, Glasgow Cathcart, and Glasgow Kelvingrove from Conservative, The Liberal gains from Conservative were Berwick-upon- Tweed, Hereford, and Richmond-upon-Thames. The SNP took Angus South from Conservative and Dundee East from Labour.

In Northern Ireland, Oliver Napier gained Belfast East for Alliance from William Craig, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Craig was elected for Vanguard in 1973, but changed to UUP in 1977. Democratic Unionist gained Belfast North from UUP. Belfast South was a UUP gain from Vanguard compared with 1973 general election. Independent Ulster Unionist gained Down North from UUP. Independent Republican took Fermanagh and South Tyrone from UUP. Ulster Mid was a United Ulster Unionist gain from Vanguard compared with 1973.
 

pipisme

The following ministers lost their seats in the general election: Anthony Greenwood, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Rossendale); Cledwyn Hughes, Secretary of State for Wales (Anglesey); Caerwyn Roderick, Minister of State Department of Environment (Brecon and Radnor); Dick Taverne, Chief Secretary Treasury (Putney).

The following constutiencies were won by Labour in the general election in this TL, but by the Tories in OTL 1979 general election: Aberdeen South, Bebington and Ellesmere Port, Belper, Birmingham Northfield, Brigg and Scunthorpe, Dudley West, Ealing North, Hertford and Stevenage, Hornchurch, Kingswood, Lincoln, Luton East, Luton West, Nelson and Colne, Oxford, Paddington, Preston North, The Wrekin. Government ministers who held their seats, but lost them in 1979 in OTL, were Shirley Williams, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who held Hertford and Stevenage by a majority of 462, and Evan Luard, an Under-Secretary of State Foreign Office, who had a majority of 19 in Oxford.

Liberal MPs who held their seats in this TL, but lost them in 1979 in OTL , were Emlyn Hooson (Montgomery), and John Pardoe (Cornwall North). Winnie Ewing (SNP) held Moray and Nairn, which she lost in 1979 in OTL.
 

pipisme

Both the Conservative and Labour parties were short of a majority in the House of Commons. The Conservatives by eight and Labour by 31. The Conservatives plus Liberals would be 326, which be a majority of 17. Alternatively Conservatives plus UUP, DUP, Independent Ulster Unionist, and United Ulster Unionist would be 319, a majority of 3.

For Labour to have a majority they would need the support of the Liberals, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Alliance, Independent Republicans, SDLP, and two Unionists. This would be a majority of only one. A Labour government was soon out of the running.

In the evening of 21 April 1973, Reginald Maudling made a 'bold and generous offer' of a coalition with the Liberals, who would have seats in the cabinet and several junior ministers.
 

sarahz

pipisme said:
Both the Conservative and Labour parties were short of a majority in the House of Commons. The Conservatives by eight and Labour by 31. The Conservatives plus Liberals would be 326, which be a majority of 17. Alternatively Conservatives plus UUP, DUP, Independent Ulster Unionist, and United Ulster Unionist would be 319, a majority of 3.

For Labour to have a majority they would need the support of the Liberals, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Alliance, Independent Republicans, SDLP, and two Unionists. This would be a majority of only one. A Labour government was soon out of the running.

In the evening of 21 April 1973, Reginald Maudling made a 'bold and generous offer' of a coalition with the Liberals, who would have seats in the cabinet and several junior ministers.
Click to expand...
Hmm even a relatively unpopular coalituon may end better than the OTL Thorpe affair or Pact' so a plus for the Liberals. If they have a relatively good outcome PR for non commons elections, house of lords reform, something on industrial co-partnership ,investment in the Highlands and Isalnds it could end quite well
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top