Sunday, September 18, 2022

Long to reign over us - 1970s

The third decade of HM The Queen's reign. The events below were those discussed at the Sunniside History Society last week when we looked at key events in the UK during the 70 years The Queen was on the throne.

1970

Martin Peters becomes the nation's first £200,000 footballer in his transfer from West Ham to Tottenham Hotspur

The Beatles break up

British Leyland announce Morris Minor to cease production

Surprise win for Ted Heath and the Conservatives in the general election

First walkabout by Queen in Australia, now a standard part of a royal visit

1971

Tyneside set film "Get Carter" starring Michel Caine is premiered. 

Decimalisation took place

1972

Unemployment exceeded 1M for the first time since the 1930s

7 week miners’ strike took place

Northern Ireland Parliament suspended

Queen Elizabeth II met her uncle, The Duke of Windsor, for the last time, at his home in Paris. The Duke died shortly afterwards, 35 years after his abdication from the throne

BBC launched Pebble Mill at One

1973

UK joins the EEC

Women are admitted into the London Stock Exchange for the first time

In May 1.6 million workers go on strike over government pay restraints

IRA carry out extensive bombing campaign in UK mainland

Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Philips

Peter Walker, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, warned that petrol rationing may have to be introduced in the near future as a result of the oil crisis 

1974

Implementation of 3 day week

The Prime Minister, Edward Heath, calls a general election for 28 February in an attempt to end the dispute over the miners' strike. No part has a majority.

Harold Wilson becomes PM

ABBA wins Eurovision with Waterloo

2nd election results in Labour majority of 3 seats


Inflation soars to a 34-year high of 17.2%

1975

Margaret Thatcher becomes Conservative leader

Inflation reached 24.2%

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody is released

Two new laws, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal Pay Act 1970, come into force

1976

Harold Wilson resigns, James Callaghan becomes PM

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon announce that they are to separate

Jeremy Thorpe resigns as leader of the Liberal Party, David Steel takes over

Summer heatwave

£2.3 billion loan from IMF to bailout Britain

1977

Queen's silver jubilee

Income tax slashed from 35p to 33p

Queens UK jubilee tour starts in Glasgow

 The Queen becomes a grandmother for the first time when Princess Anne gives birth to a son

 The Morecombe and Wise Christmas Show on BBC1 attracts an audience ofover 28 million viewers

1978

Many British bakeries impose bread rationing after a baker's strike led to panic buying of bread

Lib Lab Pact ends

Inflation at 6 year low of 6.3%

1979

Winter of Discontent

Labour loses vote of confidence and then loses subsequent general election. Start of 18 years of Conservative government. Thatcher as PM

Former Liberal Party leader and MP Jremy Thorpe goes on trial at the Old Bailey charged with attempted murder. He is eventually cleared 

Lord Mountbatten and two 15-year-olds, his nephew and a boatboy, are assassinated by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb

The government publishes the Housing Bill which will give council house tenants theright to buy their homes from the following year

 


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