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1969: - inceperea conflictului etnic din Irlanda de nord: The Troubles (late 1960s - 1998) -> de vazut mai

multe detalii incepand din '69 - prim ministru: Harold Wilson (Labour) - 17 April: Representation of the People Act lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.[10] 1970: This is a General Election year with a change of government. - Prime Minister Harold Wilson (until 19 June; Labour), Edward Heath (from 19 June; Conservative) - 19 May The government made a 20 million loan available to help save the financially troubled luxury car and aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls Royce. - 10 June Just a few months after the Conservatives had enjoyed opinion poll leads of more than 20 points, opinion polls were showing Labour several points ahead of the Tories with eight days to go before the general election. If Labour won the election, it would be a record third consecutive general election win for the party and would probably result in the end of Edward Heath's five-year reign as Conservative leader.[18] - 19 June The General Election proved to have been won by Edward Heath's Conservative Party by a majority of 30 seats,[22] a major surprise as most of the opinion polls had shown that Harold Wilson's Labour were likely to stay in power.[23] Among the new members of parliament are Neil Kinnock and John Smith for Labour, and Kenneth Clarke, Kenneth Baker, Norman Fowler and Geoffrey Howe for the Tories.[24] - 15 July Dockers voted to strike leading to the docks strike of 1970.[27] - 30 July The docks strike was settled.[27] - Trade union membership now accounts for nearly 50% of the workforce.[46] 1971: - Prime Minister Edward Heath (Conservative) - 20 January The first ever postal workers' strike took place, led by UPW General Secretary Tom Jackson, in an attempt to win a 19.5% pay rise. - 4 February Rolls-Royce went bankrupt[5] and is nationalised. - 1 March An estimated 120,000 to 250,000 "kill the bill" protesters went on strike against the 1971 Industrial Relations Act in London.[6] - 7 March Following the recent protests in London, some 10,000 striking workers protested in Glasgow against the Industrial Relations Bill - 8 March The Postal workers' strike ended after 47 days.[7]
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- 14 October: With a general election due within the next 18 months, opinion polls showed that the Tories were comfortably ahead of Labour, by up to 24 points

19 April Unemployment reached a post-Second World War high of nearly 815,000.

- 14 June -- Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher's proposals to end free school milk for children aged over seven years were backed by a majority of 33 MPs.

- 15 June -- Several Labour run councils threatened to increase rates in order to continue the free supply of milk to school children aged over seven years, in reaction to Thatcher's plans to end free milk supply to school children of that age group. Thatcher defends her plans, saying that the change will free more money to be spent on the construction of new school buildings.[13] - 2 December The Queen's yearly allowance was increased from 475,000 to 980,000. - Inflation stood at a 30-year high of 8.6%.[6] - The government introduced a policy of "Competition and Credit Control", lifting quantitative limits on lending by retail banks and allowing them greater freedom to offer savings accounts.[31] - The government imposed a rent freeze. - Oil overtook coal as the most consumed fuel in Britain for the first time.

1972: - Prime Minister Edward Heath (Conservative) - 1 January Britain officially joined the European Economic Community. - 9 January The National Union of Mineworkers held a strike ballot in which 58.8% voted in favour.[1] Coal miners begin a strike which lasts for seven weeks,[2]including picketing of Saltley coke depot in Birmingham. - 20 January Unemployment exceeded 1,000,000 for the first time since the 1930s[3]-almost double the 582,000 who were unemployed when Edward Heath'sConservative government came to power less than two years ago.[4] - 25 February The miners' strike ended after seven weeks.[8] - 21 March Chancellor Anthony Barber announced a 1.2 billion tax reduction in the Budget. - 30 March The Troubles: The Parliament of Northern Ireland was suspended. - 6 November The government introduced price and pay freezes to counter inflation.[35] - Inflation falls slightly during the year to 6.4% from 8.6%.[38] 1973: - Prime Minister Edward Heath (Conservative) - January The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark entered the European Economic Community.[1] - 22 January British share values fell by 4 billion in one day. - 8 March -- Northern Ireland sovereignty referendum (the "Border Poll"): 98.9% of those voting in the province wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the UK. Turnout was 58.7%, although less than 1% for Catholics.[4] This was the first referendum on regional government in the U.K. - April Price and Pay Code Stage Two restricted rises in pay and prices. - 1 April VAT came into effect in the UK.[8] - 1 May 1.6 million workers went on strike over government pay restraints.[10] - 15 May In the House of Commons, Edward Heath, the prime minister, described large payments made by Lonrho to Duncan Sandys through the tax haven of the Cayman Islands at a time when the government is trying to implement a counter-inflation policy as the "unacceptable face of capitalism"'[13]

- 8 October -- Prime minister Edward Heath announced government proposals for its counterinflationary Price and Pay Code Stage Three (continuing to July 1974), including limiting pay rises to 7%, restricting price rises, and paying 10 bonuses to pensioners before Christmas - a move which would cost around 80million, funded by a 9p rise in National Insurance contributions. - 8 Novembre -- The government made 146 million compensation available to three nationalised industries to cover losses resulting from the price restraint policies. - 12 November -- Miners began overtime ban; ambulance drivers began selective strikes. - Inflation has risen to 8.4%.[33] - Start of Secondary banking crisis of 1973-1975.[34] 1974: The year is marked by the Three-Day Week, twoGeneral Elections, one change of national government, a state of emergency in Northern Ireland, extensive Provisional Irish Republican Army bombing of the British mainland, and major local government reorganisation. - Prime Minister Edward Heath (until 4 March; Conservative), Harold Wilson (from 4 March; Labour) - 1 January 7 March - The Three-Day Week was introduced by the Conservative Government as a measure to conserve electricity during the period of industrial action by coal miners.[2] - 7 February -- The Prime Minister, Edward Heath, called a general election for 28 February in an attempt to end the dispute over the miners' strike.[4] During the campaign, the Labour Party and Trades Union Congress agree a 'Social Contract' intended to produce wage restraint. - 14 February -- Opinion polls show the Conservative government in the lead.[9] - 27 February Enoch Powell, the controversial Conservative MP who was dismissed from the shadow cabinet in 1968 for his "Rivers of Blood" speech opposing mass immigration, announced his resignation from the party, in protest against Edward Heath's decision to take Britain into the EEC.[10] - 28 February The general election resulted in the first hung parliament since 1929, with the Conservative government having 297 seats - four fewer than Labour, who have 301 - and the largest number of votes. Prime minister Ted Heath hoped to form a coalition with the Liberal Party in order to remain in power.[11] - 4 March Ted Heath failed to convince the Liberals to form a coalition and announced his resignation as prime minister, paving the way for Harold Wilson to become prime minister for the second time as Labour formed a minority government.[13] - 6 March The miners' strike came to an end due an improved pay offer by the new Labour government.[12] - 18 March Oil embargo crisis: Most OPEC nations ended a 5-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan. - 2 May The fascist far-right National Front gained more than 10% of the vote in several parts of London in council elections, but failed to net any councillors.[17] - 28 May Power-sharing in the Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed following a strike by unionists.[20] - 30 September With the year's second general election 10 days away, opinion polls showed Labour in the lead with Harold Wilson well placed to gain the overall majority that no party had achieved in the election held seven months earlier.[29]

- 10 October The second general election of the year resulted in a narrow victory for Harold Wilson, giving Labour a majority of three seats. It was widely expected that Edward Heath's leadership of the Conservative Party would soon be ended, as he had now lost three of the four general elections that he had contested in almost a decade as leader.[33] The Scottish Nationalist Party secured its highestever Westminster party representation with 11 seats. Enoch Powell was elected to parliament in Northern Ireland for the Ulster Unionist Party.[34] Powell, who was dismissed from the Tory shadow cabinet in April 1968 following his controversial Rivers of Blood speech on immigration, had left the Conservative Party at 28 February election and had recently rejected an offer to stand as a candidate for the National Front.[35] - 22 December The London home of Conservative Party leader and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Edward Heath was bombed in a suspected provisional IRA attack. Mr Heath had been away from home when the bomb exploded, but returned just 10 minutes afterwards.[48] - Inflation soars to a 34-year high of 17.2%.[18] - Last production in the UK of steel by the Bessemer process, at Workington.[50] 1975: - Prime Minister Harold Wilson (Labour) - 6 February Jensen, the luxury car maker, made 700 workers redundant - cutting its workforce by two thirds.[4] - 11 February Margaret Thatcher defeated Edward Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election to become the party's first female leader. Mrs Thatcher, 49, was Education Secretary in Mr Heath's government from 1970 to 1974.[5] - 13 February Britain's coal miners accepted a 35% pay rise offer from the government.[6] - 24 April Unemployment exceeded 1,000,000 for March 1975.[4] - 26 April -- A conference of Labour Party members voted against continued membership of the EEC.[15] - 5 June 67% of voters supported continued membership of the EEC in a referendum.[22] - The Government and Trades Union Congress agreed a one-year cash limit on pay rises. - 1 August The government's anti-inflation policy came into full effect. During the year, inflation reached 24.2% - the second highest since records began in 1750 and the highest since 1800.[29] A summary of the White Paper Attack on Inflation is delivered to all households. - 21 August 1.25 milion are jobless - 13 October Norton Villiers, the Wolverhampton based motorcycle producer, closed down with the loss of 1,600 jobs after being declared bankrupt.[4] - 12 November The Employment Protection Act established ACAS to arbitrate industrial disputes, and legislated against unfair dismissal.[3] - 29 December Two new laws, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equal Pay Act 1970, came into force aiming to end unequal pay of men and women in the workplace.[46] 1976: - Prime Minister Harold Wilson (until 5 April; Labour), James Callaghan (Labour)

- 16 March Harold Wilson announces his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,[11] to take effect on 5 April - 5 April James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom upon the retirement of Harold Wilson,[14] defeating Roy Jenkins and Michael Foot in the leadership contest. Callaghan, 64, was previously Foreign Secretary and had served as a chancellor and later Home Secretary under Wilson in government from 1964 until 1970.[15] - 7 April Cabinet minister John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party leaving the Government without a majority in the House of Commons.[16] - 6 May Local council elections produce disappointing results for the Labour Party, who won just 15 seats and lost 829 that they had held, compared to the Conservatives who won 1,044 new seats and lost a mere 22. This setback came despite the party enjoying a narrow lead in the opinion polls under new leader James Callaghan.[19] - 10 May Jeremy Thorpe resigns as leader of the Liberal party.[21] - August -- Government and Trades Union Congress agree a more severe Stage II one-year limit on pay rises. - 15 December Denis Healey announces to Parliament that he has successfully negotiated a 2.3 bn loan for Britain from the International Monetary Fund on condition that 2.5 bn is cut from public expenditure: the NHS, education and social benefit sectors are not effected by these cuts.[38] - Inflation stands at 16.5% - lower than last year's level, but still one of the highest since records began in 1750.[39] However, at one stage during this year inflation exceeded 24%.[40] 1977: - Prime Minister James Callaghan (Labour) - 1 March James Callaghan threatens to withdraw state aid to British Leyland unless it puts an end to strikes. - 14 March The government reveals that inflation has pushed prices up by nearly 70% within three years. - 15 March British Leyland managers announce intention to dismiss 40,000 toolmakers who have gone on strike at the company's Longbridge plant inBirmingham, action which is costing the stateowned carmaker more than 10million a week.[4] - 29 March Income tax is slashed to 33p in the pound from 35p in the budget. - August Government introduces voluntary Stage III one-year pay restraint. - 3 October Undertakers go on strike in London, leaving more than 800 corpses unburied. - 14 November Firefighters go on first ever national strike, in hope of getting a 30% wage increase.[31] - Inflation has fallen slightly this year to 15.8%, but it is the fourth successive year that has seen double digit inflation.[41] 1978: - Prime Minister James Callaghan (Labour)

- 16 January The firefighters strike ends after three months when fire crews accept an offer of a 10% pay rise and reduced working hours. - 20 January Opposition leader Margaret Thatcher says that many Britons fear being "swamped by people with a different culture". - 13 February -- An opinion poll conducted for the Daily Mail shows the Conservative opposition 11 points ahead of the Labour government, with an election due by October next year. The turnaround in fortunes for the Conservatives, who last month were narrowly behind Labour, is largely blamed on Margaret Thatcher's recent comments on immigration.[4] - 17 February Inflation has fallen to 9.9% the first time since 1973 that it has been in single figures. - 1 June William Stern is declared bankrupt with debts of 118 million, the largest bankruptcy in British history at the time.[14][15] - 17 June - Media reports suggest that a general election will be held this autumn as the minority government led by James Callaghan and Labour appears to be nearing the end of its duration. Callaghan's chances of an election win are now looking brighter than they were four months ago, as the 11-point Conservative lead has evaporated.[17] - 7 September -- Prime Minister James Callaghan announces that he will not call a general election for this autumn, and faces accusations from Tory leader Margaret Thatcher and Liberal leader David Steel of "running scared", in spite of many opinion polls showing that Labour (currently a minority government) could win an election now with a majority. Callaghan also announces that the Lib-Lab pact, formed 18 months ago when the government lost its majority, has reached its end.[23] - 26 September 23 Ford car plants are closed across Britain due to strikes. - 4 November Many British bakeries impose bread rationing after a baker's strike led to panic buying of bread.[30] - 10 November Panic buying of bread stops as most bakers go back to work. - Inflation reaches a six-year low of 8.3%,[33] although unemployment is at a postwar high of 1,500,000.[34] 1979: - Prime Minister James Callaghan (until 4 May; Labour), Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 5 January - Lorry drivers go on strike, causing new shortages of heating oil and fresh food. - 10 January - Prime Minister James Callaghan returns from an international summit to a Britain in a state of industrial unrest. The Sun newspaper reports his comments with a famous headline: "Crisis? What Crisis?"[1] - 15 January - Rail workers begin a 24-hour strike. - 22 January - Tens of thousands of public-workers strike in the beginning of what becomes known as the "Winter of Discontent".[2] - 12 February - Over 1,000 schools close due to the heating oil shortage caused by the lorry drivers' strike. - 14 February - "Saint Valentine's Day Concordat" between Trades Union Congress and Government, The Economy, the Government, and Trade Union Responsibilities, marks an end to the "Winter of Discontent".[4]

- 15 February - Opinion polls show the Conservatives up to 20 points ahead of Labour, whose popularity has slumped due to the Winter of Discontent.[5] - 1 March -- National Health Service workers in the West Midlands threaten to go on strike in their bid to win a nine per cent pay rise.[7] - 28 March - James Callaghan's government loses a motion of confidence by one vote, forcing a general election.[10] - 29 March - James Callaghan announces that the general election will be held on 3 May. All of the major opinion polls point towards a Conservative win which would make Margaret Thatcher the first female prime minister of Britain. - 4 May - The Conservatives wins the general election by a 43-seat majority and Margaret Thatcher become the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe is the most notable MP to lose his seat in the election. Despite losing the first general election he has contested, James Callaghan is expected to stay on as leader of a Labour Party now in opposition after five years in government.[14] Among the new members of parliament is John Major, 36-year-old MP for Huntingdon.[15] - 15 May - Government abolishes the Prices Commission.[18] - 21 May -- Conservative MPs back Margaret Thatcher's proposals to sell off parts of nationalised industries. During the year, the Government will begin to sell its stake in British Petroleum. - 25 May - Price of milk increases more than 10% to 15 pence a pint.[19] - 7 June - European Parliament election, the first direct election to the European Parliament; the turnout in Britain is low at 32%.[18] The Conservatives have the most MEPs at 60, while Labour only have 17. The Liberals gain a 12.6% share of the vote but not a single MEP, while the Scottish National Party, Democratic Unionist Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party and Official Ulster Unionist Party all gain an MEP each.[20] - 12 June - The new Conservative government's first budget sees chancellor Geoffrey Howe cut the standard tax rate by 3p and slashing the top rate from 83% to 60%. - 23 July - The government announces 4 billion worth of public spending cuts. - 1 November - The government announces 3.5 billion in public spending cuts and an increase in prescription charges - 13 November - Miners reject a 20% pay increase and threaten to go on strike until they get their desired pay rise of 65%. - 15 November - Minimum Lending Rate reaches an all-time high of 17%.[42] - 21 November - Six months after winning the general election, the Conservatives are five points behind Labour (who have a 45% share of the vote) in an MORIopinion poll.[45] - 20 December - The government publishes the Housing Bill which will give council house tenants the right to buy their homes from the following year. More than 5 million households in the United Kingdom currently occupy council houses.[49] - Inflation rises to 13.4%.[50] - The largest number of working days lost through strike action since 1926. 1980: - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)

- 2 January Workers at British Steel go on a nationwide strike over pay called by the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, which has some 90,000 members among British Steel's 150,000 workforce, in a bid to get a 20% rise. It is the first steelworks strike since 1926.[1] - 14 February Margaret Thatcher announces that state benefit to strikers will be halved. - 17 February British Steel announces that more than 11,000 jobs will be axed at its plants in Wales by the end of next month. - 10 March An opinion poll conducted by the Evening Standard suggests that six out of 10 Britons are dissatisfied with Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, who now trail Labour (still led by James Callaghan, the former prime minister) in the opinion polls.[4] - 26 March The budget raises tax allowances and duties on petrol, alcohol and tobacco. - 1 April The steelworkers' strike is called off. - 22 April Unemployment stands at 1,500,000 the highest in two years - 16 May Inflation has risen to 21.8%. - June - The UK economy slides into recession. - 24 June Unemployment is announced to have reached a postwar high of 1,600,000. - 1 July MG's Abingdon car factory looks set to close completely this autumn as Aston Martin fails to raise the funds to buy it from British Leyland. - 8 July Miners threatening to strike demand a 37% pay increase, ignoring pleas from Margaret Thatcher to hold down wage claims. - 22 July Unemployment has hit a 44-year high of nearly 1,900,000. - 29 July Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announces the introduction of Enterprise Zones as an employment relief effort in some of regions of Britain which have been hardest hit by deindustrialisation and unemployment.[14] - 11 August Margaret Thatcher visits the Harold Hill area of East London to hand of the keys to the 12,000th council tenants in Britain to buy their home under the right to buy scheme. However, she is met by jeering from neighbours of the family. - 28 August Unemployment has increased to more than 2,000,000 the highest since 1935. Economists warn that it could rise to up to 2,500,000 by the end of next year.[16] - 10 October Margaret Thatcher makes her famous "The lady's not for turning" speech to the Conservative Party conference after party MP's warn that her economic policy was responsible for the current recession and rising unemployment.[21] o - 15 October - James Callaghan, ousted as prime minister by the Conservative victory 17 months ago, resigns as Labour Party leader after four and a half years. - 15 October - Former prime minister Harold Macmillan, 86, criticises Margaret Thatcher's economic policies, claiming that she has "got the wrong answer" to the economic crises which she inherited from Labour last year. Her economic policies are also criticised by union leaders, who blame her policies for rising unemployment and bankruptcies, and warn that this could result in civil unrest.[22] o - 28 October Margaret Thatcher declares that the government will not give in to seven jailed IRA terrorists who are on hunger strike in the Maze Prison in hope of winning prisoner of war status.

- 23 November Despite the economy now being in recession and the government's monetarist economic policy to tackle inflation being blamed for the downturn, the government announces further public spending cuts and taxation rises.

- Inflation has risen to 18% as Margaret Thatcher's battle against inflation is still in its early stages.[19] 1981: - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 16 January - Inflation has fallen to 16.1%. citation needed
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4 February Margaret Thatcher announces that the government will sell half of its shares in British

Aerospace. - 18 February Thatcher government withdraws plans to close down 23 mines after negotiations with National Union of Mineworkers.[8] - 9 March - Thousands of civil servants hold a one-day strike over pay. - 17 March The Conservative government's budget is met with uproar due to further public spending cuts. - 21 March Unemployment now stands at 2,400,000 or 10% of the workforce.[12] - 22 March It is reported that a minority of Conservative MP's are planning to challenge the leadership of Margaret Thatcher in an attempt to reverse the party's declining popularity and fight off the challenge from Labour and the SDP.[13] - 10 April Bobby Sands, an IRA member on hunger strike in the Maze prison, Northern Ireland, is elected MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone in a by election.[20] - 23 April Unemployment passes the 2,500,000 mark for the first time in nearly 50 years. citation needed
] [

12 May Francis Hughes (aged 25) becomes the second IRA hunger striker to die in Northern

Ireland. - 21 May The IRA hunger strike death toll reaches four with the deaths of Raymond McCreesh and Patrick O'Hara. - 30 May More than 100,000 people from across Britain march to Trafalgar Square in London for the TUC's March For Jobs.[27] - 23 June Unemployment reaches 2,680,977 (one in nine of the workforce), citation needed and Margaret Thatcher is warned that a further rise is likely. - 13 July - The IRA hunger strike death toll reaches six when Martin Hurson dies. - 13 July - Margaret Thatcher announces that police will be able to use rubber bullets, water cannons and armoured vehicles against urban rioters. Labour leaderMichael Foot blames the recent wave of rioting on the Conservative government's economic policies, citation needed which have seen unemployment rise by more than 70% in the last two years - 28 July Margaret Thatcher blames IRA leaders not her government for the recent IRA hunger striker deaths - 1 August Kevin Lynch becomes the seventh IRA hunger striker to die. - 2 August Within 24 hours of Kevin Lynch's death, Kieran Doherty becomes the eighth IRA hunger striker to die.
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- 8 August The IRA hunger strike claims its ninth hunger striker so far (and its third in a week) with the death of Thomas McElwee. - 20 August - The tenth IRA hunger striker, Michael Devine, dies in prison.

- 20 August - Inflation has fallen to 10.9% the lowest under this government. citation needed have been without food for between 13 and 55 days.[44]

- 3 October Hunger strikes at the Maze Prison end after seven months. The final six hunger strikers - 12 October British Leyland announces the closure of three factories a move which will cost nearly 3,000 people their jobs. - 13 October - Opinion polls show that Margaret Thatcher is still unpopular as Conservative leader due to her anti-inflationary economic measures, which have now come under fire from her predecessor Edward Heath.[46] - 15 October Norman Tebbit tells fellow Conservative MPs: "I grew up in the thirties with an unemployed father. He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work and he kept looking until he found it". citation needed
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- 23 October The Liberal-SDP Alliance tops a MORI poll on 40%, putting them ahead of Labour on 31% and the Conservatives on 27%.[47] - 1 November British Leyland's 58,000-strong workforces begins a strike over pay. - 8 December Arthur Scargill becomes leader of the National Union of Mineworkers.[1] - 19 December An opinion poll shows that Margaret Thatcher is now the most unpopular postwar British prime minister and that the SDP-Liberal Alliance has the support of up to 50% of the electorate. - Inflation has fallen to 11.9%, the second lowest annual level since 1973, but has been largely achieved by the mass closure of heavy industry facilities that have contributed to the highest postwar levels of unemployment.[57] - The London department store Whiteleys closes, after 107 years in business. - Last manufacture of coal gas, at Millport, Isle of Cumbrae.[58] 1982: The year is dominated by the Falklands War. -. de cautat mai multe separat - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 21 January - Miners vote against strike action and accept the National Coal Board offer of a 9.3% pay rise. - 26 January - Unemployment in the United Kingdom is recorded at over 3 million for the first time since the 1930s.[5][6] However, the 11.5% of the workforce currently unemployed is approximately half of the record percentage which was reached half a century ago.[7] - 18 March - An Argentine scrap metal dealer raises the Argentine flag in South Georgia, Falkland Islands - a British colony. - 19 March - Argentines land on South Georgia Island, precipitating war. - 30 April - The Conservatives have returned to the top of the opinion polls for the first time since late 1979, with the latest MORI poll showing that they have 43% of the vote, ahead of the SDP-Liberal Alliance.[18] - 16 June - Welsh miners go on strike to support health workers demanding a 12% pay rise.[23] - 23 June - Support for the Conservative government continues to rise, mainly due to the success of the Falklands campaign, with an MORI opinion poll showing that they have a 51% approval rate.[18]

- 22 July - Margaret Thatcher rejects calls in parliament for a return of the death penalty for terrorist murder. - 7 September - Margaret Thatcher expresses her concern at the growing number of children living in single parent families, but says that she is not opposed todivorce. - 22 September - An estimated 14% of the workforce is now reported to be unemployed.[26] - October - Government statistics for unemployment are now based on those claiming benefit rather than those registered unemployed. citation needed
[ ]

- 8 October - With the economy now climbing out of recession after more than two years, Margaret Thatcher vows to stick to her economic policies, and blames previous governments for the decline that she inherited when taking power more than three years ago. - November - The government announces that more than 400,000 council houses have been sold off under the right-to-buy scheme in the last three years.[32]

- 1 November - Opinion polls show the Conservatives still firmly in the lead, suggesting that a general election will be held by next summer. - 15 November - Unemployment remains in excess of 3 million - 13.8% of the workforce. - 28 November - Opinion polls show the Conservative government with an approval rating of up to 44% and well on course for a second successive election win, 13 points ahead of Labour. Support for the Alliance has halved in the space of a year.[34]

- 23 December - More than 1,200 jobs are lost in the West Midlands when the Round Oak Steelworks closes after 125 years. - Inflation has fallen to a 10-year low of 8.6%, although some 1,500,000 jobs have reportedly been lost largely due to Government policy in attaining this end.[38] - British National Oil Corporation privatised as Britoil.[39] 1983: - Prime Minister - Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 3 February - Unemployment stands at a record high of 3,224,715 - though the previous high reached in the Great Depression of the early 1930s accounted for a higher percentage of the workforce. - 15 March - The Budget raises tax allowances, and cuts taxes by 2 billion - 9 May - Margaret Thatcher calls a general election for 9 June. Opinion polls show her on course for victory with the Tories 8-12 points ahead of Labour, but it widely expected to form a significant overall majority due to the split in left-wing votes caused by the Alliance.[9] - 26 May -

o o Opinion polls suggest that the Conservatives are looking set to be re-elected with a landslide. A MORI poll puts them on 51%, 22 points ahead of Labour.[4] - 42% of the popular vote) over Michael Foot, who led a highly-divided and weakened Labour Party which earned only 28% of the vote.[6] Among the new members of parliament are two Labour MP's, Tony Blair for Sedgefield in County Durham[12] and Gordon Brown for Dunfermline East in Scotland.[13] The election brings mixed results for the SDP-Liberal Alliance, who come close behind Labour in votes but has a mere 23 MPs in the new parliament compared to

Labour's[14] 209.[15] The new 650-seat parliament will have 397 Conservative MP's, whereas Labour now has just 209.[1] - 7 July - New chancellor Nigel Lawson announces public spending cuts of 500 million. - 8 September - The National Health Service privatises cleaning, catering and laundering services in a move which Social Services Secretary Norman Fowlerpredicts will save between 90 million and 180 million a year. - Despite unemployment remaining in excess of 3 million, the battle against inflation which has largely contributed to mass unemployment is being won as inflation falls to 4.6% - the lowest level since 1966.[32] 1984: - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 25 January The government prohibits GCHQ staff from belonging to any trade union.[2] - 2 March Just five months after becoming Labour Party leader, Neil Kinnock's ambition of becoming prime minister at the next election (due to be held by June 1988) are given a boost when Labour come top of a MORI poll with 41% of the vote (compared to the 38% attained by the Conservatives). Just over six months ago, the Conservatives had a 16-point lead over Labour in the opinion polls.[7] - 12 March - Miners' strike begins and pits the National Union of Mineworkers against Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government intent on free market reform of the nationalised industries, which includes plans for the closure of most of Britain's remaining coalpits.[8] - 21 March - European Economic Community summit breaks down over disagreement over Britain's budget rebate with Margaret Thatcher threatening to veto any expansion of spending plans.[10] - 9 April More than 100 pickets are arrested in violent clashes at the Creswell colliery in Derbyshire and the Babbington colliery in Nottinghamshire. It is estimated that 46 out of 176 British coal mines are currently active as miners fight government plans to close 20 coalmines across Britain.[13] - 12 April - Arthur Scargill, the leader of the National Union of Mineworkers, rules out a national ballot of miners on whether to continue their strike, which has already lasted five weeks.[14] - June British unemployment is at a record high of around 3,260,000 - though a higher percentage of the nation's workforce were unemployed during theGreat Depression some 50 years ago.[19] - 7 June - 120 people are arrested when fighting breaks out outside the Houses of Parliament during a mass lobby by striking miners. - 14 June - The European Parliament Election is held. The Tories lead the way with 45 MEP's, with Labour in second place with 32. The SDPLiberal Alliancegains 18.5% of the vote but fails to elect a single MEP.[20] - 19 July -Neil Kinnock's hopes of becoming prime minister are given a boost by the latest MORI poll which puts Labour three points ahead of the Conservatives on 40%, - 6 September A MORI poll shows that the Conservatives now have a slim lead over Labour for the first time this year.[7] - 28 September The High Court rules that the miner's strike is unlawful.

- 1 October - David Jenkins, Bishop of Durham, launches an attack on Mrs Thatcher's social policies. The Durham area has been particularly hard hit by factory and mine closures since her election as prime minister five years ago. - 12 October The Provisional Irish Republican Army attempts to assassinate the British Cabinet in the Brighton hotel bombing. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escapes injury, but Norman Tebbit is trapped among the rubble and his wife Margaret is paralysed. Five people, including one MP Anthony Berry, are killed.[35] - 18 October Support for the Conservative government is reported to be improving after several months of dismal poll showings, with the latest MORI poll putting them nine points ahead of Labour on 44%.[38] - 5 November - 800 miners end their strike and return to work. - 19 November The number of working miners increases to around 62,000 when nearly 3,000 striking miners return to work. - 20 November - British Telecom shares go on sale in the biggest share issue ever.[11] Two million people (5% of the adult population) buy shares, almost doubling the number of share owners in Britain.[40] - 30 November - Tension in the miners' strike increases when two South Wales miners are charged with the murder of taxi driver David Wilkie, 35, who died when a concrete block was dropped on his car from a road overbridge. The passenger in his car, who escaped with minor injuries, was a miner who had defied the strike and continued going to work. - 3 December - British Telecom is privatised. - 18 December The government announces the privatisation of the Trustee Savings Bank. - Despite unemployment reaching a peak of nearly 3.3million this year, inflation is still low at 5%.[52] - Youth unemployment (covering the 16-24 age range) stands at a record 1,200,000 - more than a third of the total unemployment count.[53] 1985: - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 7 January - Nine striking miners are jailed for arson - 25 February - Nearly 4,000 striking miners go back to work, meaning that only just over half of the miners are now on strike. - 3 March - The miners' strike ends after one year.[7] - 19 March - After beginning the year with a lead of up to eight points in the opinion poll, the Conservatives suffer a major blow as the latest MORI poll puts them four points behind Labour, who have a 40% share of the vote.[8] - June - Unemployment fell to 3,178,582 this month from May's total of 3,240,947, the best fall in unemployment of the decade so far (announced 4 July). - 29 July - Despite unemployment having fallen since October last year, it has increased in 73 Conservative constituencies, according to government figures. - 17 September - Mrs Thatcher's hopes of winning a third term in office at the next election are thrown into doubt by the results of an opinion poll, which shows the Conservatives in third place on 30%, Labour in second place on 33% and the SDPLiberal Alliance in the lead on 35%.[20]

- September - Unemployment for the month falls by nearly 70,000 to less than 3,300,000 (announced 1 November). - 1 October - Economists predict that unemployment will remain above the 3,000,000 mark for the rest of the decade. - 15 October - The SDP-Liberal Alliance's brief lead in the opinion polls is over, with the Conservatives now back in the lead by a single point over Labour in the latest MORI poll.[8] - 24 October - Members of parliament react to the recent wave of rioting by saying that unemployment is an unacceptable excuse for the riots. - 30 October - Unemployment is reported to have risen in nearly 70% of the Tory held seats since this time last year. - 17 November - The CBI calls for the government to invest 1 billion in unemployment relief - a move which would cut unemployment by 350,000 and potentially bring it below 3,000,000 for the first time since late 1981. - 19 November - The latest MORI poll shows that Conservative and Labour support is almost equal at around 36%, with the SDPLiberal Alliance's hopes of electoral breakthrough are left looking bleak as they have only 25% of the vote.[23] - 22 November - Mrs Thatcher is urged by her MP's to call a general election for June 1987, despite the deadline not being until June 1988. - 5 December - It is announced that unemployment fell in November, for the third month running. It now stands at 3,165,000.[30] - Inflation stands at 6.1% - the highest since 1982 but still low compared to the highs reached in the 1970s.[25] 1986: It is particularly noted for the "Big Bang" deregulation of the financial markets. - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 9 January - After three successive monthly falls in unemployment, the jobless count for December 1985 increased by nearly 15,000 to 3,181,300. - 31 January Unemployment for this month has increased to 3,204,900 a postwar high which accounts for 14.4% of the workforce. - 8 March Inheritance Tax replaces Capital Transfer Tax. - 17 July It is announced that unemployment rose to 3,220,400 in June. - 21 July A report finds that 20% of British children are now born out of wedlock. - 30 July A MORI poll shows that Labour are now nine points ahead of the Conservatives with 41% of the vote, with Liberal/SDP Alliance support now at 25%. - 15 August The latest MORI poll shows that the Conservatives have eliminated Labour's nine-point lead and drawn level with them by gaining 37% in the latest opinion poll, in the space of just over two weeks.[13] - 16 August Figures released by the government reveal that a record of nearly 3,100,000 people claimed unemployment benefit last month, although the official total of unemployed people in Britain is still short of the record of nearly 3,300,000 which was set two years ago.[14] - 19 August The Privatisation of the National Bus Company begins with the first sale of a bus operating subsidiary, Devon General, in a management buyout.

- 25 August Economists warn that a global recession is imminent, barely five years after the previous recession - 18 September It is announced that unemployment rose to 3,280,106 in July. - 27 October "Big Bang Day": London Stock Exchange is computerised, and opens to foreign companies.[3] - 3 November The Conservatives top a MORI poll for the first time this year, coming one point ahead of Labour with 40% of the vote. Liberal/SDP Alliance support has slumped to 18%.[16] - 6 Novembre - Nigel Lawson announces a 4.6 billion rise in public spending. - 13 November It is announced that unemployment fell by 96,000 in October. - 21 November The government launches a 20 million campaign to warn members of the public about the dangers of AIDS.[17] - 18 December It is announced that unemployment fell to a four-year low of less than 3,100,000 in November.[41] - Inflation reaches a 19-year low of 3.4%.[44] - Introduction of Family credit, a tax credit for poorer families.

1987: . The major political event of this year was the re-election of Margaret Thatcher in June, making her the longest continuously serving Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in the early 19th century. - Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) - 1 January Personal Equity Plans permitting tax-free investments in shares are introduced. - 4 January Economists predict that unemployment will fall below 3,000,000 by the end of this year. - 15 January Unemployment is reported to have fallen in December 1986 for the fifth month in succession. - 11 February - British Airways is privatised and listed on the London Stock Exchange.[4] - 14 May Unemployment has fallen to 3,107,128. - 3 June The last MORI poll before the general election shows the Conservatives 11 points ahead of Labour with 43% of the vote, while the Liberal/SDP Alliance's support stands at 24% and their hopes of building on their result at the last election look exceedingly slim.[9] - 11 June The 1987 General Election sees Margaret Thatcher secure her third term in office. However, her majority is reduced to 102 compared to the 144 seat majority gained at the election four years ago.[11] High profile casualties of the election include the Liberal/SDP Alliance's former leader Roy Jenkins (once a Labour Home Secretary) and the Ulster Unionist Party's 75-yearold Enoch Powell, who was a leading Conservative MP for 24 years until 1974. Four ethnic minority candidates are successful: Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant and Keith Vaz. Among the MP's retiring from parliament is 75-year-old James Callaghan, the former prime minister. - 18 June Unemployment has fallen below 3,000,000 for the first time since late 1981 after the biggest monthly fall in unemployment since records began in 1948 seeing more than 100,000 of the unemployed find jobs in May. - 25 June A MORI poll shows support for the Conservative Party stands at almost 50% the highest during Mrs Thatcher's time as leader.[11] - 16 July - Unemployment is reported to be down to just over 2,900,000.

- 9 October Margaret Thatcher tells the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool that she wants to stay in power until at least 1994. - 19 June Labour wins 45 of Britain's 78 European Parliament constituencies in the European elections, with the Conservatives gaining 32 seats -

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