The Labour Government, 1974-79 [electronic resource] : Political Aims and Economic Reality

My thanks are also due to the many Labour cabinet ministers, junior ministers, MPs, trade-union leaders and civil servants, who gave their time to be interviewed in the course of writing this book. Special thanks are also due to Gillian Peele for her constant encouragement and wise advice, and to Sam Brittan who shared with me his economic knowledge and expertise. My secretarial assistants, ably orchestrated by Alison Clarke, also deserve praise and thanks. I am also grateful to Mr T. M. Farmiloe of Macmillan for the speed, efficiency and courtesy with which he handled the typescript. Needless to say, any faults or errors in the following pages are my responsibility alone. Front Matter....Pages i-vii The Short Parliament....Pages 1-18 The Fall of the Social Contract....Pages 19-34 Labour’s Industrial Strategy....Pages 35-64 Wilson’s Last Months....Pages 65-78 The IMF Crisis....Pages 79-102 Callaghan’s New Dawn?....Pages 103-116 The Missed Opportunity....Pages 117-134 The Winter of Discontent....Pages 135-153 The 1979 General Election....Pages 154-165 Concluding Thoughts....Pages 166-187 Back Matter....Pages 188-206 Annotation ' ... in this clear and informed history of the 1974-79 government, Holmes shows how Labour's aspirations constantly encountered the practical limits of economic management.' Times Higher Education Supplement ' ... lucid and well-documented account.' British Book News ' ... Dr Holmes is perceptive and fair in his assessment of the leading personalities.' Samuel Brittan, Financial Times Martin Holmes. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 199-200.