Mass Strikes and the Winter of Discontent Led to Misery

Media: Daily Mail {Main} Edition: Date: Tuesday 15, October 2019 Page: 22

Why the worst year was

Mass strikes and the Winter of Discontent led to misery

By Colin Fernandez to assess overall mood. Australia, Disraeli was elected Science Correspondent Study author Professor Daniel prime minister for the second Sgroi of Warwick University, time and the first frozen lamb ITIT broughtbrought aa winterwinter of strikes said: ‘After the end of rationing was imported from Australia. in the 1950s national happiness The researchers arrived at and discontent, so perhaps it’s was very high as were expecta- their conclusions by assigning a no wonder that 1978 has been tions. But things did not pan rating to thousands of common deemed the gloomiest year in out as people might have hoped - words on a scale from highly two centuries. and national happiness fell for . positive to highly negative. many years until the low-point - They then analysed texts in the And yet, it wasn’t all bad. The of the Winter of Discontent.’ Google Books corpus – more nation was not at war and nor was The national mood was lower it in the grip of cholera or any other than eight million books. it in the grip of cholera or any ot than in the First and Second epidemic. The average house World Wars, though it did begin The research, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, cost just £17,000 and beer to improve after the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979. Co- assessed positive and negative was less than 30p a pint. language in the UK, US, Italy and The year earned its dubious author Professor Thomas Hills Germany from 1820 to 2009. Pro- accolade after millions of books added: ‘The UK seems happiest and articles were analysed. around 1880. People that were fessor Hills added: ‘Our national The same study has pronounced writing then would have proba- happiness is like an adjustable spanner that we open and close 1880 – when the British Empire bly been rich and educated, and to calibrate our experiences was at its peak – as the high point life might have been like a bas- . of happiness, despite the fact ket of cherries for those people. against our recent past, with little lasting memory for the triumphs that millions were living and ‘It’s the age of empire for Brit- working in squalor. The report ain, it’s very proud of itself.’ and tragedies of our age.’ measured the emotional content The research was carried out The year 1880 saw the first test of texts over the years since 1820 match between England and at Warwick, University of Glas- to assess overall mood. ,

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Article Page 1 of 2 A23794 - 1 Media: Daily Mail {Main} Edition: Date: Tuesday 15, October 2019 Page: 22

, at Warwick, University of Glas- gow Adam Smith Business School and The Alan Turing -y otherInstitute in London. se er

s s Age of strife... and Blondie ÷The Winter of Cup. Ipswich Town beat d re Discontent in 1978 and Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup. t 1979 was the biggest ÷Grease was top of the ct stoppage of labour since d movie box office. A song rt the 1926 General Strike. from it, You’re the One nt ÷The strikes led to bin That I Want, spent nine 20 bags piled up in Leicester weeks at number one. el Square and bodies going ÷Blondie released the y, unburied in Liverpool. g album Parallel Lines. ss ÷England failed to ÷The average salary a- qualify for the 1978 World was £3,269. Blondie’s third album n d or

s r Bags of trouble: Rubbish lies in Leicester Square after wave of strikes at end of 1978

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