Prime Minister Harold Wilson (2)” of the National Security Adviser’S Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Prime Minister Harold Wilson (2)” of the National Security Adviser’S Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R The original documents are located in Box 5, folder “United Kingdom - Prime Minister Harold Wilson (2)” of the National Security Adviser’s Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. •. --:.., \ ~.~ t . ~, Depqrt.?J!:ent. of $.ti!.te :·. • :· ~ • • • • • ••• ~ •• •<t' : • • -·.. ~ . .. : . : . :: .. ·. : -.&iBAi't ·. , . ,t' .. \ ·.. · .. • • • 'l .. ·.. ·... ~ . ~ . ! . ..: .. .. •. : .. i :·. j • ~ l • . l • • ; f .! •· .. I i ••• :it- ! . .. :.· . ;- ~=- ,. i ' . ~ . ~ .· : . ·\ . Digitized from Box 5 of the NSA Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library • ~--, '' ; : .• ~·-:···· .r· .·. ,·< .· .. : ---f~ . ~ . ·.. ,·. • • * .... • '\ 3 ' . .. - ' ; : ·.• ', .. :l ~" o..., . ~ . '"• ~ ~ ">- ,. , . • • ._·"":1 . ~·. i · ~c.~;~~_.,.,. ,-; :.; q 1:~~..:;~,;-f ~ . '. I , :'! • i ;~. "-:-(<.:7 ~~ )' • :: 3! s f.:,;---"'·:;; (5 Department of State. '!iS~ (;~!f!H'\f11'!, , .f~ "".:;:;;'7;1r;~ . : '. : . .. .. ' . i t;a...-;~\\9.6rU-~.EBt a I - .-'l 4i&Het ~- ~ ·- ~ ~. ~7:~~~~~~~--~~~----~~-------------------W .~ ~ .. ; ' I -: = :1 . ; .• ~.. I . ~-·tOUR. CCIUNTRIE~ A!-iO OUR KEY TRAO!NG PARTNeRS HAVE RECENTLY f,' I :~~ ~ Eicf-:~c $T~llur-I..INc; Wln1 U~~tMFit.OYMENT, INFI.;ATION, AND ENE~GV =)~j Sl'iOKTAGt:S. THE~E ARt::, ·AS l-Jf· KNOW, NO EASY ANSW~RS To· ANY . I _, i ; . ' . ..... ·~ Or iTHC::SE PR08L:Et-!S, S I NGL. Y -OH IN COMS I NAT ION 1 BUT 1 T 1 S l CL~AR THAT ~E CANNOT AFFO~O.TU .AODRES8 ONE ASPECT OF OUR 1 OI~~ICULTIES WHILE IGNORING· TH~ nTHERS, MOAEOVEP, EACH -.. -J COtlf~TRY ML.IST ACT lO ACHIE\1~ A BALANCE COt~Sl5TENT WITH ITS­ ~i PkiOR1TI~S ANO IT~· PARTICULAA ECMNOHIC CIRCUMSTANCE~ . HH I i.. E Rf. CU G N I ZI N G XT MUS T .A Ci I N A MANNER WH l CH . FURTHERS \_~; .. ... -~J RAfH~R THAN HARMS THE ECOhOMIC WE~L·BEI~G ·OF ~THER . .!_ ... '\ ~~ C0 LiNT R I ES • . ~. · · · ') ·=..!..... :;; -~ ; • -::': -:· : • 1 : •• := ..· .... .,~_ :_ --~ 1 MY i P 0 1.. I C I E s AI M T0 0 E Al. 0 .IRE CT \., '( wl T H ·r HE ECor~ 0 MI C S L 0 W.. · . _) : I i ! li OO~N wE NOW FACE WITHOUT TRIGGERING ·THE MAJOR: INF~4TIONARY .... ·; i ; :::."' ?f(~S SuF\ES WHICH MI Gl-4 T RE.SU.L T .rROH ~~~ OVERLY. EXPANSIONARY .. i . -: POLlCV. A TAX CUT, Al..ONG.'WITH TO·STIMUL.ATE. -::.. ME:ASUR~S . ' i ~- ~ !NVC::STMeNT, St10ULU REINVIGORATE THE u.s. ECONOMY ANO ·~·~ IM~HOVE C~Nf!OENC~. UNOEH PR~SENT CONDITIONS, W~ . ! I I ~~ BE~IEVE IT WILL NOT RESTIMULATE THE INP~ATIQNARV SPIRAL. .-· I' I :;~ WE :ARE AL$0 TAKING MAJOR STEPS TO REOUCE OUR DEPENDENCE , I l ON :IMPORTC:.n O!L. _1t1E ARE OETEf\MINEO TO. REOUCE'·OtL IMPORTS .. ~ l! 1 l PRCMPTLV AND S!G~I~ICANTLY. ANU TO END VU~NERAHtLiTY TO . I J Ecd~OMIC UISPUPTIOH BY FOR~I~N SUPPLIERS BY .198Sa .• i j IM~ECIATE ACTIONS TO CUT EN~AGY IMPORTS ~NO TO INCREASE , ~1 BO~H OUH DOMESTIC SUPPLIES lNU OUR ASILITY TO USE OUR COAL, I ~. '! ~'I GAS, OIL ANO NUCLEAR POWER ARE CLEAHLY NECESSARY AS ARE ~ . J . TO 'AND A NEW ·'I ! \~ ST~OMG MEASU~ES EN~URE ~OEOUAT~ CONSERVAilO~ .. I :I· ~~ EMeRG~NCY ETOHAGE PROGRAM.· THESE STEPS HAK~ .NEW DEMANDS ; i :~ ~ 011 'iHE AMt:RICAN Pt:O?LE .. ·.AT THE ~AME Tit-iE·, 'TH~Y PHOVlOE 1 ~1 TH~ BASIS FOR A STRONGER U.s. ECONOMY IN THE F0TURE, --~-~ THIS, IN TUR~, SHOUt.,O li,\V£ A eeNEFXCIAL IMPACT ·oN THE J ;j IN~E~NAT10NAL ECONOMY • : ·· . ·.- · ~ · .. ·.' -~: .......,......;·! : . • . • I l !" ~1.IN ~ClOSINGr LET M~ EMPHASlZE THE IMPORTANCE .l_"AVE ATTACHED: i I '. I , '~ TO~H~VING HAO THE AENtFlT OF YOUR VIEWS ON ~HESE ISSUES IN ' ·::_ j YUJR Mf::SSAGt. OF OEC:EM8ER ~0. ~iE -ARE. SiRONGLV COMMITTED ...... 01 TO ~O~KI~G WITH YOUR GOVERNMENT AND OTHE~8 tN CONFRONTING ··.- l -::,':i OU~ CUMMON PRO&L.EM5 •. WHil..e: MUCH REMAINS TO BE OO;.!E, WE ·. 0 • __,-i ARL; ENCOUH AGEU BY TE POSIT I VF. 8 TE?S WHX CH HAVE ~EEN TAKEN,·. •: . ·• · I j ' ·~~~~·-"' . - .. ·.· . ..·;;: i l! 4 ' . :: . .· .. .· . : . ' \ .. ·... ..:: <; i .-:._~, • ..,"r.,';.'T TQ ~~PfPPa.O.';J'trr::n W1THnpr IHf.,..AJ±Tt-J:QPIZATIQN OF THE EXECUTIVE_SECRETAR • . •. :--·-, - . ·. ~ ~:.. ·:. ,· ·. .p ~ .• •• • • , i. ·:-__ · : :d.:.· .. ·.... : ·I .·.... .· ".... ": .. •· . .. ...... ='•~ ... ~ RE~ENTt..Y, FOR QIIH MUTUAt..···W·t;.L.~ ..HF.lNG,· tT IS tMPERATt'VE I >~ TH~i l'<f. CCJNTp.:Ut. ilf.VE:L.O?ING. A CQ~·H~OI~ .APPROACH lN OEALIN~ I o •"" ~<:,~ wi1'H t:N~R<.,Y ~~u~1..t.1~~ ANn t~.AT :·.a; CONTINUE TO COORlllr~ATE 1 ~~'-1 ct.o.~El.Y !N caNr~ONTING aLi~ _~caNoH_I_~ Ol~F'Icu_~.;r~E.s •. ·· .. ·. I ..• ! ·-~· .. i ; I . I LOOK FORWA~U TO STAYING I~ C~QS~ iOUCH WITH YOU ON TH~SE .; IMP URT At~ T l SSUES.. ·. ~ A. :·~ . .... ·. •• .. I .·~... .. ~·· . :, .. ; ... KISSINGE-R •• '.t . " :.. !- .• ; .. .: - I ,• ,: . I ... ·• '• ·. I ~ I ·. ' I , : . ' ' . ·• .... •' . • .. •• !I .. ·. ~~. ; I I • . ~ . ' •; &EGRET , ; ..... I .. .. ~. I • -- ll'HE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN .•• •' MEMORANDUM THE WHITE HOUSE 4086 WASHINGTON ADMINISTRATIVELY INFORMATION CONFIDENTIAL June 18, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT FROM: Henry A. Kissinger SUBJECT: Message From Prime Minister Wilson Prime Minister Wilson• s note (at Tab A) thanks you for your congrat­ ulatory message (text at Tab B) on the outcome of Britain's EC referendum. The Prime Minister states his pleasure that the verdict of the British people was so decisive and his conviction that the result is good for Britain, Europe and for the world. He says that a relation­ ship of mutual trust between Europe and the United States is the cornerstone of Britain's foreign policy and states that as a member of the Community Britain looks forward to close, continuing cooperation. He concludes that he shares your conviction that such cooperation will contribute to world peace and prosperity. The Prime Minister• s reply message is forwarded for your information. ADMINISTRATIVELY CONFIDENTIAL • '. FROM: BRITISH EMBASSY THE HON. WASHINGTON, D. C. 20008 SIR PETER RAMSBOTHAM KCMG TELEPHONE: (202) 462-1340 The President 12 June 1975 The White House I have the honour to forward a message from the British Prime Minister, Mr Harold Wilson, in reply to your message to him on the result of the British referend~• on the European Economic Community. H M Ambassador ' \> •; • ~- ~- ~--·:::- -~~- -~ Thank you very much for .your message on the outcome of the referendum and for your congratulations. It is a great satisfaction that the British people should have given so decisive a verdict. I am convinced that this result is good for Britain, for Europe and for the world as a whole. As Prime Minister I have, as you know, always seen a relationship of mutual trust between Europe and the United States as the corner-stone of our foreign policy. We look forward as members of the Community to a close and continuing co-operation. In the face of many difficult:_prcoblems ahead, I share your conviction that such co-operation will contribute to world peace and prosperity. -· • 10 DOWNING STREET THE PRIME MINISTER 12 June 1975 Thank you very much for your message on the outcome of the Referendum and for your congratulations. It is a great satisfaction that the British people should have given so decisive a verdict. I am convinced that this result is good for Britain, for Europe and for the world as a whole. As Prime Minister I have, as you know, always seen a relationship of mutual trust between Europe and the United States as the corner-stone of our foreign policy. We look forward as members of the Community to a close and continuing co-operation. In the face of the many difficult problems ahead, I share your conviction that such co-operation will contribute to world peace and prosperity. The President of the United States of America • - ~r u! ~L<./ I /_ I) ~ ~,;#Cll~·t THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON 86 6/23/75 TO: DR. KISSINGER /J~ Robert D. Linder • To PM Wilson fl"om Prealdflllt Ford At thia hiatoric moment., I want to congl"atulate you ud the people of Great Britain on the outcome of the EC referendum•. It refiecta recognition otincreaalq interdependence. It reinforce• the prospect o£ 1rowlng European cooperation and harmony. And lt demonatratea the aame perception of commo11 deatiny which haa Cl"eated a wider community of Atlantic and i.nduatrlalized natlona. The United States looka forward to continued and growing . ' .• cooperatlOA with Great Britaln. •• part of a vital. unified Europe. · By baildlng on the accomplishments of the past and by working together to resolve the dlfficult problema ahead. the industrialized dem~ncies can further their O'WI1 well-being and cuntrlbute algllificutly to sreater global harmony and prosperity• • . MEMORANDUM NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL 4086 ADMINISTRA TIV ELY ACTION CONFIDENTIAL June 16, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARY KISSIN FROM: A. Denis Clift Robert Hormats SUBJECT: Message to the President From Prime Minister Wilson Sir Peter Ramsbotham has forwarded a message (at Tab A) from Prime Minister Wilson thanking the President for his congratulatory message (at Tab B) on the outcome of Britain's EC referendum. The memorandum for your signature to the President at Tab I would forward the Prime Minister's message together with a brief summary.
Recommended publications
  • 'The Left's Views on Israel: from the Establishment of the Jewish State To
    ‘The Left’s Views on Israel: From the establishment of the Jewish state to the intifada’ Thesis submitted by June Edmunds for PhD examination at the London School of Economics and Political Science 1 UMI Number: U615796 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615796 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F 7377 POLITI 58^S8i ABSTRACT The British left has confronted a dilemma in forming its attitude towards Israel in the postwar period. The establishment of the Jewish state seemed to force people on the left to choose between competing nationalisms - Israeli, Arab and later, Palestinian. Over time, a number of key developments sharpened the dilemma. My central focus is the evolution of thinking about Israel and the Middle East in the British Labour Party. I examine four critical periods: the creation of Israel in 1948; the Suez war in 1956; the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and the 1980s, covering mainly the Israeli invasion of Lebanon but also the intifada. In each case, entrenched attitudes were called into question and longer-term shifts were triggered in the aftermath.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Fall of the Labour League of Youth
    University of Huddersfield Repository Webb, Michelle The rise and fall of the Labour league of youth Original Citation Webb, Michelle (2007) The rise and fall of the Labour league of youth. Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/761/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ THE RISE AND FALL OF THE LABOUR LEAGUE OF YOUTH Michelle Webb A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Huddersfield July 2007 The Rise and Fall of the Labour League of Youth Abstract This thesis charts the rise and fall of the Labour Party’s first and most enduring youth organisation, the Labour League of Youth.
    [Show full text]
  • Survey Report
    YouGov Survey Results Sample Size: 1096 Labour Party Members Fieldwork: 27th February - 3rd March 2017 EU Ref Vote 2015 Vote Age Gender Social Grade Region Membership Length 2016 Leadership Vote Not Rest of Midlands / Pre Corbyn After Corbyn Jeremy Owen Don't Know / Total Remain Leave Lab 18-39 40-59 60+ Male Female ABC1 C2DE London North Scotland Lab South Wales leader leader Corbyn Smith Did Not Vote Weighted Sample 1096 961 101 859 237 414 393 288 626 470 743 353 238 322 184 294 55 429 667 610 377 110 Unweighted Sample 1096 976 96 896 200 351 434 311 524 572 826 270 157 330 217 326 63 621 475 652 329 115 % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Which of the following issues, if any, do you think Labour should prioritise in the future? Please tick up to three. Health 66 67 59 67 60 63 65 71 61 71 68 60 58 67 74 66 66 64 67 70 57 68 Housing 43 42 48 43 43 41 41 49 43 43 41 49 56 45 40 35 22 46 41 46 40 37 Britain leaving the EU 43 44 37 45 39 45 44 41 44 43 47 36 48 39 43 47 37 46 42 35 55 50 The economy 37 37 29 38 31 36 36 37 44 27 39 32 35 40 35 34 40 46 30 29 48 40 Education 25 26 15 26 23 28 26 22 25 26 26 24 22 25 29 23 35 26 25 26 23 28 Welfare benefits 20 19 28 19 25 15 23 23 14 28 16 28 16 21 17 21 31 16 23 23 14 20 The environment 16 17 4 15 21 20 14 13 14 19 15 18 16 21 14 13 18 8 21 20 10 19 Immigration & Asylum 10 8 32 11 10 12 10 9 12 8 10 11 12 6 9 15 6 10 10 8 12 16 Tax 10 10 11 10 8 8 12 8 11 8 8 13 9 11 10 9 8 8 11 13 6 2 Pensions 4 3 7 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 3 6 5 2 6 3 6 2 5 5 3 1 Family life & childcare 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 5 3 4 1 4 3 5 2 4 3 4 4 3 Transport 3 3 3 3 4 5 2 2 4 1 3 2 3 5 2 2 1 4 3 4 3 0 Crime 2 2 6 2 2 4 2 1 3 2 2 2 1 3 1 3 4 2 2 2 3 1 None of these 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Don’t know 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 Now thinking about what Labour promise about Brexit going into the next general election, do you think Labour should..
    [Show full text]
  • A Tribute to Harold Wilson Harold Wilson, 29 Years in Parliament
    A Tribute to Harold Wilson Harold Wilson, 29 years in Parliament, thirteen years as Leader of the articulate ,quarrelsome and aspirational Labour Party, eight years as Prime Minister,during which he estimated that he had answered 12000 Parliamentary questions and had spoken to well over a hundred public meetings a year, was by any measure a remarkable phenomenon. He had learned at an early age the ways of government, not least as a Cabinet Minister at the age of 31 in Clement Attlee’s radical post war government. He had demonstrated his remarkable skill as an economist and a statistician at the Bond of Trade. Elected as Prime Minister with a hair breadth majority in 1964, within two years he had transformed that into a solid majority. But Harold Wilson was not just a gifted politician. Born in Huddersfield of hardworking, nonconformist parents whose background was rooted in the hills and moors of Rievaulx in North Yorkshire, he imbibed from his childhood a commitment to social justice. His proudest boast about his own administration was that the British people enjoyed ‘a higher level of social justice and equality than our people have ever known’. Partly that was due to what he memorably characterised, in a speech in the New Town of Stevenage in my then constituency of North Herts, as ‘the white heat of technology’. But not only that. He believed in ideals that, in our current era of gated communities and yawning gulfs between rich and poor, have become unfashionable – the common good, shared sacrifice, solidarity. Ministers were told to travel economy class and to share cars unless they were working on sensitive or secret material .
    [Show full text]
  • Prime Minister Harold Wilson (3)” of the National Security Adviser’S Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R
    The original documents are located in Box 5, folder “United Kingdom - Prime Minister Harold Wilson (3)” of the National Security Adviser’s Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 5 of the NSA Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Department of State TELEGRAM e€8PWXDfflTlAL.- 5078 PAGf 01 STATE 016394 TOSEC 010129 45 ORIGIN 85•25 IN'O OCT•01 IS0•00 SS0•00 NSCE•00 CC0•00 /026 R DRAFTED BY EUR/Wf:MLDURKEEIMJK APPROVED BY EUR/WE • MRv BARBOUR 8/S • MR. ORTIZ EUR • MR!i ETNG NSC • TEXT RCVO FROM WHITE HOUSE UJ5515 0 2219032 JAN 76 ZFF5 FM SECSTATE WASHOC TO AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE INFO AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE USOEL SECRETARY IMMEDIATE G 0 N F-4 B E N T I A I: STATE 016394 TOSEC 010129 EXOIS I f.,O, 11652: GOS TAGS: INFO, SP, U~ SUBJECT I PRESIDENTIAL ' LETTER TO PRIME MINlSTf!R WILSON ~ PLEASE CONVEY THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT FORD TO PRIME MINISTER WILSON IN RESPONSE TO THE PRIME MINISTERVS LETTER OF DECEMBER 22.
    [Show full text]
  • Viewer Who May Quote Passages in a Review
    1 CAN LABOUR WIN? About Policy Network Policy Network is an international thinktank and research institute. Its network spans national borders across Europe and the wider world with the aim of promot- ing the best progressive thinking on the major social and economic challenges of the 21st century. Our work is driven by a network of politicians, policymakers, business leaders, public service professionals, and academic researchers who work on long-term issues relating to public policy, political economy, social attitudes, governance and international affairs. This is complemented by the expertise and research excellence of Policy Network’s international team. A platform for research and ideas • Promoting expert ideas and political analysis on the key economic, social and political challenges of our age. • Disseminating research excellence and relevant knowledge to a wider public audience through interactive policy networks, including interdisciplinary and scholarly collaboration. • Engaging and informing the public debate about the future of European and global progressive politics. A network of leaders, policymakers and thinkers • Building international policy communities comprising individuals and affiliate institutions. • Providing meeting platforms where the politically active, and potential leaders of the future, can engage with each other across national borders and with the best thinkers who are sympathetic to their broad aims. • Engaging in external collaboration with partners including higher education institutions, the private sector, thinktanks, charities, community organisations, and trade unions. • Delivering an innovative events programme combining in-house seminars with large-scale public conferences designed to influence and contribute to key public debates. www.policy-network.net CAN LABOUR WIN? The Hard Road to Power Patrick Diamond and Giles Radice with Penny Bochum London • New York Published by Rowman & Littlefield International Ltd.
    [Show full text]
  • Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York
    promoting access to White Rose research papers Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ This is an author produced version of a paper published in Political Quarterly White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/78536 Paper: Theakston, K and Gill, M (2011) The Postwar Premiership League. Political Quarterly, 82 (1). 67 - 80. ISSN 0032-3179 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-923X.2011.02170.x White Rose Research Online [email protected] The Post-war Premiership League Kevin Theakston and Mark Gill Who has been the best British prime minister since the Second World War? As David Cameron passes up and down the Grand Staircase in Number 10 Downing Street every day, the portraits of his predecessors as prime minister stare down at him. They are arranged in chronological order, with the most recent at the top of the stairs. If they were to be arranged in order of greatness, success or effectiveness in office, or policy achievement and legacy, the sequence would look very different. We report here the results from the latest survey of academic experts polled on the performance of post-1945 prime ministers. Academic specialists in British politics and history rate Clement Attlee as the best post-war prime minister, with Margaret Thatcher in second place just ahead of Tony Blair in third place. Gordon Brown’s stint in Number 10 was the third- worst since the Second World War, according to the respondents to the survey that rated his premiership as less successful than that of John Major.
    [Show full text]
  • Tactical Voting and How the Left Should Deal with the Governing Coalition
    NEW POLITICS Tactical voting and how the left should deal with the governing coalition Neal Lawson and Joe Cox NEW POLITICS Tactical voting and how the left should deal with the governing coalition Neal Lawson and Joe Cox 3 Introduction to compromise with anyone outside Labour’s ranks who are viewed with varying degrees of In the run up to the 2010 general election consid- suspicion. Socialism, to the tribalist, is largely erable polling showed support moving away from seen as what a Labour government does. If it is the Labour Party in favour of the Conservatives not said or done by Labour, then it is unlikely and the Liberal Democrats. to be viewed as progressive. Pluralists on the With Election Day fast-approaching, on 23 other hand see power as more diffuse; there are April the Compass Management Committee many competing centres of power that have to balloted all members on whether to support a be recognised, respected and dealt with through policy of tactical voting in order to help deprive dialogue, cooperation and competition. For the the Conservative Party of a majority government pluralist, engagement with others is felt to be a in the general election. With the biggest return positive process through which we learn, adapt Compass has had in an internal ballot, 72% (467) and build coalitions. Pluralism and tribalism of members backed the call for tactical voting are thus very different ways of trying to make with only 14% (93) against.1 change happen. We know that some in the Labour Party opposed and continue to be critical of this move, but it is important not for the past but for the “Compass is continually trying to develop and future that the issue is fully aired and discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Speech by Harold Wilson on Britain's Membership to the EEC (17 July 1971)
    Speech by Harold Wilson on Britain's membership to the EEC (17 July 1971) Source: Labour and the Common Market, Report of a special conference of the Labour Party, Central Hall, Westminster, 17 July 1971. London: Labour Party, 1971. 50 p. p. 42-49. Copyright: (c) Labour Party URL: http://www.cvce.eu/obj/speech_by_harold_wilson_on_britain_s_membership_to_the_eec_17_july_1971-en- c610eb85-fcb9-487b-8704-179006a9442f.html Publication date: 13/09/2013 1 / 10 13/09/2013 Speech by Harold Wilson on Britain's membership to the EEC (17 July 1971) Rt. Hon. Harold Wilson, M.P. (National Executive Committee): […] Our timetable today, our Conference today, is related to the procedure we shall follow from now on. On the 28 July, the National Executive Committee will take the decision whether to support or reject the Conservative Government's proposal that Britain should join the European Economic Communities on the terms which Conservative Ministers have brought back from their negotiations. […] In view of some of the references made today by a number of delegates, I feel it is right I should begin by reminding Conference of the policy we have followed as a Party over these past years. And if I have a number of quotations, I apologise. But I think I owe this to the Conference in view of the quotations by one or two in this hall—and far more outside—which are sometimes taken out of context, and which have given the wrong impression. Our 1966 Manifesto said, "Labour believes that Britain in consultation with her E.F.T.A. partners, should be ready to enter the European Community provided essential British and Commonwealth interests are safeguarded." On this basis in May, 1967, the Labour Cabinet decided to apply for entry.
    [Show full text]
  • Britain's Labour Party and the EEC Decision
    W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1990 Britain's Labour Party and the EEC Decision Marcia Marie Lewandowski College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Eastern European Studies Commons, International Relations Commons, and the Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Lewandowski, Marcia Marie, "Britain's Labour Party and the EEC Decision" (1990). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625615. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-4w70-3c60 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BRITAIN'S LABOUR PARTY AND THE EEC DECISION A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Government The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Marcia Lewandowski 1990 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Marcia Marie Lewandowski Approved, May 1990 Alan J. Ward Donald J. B Clayton M. Clemens TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. .............. iv ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Book Review: Harold Wilson: the Unprincipled Prime Minister? Reappraising Harold Wilson Edited by Andrew S
    Book Review: Harold Wilson: The Unprincipled Prime Minister? Reappraising Harold Wilson edited by Andrew S. Crines and Kevin Hickson blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2016/07/25/book-review-harold-wilson-the-unprincipled-prime-minister-reappraising-harold-wilson-edited-by-andrew-s-crines-and-kevin-hickson/ 2016 marks the centenary of Harold Wilson’s birth, the fiftieth anniversary of his most emphatic election victory and forty years since his resignation as British Prime Minister. In this new volume, Harold Wilson: The Unprincipled Prime Minister? Reappraising Harold Wilson, editors Andrew S. Crines and Kevin Hickson bring together contributors to reflect on Wilson’s legacy within twentieth-century politics. This book offers a robust counter- narrative to existing appraisals of Wilson’s governments and his influence on British politics, writes Gordon Bannerman. Harold Wilson: The Unprincipled Prime Minister? Reappraising Harold Wilson. Andrew S. Crines and Kevin Hickson (eds). Biteback Publishing. 2016. Find this book: Harold Wilson won more General Elections than any other British party leader in the twentieth century and served four times as Prime Minister, albeit less than full terms and often with fragile majorities. Wilson served in the great reforming Clement Attlee governments of 1945-51. After succeeding to the Labour leadership in 1963, his Premierships of 1964-70 and 1974-76 were blighted by economic difficulties and marked by Britain’s readjustment to a changing world. By any measure, Wilson was a towering figure in British political life, and his unexpected resignation in 1976 now seems like the end of an era. Wilson’s place in Labour’s history has long been controversial and, by the time of his death in 1995, his influence had been considerably diminished.
    [Show full text]
  • Harold Wilson, Lyndon B Johnson and Anglo-American Relations 'At the Summit', 1964-68 Colman, Jonathan
    www.ssoar.info A 'special relationship'? Harold Wilson, Lyndon B Johnson and Anglo-American relations 'at the summit', 1964-68 Colman, Jonathan Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Monographie / monograph Zur Verfügung gestellt in Kooperation mit / provided in cooperation with: OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks) Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Colman, J. (2004). A 'special relationship'? Harold Wilson, Lyndon B Johnson and Anglo-American relations 'at the summit', 1964-68.. Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-271135 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-NC-ND Lizenz This document is made available under a CC BY-NC-ND Licence (Namensnennung-Nicht-kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung) zur (Attribution-Non Comercial-NoDerivatives). For more Information Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden see: Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de A ‘special relationship’? prelims.p65 1 08/06/2004, 14:37 To Karin prelims.p65 2 08/06/2004, 14:37 A ‘special relationship’? Harold Wilson, Lyndon B. Johnson and Anglo- American relations ‘at the summit’, 1964–68 Jonathan Colman Manchester University Press Manchester and New York distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave prelims.p65 3 08/06/2004, 14:37 Copyright © Jonathan Colman 2004 The right of Jonathan Colman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
    [Show full text]