James Callaghan

:A different James Callaghan was MP for Heywood & Middleton.

As Prime Minister

Wilson announced his surprise resignation on March 16, 1976 and unofficially endorsed Callaghan as his successor. His popularity with all parts of the Labour movement saw him through the ballot of Labour MPs. Callaghan was the first Prime Minister to have held all three leading Cabinet positions — Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary — prior to becoming Prime Minister.

Related Topics:
March 16 - 1976

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Callaghan's support for and from the union movement should not be mistaken for a left wing position: unlike Wilson Callaghan had been a supporter of Hugh Gaitskell in the battles over labour's direction in the 1950s and he settled old scores by sacking the Bevanite Barbara Castle when he became party leader.

Related Topics:
Hugh Gaitskell - Bevanite

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Callaghan did, though, continue Wilson's policy of a balanced Cabinet and relied heavily on the man he defeated for the job of party leader — the arch-Bevanite Michael Foot. Foot was made Leader of the House of Commons and given the task of steering through the government's legislative programme. As Labour soon lost its majority in a string of poor by-election results this required all of Callaghan and Foot's blend of emollience and steely determination.

Related Topics:
Michael Foot - Leader of the House of Commons

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His time as Prime Minister was dominated by the troubles in running a Government with a minority in the House of Commons. Callaghan was forced to make deals with minor parties in order to survive, including the Lib-Lab Pact. He had been forced to accept referendums on devolution in Scotland and Wales (the first went in favour but did not reach the required majority, and the second went heavily against). However, by the autumn of 1978 most opinion polls were showing Labour ahead and he was expected to call an election. His decision not to has been described as the biggest mistake of his premiership.

Related Topics:
House of Commons - Lib-Lab Pact - Scotland - Wales - 1978

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Famously he strung along the opposition and was expected to make his declaration of election in a broadcast in early September 1978. His decision to go on was at the time seen by many as a sign of his domination of the political scene and he ridiculed his opponents by impersonating old-time music hall star Marie Lloyd singing Waiting at the Church at that month's TUC Congress: now seen as one of the greatest moments of hubris in modern British politics but celebrated at the time. Callaghan intended to convey the message that he had not promised an election, but most observers misread his message as an assertion that he would call an election, and the Conservatives would not be ready for it.

Related Topics:
September - Music hall - Marie Lloyd - Waiting at the Church - TUC Congress - Hubris

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Callaghan's way of dealing with the long-term economic difficulties involved pay restraint which had been operating for four years with reasonable success. He gambled that a fifth year would further improve the economy and allow him to be re-elected in 1979, and so attempted to hold pay rises to 5% or less. The Trade Unions rejected continued pay restraint and in a succession of strikes over the winter of 1978/79 (known as the Winter of Discontent) secured higher pay. The industrial unrest made his government extremely unpopular, and Callaghan's complacent response to one interview question only made it worse. Returning to the United Kingdom from an economic summit held in Guadeloupe in early 1979, Callaghan was asked:

Related Topics:
1979 - Winter of Discontent - Guadeloupe

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"What is your general approach, in view of the mounting chaos in the country at the moment?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Callaghan replied:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:"Well, that's a judgment that you are making. I promise you that if you look at it from outside, and perhaps you're taking rather a parochial view at the moment, I don't think that other people in the world would share the view that there is mounting chaos."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This reply was reported in The Sun under the headline:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

:Crisis? What Crisis?.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Callaghan was forced to call an election when the House of Commons passed a Motion of No Confidence by one vote on March 28, 1979. The Conservatives, with advertising consultants Saatchi and Saatchi, ran a campaign on the slogan "Labour isn't working." As expected, Margaret Thatcher won the election.

Related Topics:
Motion of No Confidence - March 28 - 1979 - Saatchi and Saatchi - Margaret Thatcher

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~