The Winter of Discontent in British Politics, British Academy, 22 Jan. 2009

The industrial strife that beset the Callaghan government in the winter of 1978/79, ‘the winter of discontent’, was seen at the time as a key factor in Labour’s defeat in the general election of 1979 but continued to resonate in British politics for many years after; indeed its echoes are still plainly with us in press coverage and political rhetoric today. This evening at the British Academy (organised by Drs Pemberton and Black) began with a paper from Professor Colin Hay (Sheffied) entitled 'Chronicles of a Death Foretold: The Winter of Discontent and the Construction of the Crisis of British Keynesianism. A panel discussion of this paper. On the panel, chaired by Peter Riddell (Chief Political Commentator of the Times and Senior Fellow of the Institute for Government) were Lords Baker, Lea and Lipsey). Hay's paper and a transcript of the panel discussion is available on the website of the British Academy