DIARY OF THE YEAR
At January's Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, Kaunda, Nyrere and Obote failed to tie Mr Heath's hands on South African arms sales, while Obote found himself ousted from power on returning to Uganda. Labour MPs brought the Commons to a standstill protesting at the Government guillotine on the Industrial Relations Bill, the Angry Brigade bombed Robert Carr's home and the Post Office went on strike. Our man in Uruguay, Geoffrey Jackson, was kidnapped by the Tupamaros, Lord Robens resigned from the Coal Board and Lord Rothermere from Associated Newspapers, Rudi Dutschke was expelled and Selwyn Lloyd elected Speaker.
February got under way with the Apollo 14 crew landing, walking and playing golf on the moon. Vic Feather led opposition to the Industrial Relations Bill and Enoch Powell to the Common Market. The Vietcong strengthened their operation in Laos, the IRA in Northern Ireland and the strikers in Britain. Rolls-Royce went into voluntary liquidation and Lockheeds appeared destined for a similar fate. Britain stripped Commonwealth citizens of their automatic ' right of entry,' went decimal and won the Ashes.
March saw over two million strike against the Industrial Relations Bill, workers stayed out of Fords and came back to the Post Office. Denied her electoral rights, East Pakistan declared UDI and a bloodbath followed the imposition of martial law and arrest of Sheikh Mujib. Stormont exchanged Major Chichester-Clark for Mr Brian Faulkner and murdered British soldiers ceased to make headline news. Mrs Ghandi gained a (landslide) electoral victory, Lieutenant Calley a life sentence and Pierre Trudeau a wife.
Egypt, Syria and Libya formed a federation during April, while Bangladesh lost its fight for independence and its refugees poured into India. President Nixon released Lieutenant Calley, guaranteed loans for Lockheed and gave his blessing to ping pong with the Chinese. British Steel clashed with the Government over price increases and threatened 10,000 redundancies, the railwaymen came out, and Fords went back. Heath talked to Brandt and Wilson to Nixon, while Stravinsky and Duvalier of Haiti died. Bill Ryland took over the Post Office and Peter Hain the Young Liberals. Tempers frayed over the delvings of the census, the cavortings of a Birmingham teacher in a sex-education film and the banning of hot-pants from Royal Ascot.
EEC bonhomie reached new heights in May
with Herr Brandt dining in London and Mr Heath all but clinching the deal in Paris. One hundred Labour MPs advertised their marketworthiness in The Times while their leader stayed on the fence and consoled himself with a return to power in the borough elections. President Sadat of Egypt arrested his Vice President for plotting his overthrow, Mr Rogers went on a Middle East peace mission and Israel's Consul General was found murdered in Ankara. Heavy death tolls were reported in a Turkish earthquake, a Yugoslav air tragedy and a German train crash. The Queen's pay was to be reviewed by a Select Committee, and pornography by Lord Longford. Herr Ulbricht resigned, Etna erupted and Mick Jagger married.
Flood, famine and cholera were rampant in Bengal throughout June — the international aid programme getting under way too late to prevent India favouring war as the only
solution to the refugee problem. The month ended on Geoffrey Rippon's " final" agreement with the 'Six' — but New Zealand farmers expressed disappointment over butter, British MPs over the rundown of sterling and the Keep Britain Out Campaign planned a referendum. The unhappy UCS consortium demanded £5 million in rescue money, were given a liquidator and prepared to fight. The New York Times was in hot water over publication of confidential Vietnam documents and the BBC over a programme depicting Mr Wilson in an unfavourable light. Prince Philip was fifty, Tricia Nixon was married and Godfrey Winn, Lord Reith and Russia's three Soyuz cosmonauts died.
Common Market positions were clarified during July: the Government published and publicised its White Paper and the Opposition its disarray as Wilson joined forces with the TUC to defeat the Jenkinsites. Hopes of Arab unity floundered over the continued fighting between the Jordanian Army and Palestinian guerrillas, while bloody reprisals followed a military coup in Sudan. Men of the month were President Nixon for announcing a visit to China and Harold Wilson for publishing his memoirs (and bank statements). A great furore greeted news of closures on the Clyde.
On August 9 interment returned to Ulster bringing an increased wave of violence and death, a deterioration of relations between London and Dublin and, all too soon, an inquiry into the alleged ill-treatment of internees. President Nixon dropped a bombshell on the world monetary scene with his protective measures for the dollar and Japan reluctantly floated the yen. Superintendent Richardson was murdered and George Jackson killed, the President of Bolivia was overthrown and the Oz editors jailed. UCS announced debts of £28 million, BAC and BOAC hefty redundancies; and not surprisingly, unemployment figures neared 900,000. Lockheed got their loan and Malta looked like getting hers; India and Russia signed a defence treaty.
A bloody September in Ulster, but Heath, Faulkner and Lynch finally met at Chequers, Westminster held an emergency debate and the IRA leader Joe Cahill was deported from America. The Government produced a new pension scheme and expelled 105 Russian spies, by-elections continued to swing towards Labour and Fleet Street was locked-out. Lord Goodman met Ian Smith, Emporor Hirohito met Richard Nixon, Wilson flew to Moscow, Sir Alec Cairo and Dom Mintoff to London. Geoffrey Jackson was released, Lady Fleming imprisoned, Denise Weller found and Lord Snowdon fined. Richard Marsh took over British Rail, and Dr Malik East Pakistan, but Kruschev died.
October saw China voted into the UN and Parliament voting for Britain to go into the EEC. The latter decision — courtesy of the Jenkinsites — followed party conferences, a Labour split, a Government free vote and an Opposition three line whip. The army cratered roads on the Eire border and made large arms hauls. Civilian deaths soared and Edward Kennedy interfered. Rolls was liquidated, UCS deadlocked and the Post Office tower bombed. Strikes closed the American docks and the Parisian metro. President Thieu was re-elected, Mao Tse Tung re-appeared and a number of Britons in Moscow were repatriated. Mrs Ghandi called up reserves and flew West, Picasso and Wodehouse were ninety, and Dean Acheson died.
Ulster monopolised November's headlines: Compton reported, monastries were searched and girls tarred and feathered. Harold Wilson proposed a United Ireland within the Commonwealth and the BBC were accused of bias. Sir Alec flew to Rhodesia and won a settlement, Pakistan lost American aid and would soon lose a war. Students protested at reform of their unions, environmentalists at the Amchitka test and Women's Lib at Miss World. The PM of Jordan was assassinated, the Dean of Johannesburg jailed and the Oz
editors freed. Mariner 9 orbited round Mars.
The Indo/Pakistan war began and ended in December. The latter surrendered, Yahya Khan resigned, Bangla Desh was set up, but the refugees seemed reluctant to return. Mr Heath secretly visited the army in Ulster, while Mr Lynch finally got tough with the terrorists in Eire. Shopkeepers in Britain had their best Christmas for years and those in Belfast their worst. President Nixon devalued the dollar and settled the currency crisis, resumed bombing of North Vietnam and in turn courted Pompidou, Heath and Brandt. The Queen got a £1 million pay rise and MPs 38 per cent,
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