How Yorkshire’s Harold Wilson reinvented politics
But though he courted The Beatles at Downing Street and his Government liberalised the laws on censorship, divorce, abortion and homosexuality, he was at heart a traditionalist, grounded in his Yorkshire roots.
An outstanding student who won a scholarship to his local grammar school and went to Oxford on a county grant, he was considered by his contemporary and biographer, Roy Jenkins, to be the intellectual equal of Peel, Gladstone and Asquith.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdBut Wilson was also a populist, and after 13 years of Conservative rule, he seized what he saw as a national desire to shake Britain out of its deferential past and embrace the swinging Sixties.
Arguably the first politician to court a TV “image” of himself, he wore a signature Gannex mac, manufactured in the West Riding, and did little to discourage the impersonations of him by Mike Yarwood and others. It was new ground – only Peter Cook had tried it before, when Harold Macmillan was still in office.
But Wilson’s modernisation programme was damaged by Britain’s lack of economic clout and the inevitability of having to devalue the pound – for which he paid the price at the 1970 election.
He was back four years later, though, and while his second term saw reforms in education, health and housing, it was also characterised by economic and industrial unrest.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHis sudden resignation in 1976 marked the start of a long decline in his health. He was elevated to the Lords in 1983 but died 12 years later, at 79, suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.
Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.
So, please – if you can – pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.
Thank you
James Mitchinson
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.