Labour and Ireland in the 1970s

The rise in militancy in the early 70's was such that Labour -now in opposition- had to respond to the mood and turn left. Even Denis Healey would tell the 1973 Conference that his tax policies, once Labour was back in power, would "bring howls of anguish from the rich." And Wilson told the same gathering of plans for a National Enterprise Board (NEB) -extending public ownership- and for planning agreements between private industry and government. The 1974 Manifesto itself talked of a "fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power and wealth in favour of working people and their families." Michael Foot would even enthuse that it was the "finest socialist programme I have seen in my lifetime." But Wilson had in fact vetoed proposals to nationalise 20-25 major companies and excluded it from the Manifesto. He and a majority of the Cabinet neutered an Industry Bill and a White Paper radically cut the actual role of the NEB. It was to be a weak, ill-funded repository for lost causes and any planning agreements were to be voluntary (Marr 2007). What's more, after the October 1974 General Election (when Labour was re-elected with a small majority) and the 1975 Common Market Referendum (when the right campaigned with the Liberals and Tories) Wilson sought to gradually marginalise and humiliate the Left. It culminated in the demotion -following City pressure- of Tony Benn from Industry Minister to Energy Minister in June 1975. By this time Healey had embarked on a programme of public expenditure cuts and Tony Crosland -who had once said that spending would reform capitalism- was telling local authorities that "the party's over."

George Orwell was born (as Eric Blair) in Motihari, India on June 25. 1903. His parents, members of the Indian Civil Service, returned to England when he was very young. Orwell was then "viciously and successfully crammed for Eton at a Prep School" in Eastbourne (Crick 1982). When he got to Eton itself though he rested his oards" and took a "teach me if you can" attitude. Lack of the requisite exam passes and his parent's lack of money meant that a University place was beyond his reach. He joined the Burma Imperial Police instead in 1922. He remained with them until 1928, He then endured several years eking out a meagre existence trying to make it as a writer. Ironically though his time living a hand to mouth existence in Paris and his experiences tramping English lands and streets inspired his first successful work DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON which was published by Victor Gollancz in 1933. Several novels then saw the light of day. There was his anti-imperialist offering BURMESE DAYS (1934). It was followed by A CLERGYMAN's DAUGHTER (1935) and KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING (1935) and COMING UP FOR AIR (1939). He still had a flair for non-fiction. In 1937 Gollancz asked Orwell to go north and write about the unemployed. He memorably stayed in digs above a local tripe shop and penned THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER (1937). He also went to Spain in 1936 and fought with the independent Marxist militia POUM. His HOMAGE TO CATALONIA (1938) articulated his distaste for Stalinism and is conviction that Communists had suppressed genuine revolution. When the war came Orwell tried to enlist but his "lungs let him down." Orwell thought that the War Office discriminated against those who fought in Spain. He got a job at the BBC and then he was literary editor for TRIBUNE. First published in 1941 was a memorable tract, THE LION AND THE UNICORN -subtitled "Socialism and the English Genius." In it he made the case for a left patriotism. He loved England but it was like a "family with the wrong members in control." It was "class ridden" and "ruled largely by the old and silly." After the war,, in the emerging Cold War, his anti-Stalinism became more entrenched and was most manifest in ANIMAL FARM (1945). His final novel, 1984 -published in 1949- expressed fears of an intrusively bureaucratised state in the future.