The 60's

August 4th 2022 ‘The 60’s decade’ – John Whitfield

John started with the Prime Ministers of the 60’s, the first of which was Harold MacMillan (1957 -1963) who had taken over from Sir Anthony Eden who had suffered following the Suez crisis.  With the good standards of living and people with ’money in their pockets’, his slogan became: “You’ve never had it so good”.  But changing Britain, including his efforts to get us into the European Market, the Cuban Missile Crisis, he suddenly looked ‘out of touch and old fashioned’. Then with Kennedy’s assassination, the Profumo affair and his prostate problems at the Party Conference in Blackpool October 63, he resigned and Sir Alec Douglas Hume took over, but only lasted 9 months when in 1964 he was put up against Harold Wilson, with Labour winning by just 4 seats!.

Although historians do not think much of Harold he survived until 1970, the1966 election won with a majority of 96 seats.  A very intelligent man, 1^st at Oxford, together with his similarly clever Cabinet, they made some good changes, investing in education with a number of new universities, colleges and schools; changing the voting age; the abolition of hanging and the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

But they dis struggle with the economy, with competition in manufacturing from Germany and Japan, complacent management, Trade Unions starting to have impact and high costs of lots of ‘new build’ programmes, with the introduction of Tower Blocks.

On the transport front the railway industry suffered with the change from Steam to Diesel & electric, Dr. Beaching’s plan, which closed 33% of the track system.  But this was really the decade of the motor car and motorways, although it did bring awful accident rates.

He concluded by saying that Society changed radically, it became the age of the young, who were protesting and despite the Beatles and high profile of music, he felt the title of the “Swinging 60’s” was somewhat exaggerated.

A most enjoyable evening for which brought back some significant memories, was well presented and Stuart gave a Vote of thanks congratulating John on a fascinating and wide ranging subject and the members joined him to show their appreciation in the normal manner          .           AR