Customer Reviews

White Heat: A History of Britain in the Swinging Sixties

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Names after the speech by Harold Wilson which was ghost-written by his personal aide and not seen by him until the night before it was delivered, this book chats the history of the 1960s. The author hadn't been born then but he recounts the decade much as I remember it.

Contrary to the popular myth that Labour messes up the economy so the Tories have to put it right, Wilson inherited a dreadful mess from the Tories and was unable to carry out his planned socialist reforms because there was no money left and he had to devalue the pound.

The machinations within the Labour Party are well presented, though I wonder why we heard nothing of the infamous Lord Driberg.

This was an era when housewives were liberated by modern gadgets, the pill and legal abortion (helped by the liberal voice of the Church of England in the House of Lords); when gay men were released from the threat of blackmail as homosexuality was partially decriminalised. (also thanks to the bishops of the Church of England, particularly Archbishop Michael Ramsey, who is not given his right place in this book.)

It was the time of Carnaby Street, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Supposedly, it was the time of free love and promiscuity, though it didn't seem like that until the Seventies for most people, me included.

It was the time of Enoch Powell's `rivers of blood' speech and the author rightly points out that he was quoting Virgil but knew the impact those words would have on traditional labour voters who were now `backing Enoch'.

I loved this book every bit as much as his previous volume on the MacMillan era. It is self-indulgent in that it goes into too much detail: The World Cup Final reads like a radio commentary on the match itself - every kick recorded.

It bought a lump to my throat as I recalled this era that I had lived through. An ominous quotation at the end from one Margaret Thatcher: `There will never be a woman prime minister in my lifetime. I can't wait for the next volume, which I expect to receive as a Christmas present!