Edward Heath died yesterday aged 89 and I am a little sadder as a result. Something died with him; the old school of politics. I was not a political supporter of Heath – and, as I was under voting age during his premiership, it is a moot point anyway.
I recall the build up to the 1970 election as if it was yesterday. Harold Wilson, the sitting Labour PM was confidently expected to win. It was a warm summer as I recall and low voter turnout favoured the Tories. Heath won with an overall majority of 31 seats. The following years were difficult. The miners strike in 1972 led to a three-day working week and power cuts. I recall those evenings by candlelight with some fondness. As children, we thought it all great fun. As an adult, I would have been rather less amused. Certainly my parents found it a difficult time. As Labour voters, they were not impressed with Heath’s management of the affair. However, the subsequent Labour Prime Minister, James Callaghan, who followed Harold Wilson after his retirement in 1976, found matters no less easy to deal with. It was during his premiership that we endured the winter of discontent in 1979. The election in early 1979 gave us the Thatcher revolution. The era of people like Edward Heath came to an end that year. Politics has always seemed so much more bitter in the last 25 years – so much more polarised. Indeed, it comes to something that in the third term of a Labour administration, Edward Heath, a former Conservative Prime Minister is described by Anthony Wedgewood Benn as
‘…being politically “to the left of Tony Blair”…’
Of course, it is entirely possible that the years have dimmed my memories and that politics was always this nasty.
Whatever, may Edward Heath rest in peace.
I agree that Heath was definitely of the old school, Balliol, Oxford Union etc. following Asquith and MacMillan, but I did find him something of a pompous ass, he was very full of his own importance but in a more affable and less dangerous way than Her.
I do not remember his premiership but I was born under it and as a baby during the 3 day week my carry cot was put in the warm airing cupboard for me to sleep thru’ all the power cuts!
It could be said that Heath is in fact responsible for the Thatcher years having presided over a very Tory whet time in office but I think the world changed in the late 70s and especially early 80s and this was not down to him. This does of course mean that the oldest surviving ex PM is now Her so let’s hope it isn’t long before she joins Ted.