JAMES CALLAGHAN BEST BRITISH PM OF THEM ALL

[scudo1905]

Brian Walden done a programme back in 97 called Labour Leaders.

If you can find, it is worth watching. It sums Callaghan up completely.

I quote In calmer times he would of got the reputation as a great prime minister. It is what was meant to be his strong point that let him down. He could not get tuff on the trade unions .

[scotstory]

eh no ... ur one Prime Minister early. Thatcher was Britain's greatest Prime Minister. Inflation was out of control under Callaghan, forcing Thatcher's shock therapy of the 1980s!

[TSR1989FF]

@scotstory Very True, it's almost always a case of cause and effect

(Wilson and challaghan were the effective cause of Britains woes in 79, & Thatcher was the subciquent cure [abet one that was a rather bitter pill to swallow]).

Callaghan wasn't a bad person, but he was a really bad PM (to put it politely).

Although the similaritys between his reign and Brown are uncanny (Brown also presided over a monumental Economic slump [abet bigger], and also didn't call an early election, thankfully ; )

[broomybank]

He was a decent man who managed to stabilise the economy after the Barber boom and bust under Heath and the oil crisis. The militant leadership of the trade unions did for him in the end. Even so, the Conservatives only achieved a majority of about 40 seats in 1979. This was partly because Callaghan was far more popular as a person with the electorate than Thatcher. And yes, I am old enough to remember.

[69Bluntsmoka420]

@broomybank Well said. I appreciate the viewpoint of someone who lived through the Callaghan era, especially since I was born after it in the 80's.

[Dalek1230]

@69Bluntsmoka420 Mate he is the only person, Thatcher got the biggest majority ever.

[SiorafasNaCillini]

@Dalek1230

Apart from Blair.

[Dalek1230]

@SiorafasNaCillini That is correct 43.9% Maggie 42% Blair

[SiorafasNaCillini]

@Dalek1230

Attlee got 49% and a majority of 145,Thatcher's was 43 and 144. Blair had a majority of 179. Baldwin got 55% of the vote and a majority of 165. Thatcher didn't get the biggest majority of votes or seats even if you leave out the years before the War.

[edwardszzz]

@broomybank totally agree . A fair and well balanced appraisal of Callaghan. His achilles heel was the Unions.Some of them were total monsters and out of control. A lot of Labour voters voted for Thatcher because she promised to stop all the strikes. The playwright Harold Pinter voted for her in 1979 cuz of the winter of discontent.He said it was the most shameful thing he ever did. Callaghan was crucified by the Tory press. It's a pity he lost in 79. That cretin FOOT destroyed the Labour party.

[TSR1989FF]

@edwardszzz (Laugh), spare us the Old-Labour Propaganda, it's even more absurd than the Rubbish what the new-Labour crooks come up with.

Given your a Republican Pacifist who loves the "Austin Allegro" (one of the worst cars in all of Human History, let alone this Country) it is plain to see you are of extremely poor Judgement, let alone Eyesight.

Wilson & this old fool destroyed this Country, if he'd won in 79 we wouldn't have a country left at all, and the Falklands would be in Argie Hands.

[chubbylegend]

What a dreadful old duffer he was...it's because of his mismanagement we got Thatch for the next 11 years.

[larluvmu]

jim callahan was pm of the uk at the same time jimmy carter was president of the usa....2 jims...2 disastrous leaders thank god thatcher & reagan came along

[leoleony1]

JAMES CALLAGHAN BEST BRITISH PM OF THEM ALL.... NOT!

[larluvmu]

@leoleony1 jim callaghan was pm at the same time jimmy carter was president of the united states......2 bad leaders

[Dalek1230]

@larluvmu Followed By Reagan And Thatcher

Two Great Leaders

[multimill]

the best PM?? Is it April 1? Jesus - he was amongst the WORST IN HISTORY!!!

[larluvmu]

@multimill right gordon brown was a disaster next to his lefty leader of the usa barrack hussien obama.....mmmm......mmmm.....m­mmm

[bonfirejovi]

Not quite as good as Mr. Harold "25% inflation" Wilson though huh?

[fericitchannel]

lol the best pm was edward heath!

[MrPercyVerance]

He was the poorest PM ever "back us or sack us" thank good his ass was kicked and labour should have been banished for ever hopefully they will now enter the wilderness forever following the demise of Brown the second poorest "unelected" PM ever

[bonfirejovi]

I think you need to add the word "stagflation" to your vocabulary. Without Thatcher Britain would be Cuba. She wiped away socialism from the the conservative party and then the UK and thank god! The 1970s were a disgrace... yes even worse than New Labour's last 13 years.

[JamesTilsley1]

probably the worst pm ever, what about the winter of discontent

[fericitchannel]

@JamesTilsley1 yes!

[oxxax]

What the hell! ... Callaghan absolutely sucked!!! Thank God for Mrs. Thatcher!!! She was exactly what this country needed back in those days! She brought an end to the unionist socialist crap!!!

[WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

James Callaghan certainly isn't as well recognised as a Pitt the Younger, Gladstone, Attlee or Blair (among a number of others) but he does hold a place in history as the only man to have held all four great offices of state- Home secretary, Foreign secretary, Chancellor and PM. That certainly counts for something.

RIP

[1969delt]

An unusual piece of muse for Labour

[StephenHP62]

Callaghan's record as PM was rather good, given the turbulent conditions of the time. His mistake politically was in not calling an election in late 1978 when Labour was ahead in the polls. Timing is crucial in politics. Had he called and won that election, Thatcher might have been a mere footnote in history. What a delicious thought!

[Vericacious]

Nasty stuff. Following on from what StephenHP62 put, what people tend to forget is that Callaghan's public approval rating was way ahead of that of, not only Margaret Thatcher, but also his own party. His mistake was to trust the unions- he'd risen through the Labour Party via the unions- and to go for a late election. He should have gone for that October 1978 election, when Labour was 5% ahead in the polls.

[prben2]

@Vericacious

Under Callaghan in 1978, Britain had one of best balance of payments surpluses, and his chancellor Denis Healey had cut down inflation and unemployment, and healed the economy, that was in a disastrous state, inherited from the Tories in 1974.

[incredibleXMan]

@prben2 This is true. The labour government was making good head way on the economy up to 1978. The winter of discontent of 1978-79 was the killer blow for the government however.

[MrToryboy]

@papermariob - Of course you're not a Thatcher lover.  Hahaha, you're so full of shit.

[stevetfa77]

Ted Heath was allot worse prime minister he could not even keep the lights on in Britian. Jim could not control the unions that was his big problem. Brown is going to have the same problems in the coming months.

[bonfirejovi]

@stevetfa77 ted heath was just as much a socialist as the other old labour idiots.

[Doubledig]

@stevetfa77 Not anymore he's not!

[n1ckotene]

I assume the title to this video is ironic?

[69Bluntsmoka420]

yeah I was havin a giraffe with this one

[MrToryboy]

@69Bluntsmoka420 - This twat's definately been smokin somethin.

[admiralgustil]

hahanha the worst prime minister thatcher crushed him in 1979!!!! :) brown is like callaghan lol :)