I am way too young to remember this the first time around, yet I still feel the tension of an election night seeing these clips on YouTube. Probably more so due to the graphics, set design, and knowing who the victor was. As well as standing the test of time, it has all the intrigue and jumpiness of a gothic horror film.
My family came from Devonport, meaning that if I was alive and a British citizen, I would have voted for David Owen, meaning a vote for Labour. However, if the elections were conducted like they do here in America, I would have supported David Steel.
@tdp1909 If you mean seats that's due to population, all seats are supposed to have roughly the same number of electors (though in practice they don't). If you mean the swing required to unseat a Government, that's mainly because of the way the Labour and Tory votes are spread accross the UK. Its a lot harder for the Tories to unseat Labour than it is Labour to unseat the Tories and the last election proved this perfectly. Tory dominance in the 80s was down to Labours divisions and the SDP.
@pipoo1 Thanks. Seems insane that they allowed that to happen, rather than just make seats have more people in them.
Agree about the Tory vs Labour voter thing too - apparently the Isle of Wight (Tory) has 100,000 voters in it when it's meant to be around 50,000 per constituency. Rotten Boroughs are still alive and well...
@Gardenstatehomecomin The world may have been, but the UK certainly wouldn't have. The economy was a mess, unions ran the country to a standstill, and the entire country had to pay for inefficient industries. And Labour didn't seem to think that anything was wrong.
@rhysepoos but when thatcher leftthe UK was worse off than 79, class sizes doubbled, poll tax, unemplyoment, recession, falklands war, race riots, IRA, and this wasn't just over one winter t was bloody near the entire eighties, oh and not to mention forfitting social spending for millitary and nuclear arms, that were never used against the russians. Although the economic woes weren't her fault just as its never any one governments fault for anything economic, you could say she could have handled
@Gardenstatehomecomin the problems much better, infact when you have economic troubles you don't squander billions on tax cuts for the rich, and the large corporations, beacause those were the true beneficiaries of her ridiculous tax cuts.
@Gardenstatehomecomin I agree that her economic policy was a bit too right wing, but certainly much better than Labour's. Thatcher's restructuring of the economy created the competitive economy we have today. If 1979 had seen a second Labour term, the unions would have continued running the country, and we'd be paying inefficient public industries to make a loss. We had race riots and IRA trouble before Thatcher, and high unemployment was a necessary short-term consequence of her reforms.
@rhysepoos but my point is those problems had magnified ten fold, and thats why she was kicked out of her own party, in the 1970's things were pretty good the only bad part about em were caused by outside forces, so y opec and the USA. it was just in 79 people just couldn't handle the issues anymore and the government wouldn't do a thing, and it wasn't beacause it was a labour government its just beacause of how it works, they don't care about you no matter labour or conservative.
Thanks for uploading, hope this year will be the last for Labour, for a while. Then the Tories can rebuild our economy which took Labour 13 years to bankrupt
I love the beginning theme, and the graphics were advanced for their time.
coyote778 1 week ago
I am way too young to remember this the first time around, yet I still feel the tension of an election night seeing these clips on YouTube. Probably more so due to the graphics, set design, and knowing who the victor was. As well as standing the test of time, it has all the intrigue and jumpiness of a gothic horror film.
Mancunian1001 1 week ago
This was when David Dimbleby first presented the show and he's done it ever since! I think he's got one more in him in the 2015 Election.
Steviebond2 3 weeks ago
Big Ben will be telling the correct time whenever it appears "as if by some computerised magic". Hard to imagine such a thing!!
seemack87 1 month ago
Ahhh, the 1970's, a time when smoking a cigar live on air during an election night broadcast was acceptable.
Cnd1867 2 months ago
My family came from Devonport, meaning that if I was alive and a British citizen, I would have voted for David Owen, meaning a vote for Labour. However, if the elections were conducted like they do here in America, I would have supported David Steel.
lawrence142002 5 months ago
Love the cigar chomping self indulgent Robin Day
iberkeley 6 months ago
In This Clip, From 0:00 To 1:56, It Was BBC-TV's BBC News' Decision '79 Video Open From Thursday Night, May 3, 1979.
radiodj1520 8 months ago
Does anyone know why the number has inflated so much since this election?
tdp1909 1 year ago
@tdp1909 If you mean seats that's due to population, all seats are supposed to have roughly the same number of electors (though in practice they don't). If you mean the swing required to unseat a Government, that's mainly because of the way the Labour and Tory votes are spread accross the UK. Its a lot harder for the Tories to unseat Labour than it is Labour to unseat the Tories and the last election proved this perfectly. Tory dominance in the 80s was down to Labours divisions and the SDP.
pipoo1 9 months ago
@pipoo1 Thanks. Seems insane that they allowed that to happen, rather than just make seats have more people in them.
Agree about the Tory vs Labour voter thing too - apparently the Isle of Wight (Tory) has 100,000 voters in it when it's meant to be around 50,000 per constituency. Rotten Boroughs are still alive and well...
tdp1909 9 months ago
@pipoo1 Re: "Tory dominance": "down to" etc: how about the so called Falklands factor :-)
elrjames777 1 month ago
The introductory comments rather made the point for Scottish devolution, didn't they?
borjon23 1 year ago
Big Ben will be telling the right time by some computerised magic. How times have changed :o)
MeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeAndU 1 year ago
The 1970 General Election will be repeated from 9am tomorrow morning on BBC Parliament.
AidanLunn 1 year ago
Best election intro of all time, the true power and significance of this election would be felt for decades to come
Lab356 1 year ago 13
@Lab356 yes i agree if they had elected labour the world would be a better place
Gardenstatehomecomin 1 year ago
@Gardenstatehomecomin The world may have been, but the UK certainly wouldn't have. The economy was a mess, unions ran the country to a standstill, and the entire country had to pay for inefficient industries. And Labour didn't seem to think that anything was wrong.
rhysepoos 11 months ago
@rhysepoos but when thatcher leftthe UK was worse off than 79, class sizes doubbled, poll tax, unemplyoment, recession, falklands war, race riots, IRA, and this wasn't just over one winter t was bloody near the entire eighties, oh and not to mention forfitting social spending for millitary and nuclear arms, that were never used against the russians. Although the economic woes weren't her fault just as its never any one governments fault for anything economic, you could say she could have handled
Gardenstatehomecomin 11 months ago
@Gardenstatehomecomin the problems much better, infact when you have economic troubles you don't squander billions on tax cuts for the rich, and the large corporations, beacause those were the true beneficiaries of her ridiculous tax cuts.
Gardenstatehomecomin 11 months ago
@Gardenstatehomecomin I agree that her economic policy was a bit too right wing, but certainly much better than Labour's. Thatcher's restructuring of the economy created the competitive economy we have today. If 1979 had seen a second Labour term, the unions would have continued running the country, and we'd be paying inefficient public industries to make a loss. We had race riots and IRA trouble before Thatcher, and high unemployment was a necessary short-term consequence of her reforms.
rhysepoos 11 months ago
@rhysepoos but my point is those problems had magnified ten fold, and thats why she was kicked out of her own party, in the 1970's things were pretty good the only bad part about em were caused by outside forces, so y opec and the USA. it was just in 79 people just couldn't handle the issues anymore and the government wouldn't do a thing, and it wasn't beacause it was a labour government its just beacause of how it works, they don't care about you no matter labour or conservative.
Gardenstatehomecomin 11 months ago
What a classic introduction from Sir Robin Day, cigar and all. So sad to think Bob McKenzie died from cancer just two years later.
The initial forecast underestimated the Conservative majority, as usual.
swanarcadian 1 year ago
This is a truly excellent service you are providing as such programmes are a real snapshot of a country at a given time.
This was the last 'traditional' BBC Election programme with the final appearances of the late Bob McKenzie and David Butler...
ticknock 1 year ago
im loving your channel, great to watch all these election videos.
bubbleboy02 1 year ago 19
thanks for uploading
evanquads 2 years ago
This was the year that Britain got a REAL leader! in May 2010...Britain will again go David Cameron go!
gopconservative78 2 years ago
@gopconservative78 LMAO!!!
slimes23 1 year ago
@gopconservative78 wooops lol.!
slimes23 1 year ago
@gopconservative78 I couldn't agree more. Go, David Cameron, Go. And don't come back.
MeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeAndU 1 year ago
5 million people have never had a job under labour even if you not inlcude full time carers.
barbarianbenji 2 years ago
@barbarianbenji
there would be more under and will be if the cons get in
yot5000 1 year ago
Thanks for uploading, hope this year will be the last for Labour, for a while. Then the Tories can rebuild our economy which took Labour 13 years to bankrupt
barbarianbenji 2 years ago
@barbarianbenji At least unemployment is dropping, it took years and years after the Tory recessions for Unemployment to drop.
binstig 2 years ago
How would you define bankrupt?
slimes23 2 years ago