UK General Election 1970 - The BBC swingometer runs out of swing

Edward Heath, to Labour's deep surprise, rolled into Number 10 with a respectable majority in the summer of 1970, despite the polls, the press and most of the public all firm in the conviction that Labour would be returned to power.

Ironically the dramatic Conservative victory followed one of the least memorable post-war election campaigns.

The month long battle was called by its less than enthused chroniclers an "unpopularity" contest with the public showing a much keener interest in the England football team's attempts to win the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

Few people apart from, perhaps, Edward Heath himself expected to see the Conservatives back in office, with a sudden swing at the end of the campaign enough to see him carry the day.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• labour
• conservative
• liberal
• snp
• plaid
• united
• kingdom
• edward
• heath
• jeremy
• thorpe
• harold
• wilson

[OXLEYCRUSHER]

For anybody interested in watching past election night shows like this,BBC Parliament re-runs them from various years from time to time,mainly around election time!

[AidanLunn]

The 1970 General Election will be repeated from 9am tomorrow morning on BBC Parliament

[sameoldfitup2008]

All piss in the same pot

[newshound1000]

I thought that the election last Thursday would be like this, but alas, it's more like February 1974. (With the exception of a much stronger Liberal Democratic Party.) Who knows? We could have another election this October, like back in 1974.

[UKSazzy67]

A rare piece of history, thanks for uploading.