James Callaghan
Callaghan's way of dealing with the long-term economic difficulties involved pay restraint which had been operating for four years with reasonable success. He gambled that a fifth year would further improve the economy and allow him to be re-elected in 1979, and so attempted to hold pay rises to 5% or less. The Trade Unions rejected continued pay restraint and in a succession of strikes over the winter of 1978-79 (known as the Winter of Discontent) secured higher pay. The industrial unrest made his government extremely unpopular, and Callaghan's response to one interview question only made it worse. Returning to the United Kingdom from an economic summit held in Guadeloupe in early 1979, Callaghan was asked:
| “ | What is your general approach, in view of the mounting chaos in the country at the moment? | ” |
Callaghan replied:
| “ | Well, that's a judgment that you are making. I promise you that if you look at it from outside, and perhaps you're taking rather a parochial view at the moment, I don't think that other people in the world would share the view that there is mounting chaos. | ” |
This reply was reported in The Sun under the headline:
Crisis? What Crisis?.
Callaghan was forced to advise The Queen to call an election when the House of Commons passed a Motion of No Confidence by one vote on 28 March 1979. The Conservatives, with the advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi, ran a campaign on the slogan "Labour isn't working". Margaret Thatcher won the election.
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Resignation, backbenches and retirement
Callaghan resigned as leader of the Labour Party in September 1980, shortly after the 1980 party conference had voted for a new system of election by electoral college involving the individual members and trade unions. His resignation ensured that his successor would be elected by MPs only. In the second round of a campaign that laid bare the deep internal divisions of the Parliamentary Labour Party, Michael Foot narrowly beat Denis Healey to succeed Callaghan as leader.
In 1982, along with his friend Gerald Ford, he cofounded the annual AEI World Forum.
In 1983, Callaghan became Father of the House as the longest continuously serving member of the Commons and one of only two survivors of the 1945 general election - Michael Foot being the other, but he had been out of the House from 1955 to 1960. In 1987 he was made a Knight of the Garter and stood down at the 1987 general election after forty-two years as a member of the Commons. Shortly afterwards, he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, of the City of Cardiff in the Royal County of South Glamorganshire. In 1987, his autobiography, Time and Chance, was published.
In 1988, Callaghan's wife Audrey, a former chairman (1969 - 1982) of Great Ormond Street Hospital, spotted a letter to a newspaper which pointed out that the copyright of Peter Pan, which had been assigned by J. M. Barrie to the hospital, was about to expire. Callaghan moved an amendment to the Copyright Bill then under consideration in the Lords to extend the term under which the hospital could continue to collect royalties despite the lapse of copyright, and this was accepted by the government.
On 14 February 2005, he became the longest-lived British Prime Minister, surpassing Harold Macmillan, and had the longest life of any British prime minister when he died at his farm in Ringmer, East Sussex on 26 March 2005, on the eve of his 93rd birthday. At the time of his death Callaghan had lived 92 years 364 days, exceeding by 42 days the life span of Macmillan.
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Personal life
James Callaghan's interests included rugby, tennis and agriculture. According to the official history of 10 Downing Street, he is believed to have been the tallest prime minister in British history at 185 cm. Callaghan was an atheist[10]. He married Audrey Elizabeth Moulton, whom he had met when they both worked as Sunday School teachers at the local Baptist church,[11] in July 1938 and had three children — one son and two daughters. Lady Callaghan died on 15 March 2005.
James Callaghan died on 26 March 2005, just 11 days after his wife's death.
One of their daughters, Margaret became Baroness Jay of Paddington and was Leader of the House of Lords from 1998 to 2001.
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James Callaghan in popular culture
The song "Time For Truth" from The Jam's debut In the City, a scathing critique of the state of the British nation, directly addresses Callaghan: "I think it's time for truth, and the truth is you lost, Uncle Jimmy."
In 1977 James Callaghan was immortalised in a cartoon strip, debuting in issue # 17 (2 February 1977) of Captain Britain comic, published by Marvel. He is briefed by Nick Fury of a Nazi plan by supervillain the Red Skull to take over Great Britain. In issue # 21 (2 March 1977) Callaghan is kidnapped by the baddies and sentenced to death, by firing squad, alongside Captain Britain and Captain America, before making his escape. It is not known what Callaghan's reaction was to his appearance in cartoon form.
The musician and humourist John Dowie also provides commentary on James Callaghan in the aptly titled song, "Jim Callaghan."
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Titles from birth to death
- James Callaghan, Esq (27 March 1912 - 1943)
- Lieutenant James Callaghan, RNVR (1943 - 26 July 1945)
- Lieutenant James Callaghan, MP (26 July 1945-21 October 1964)
- Lieutenant The Right Honourable James Callaghan, MP (21 October 1964-?)
- The Right Honourable James Callaghan, MP (?- 23 April 1987)
- The Right Honourable Sir James Callaghan, KG, MP (23 April - 11 June 1987)
- The Right Honourable Sir James Callaghan, KG (11 June - 5 November 1987)
- The Right Honourable The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (5 November 1987 - 26 March 2005)
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External links
- More about James Callaghan on the Downing Street website.
- An interview with Chancellor Callaghan after an IMF interview at Rio, Brazil
- Official portrait of James Callaghan by David Griffiths
- 'Prime Ministers in the Post-War World: James Callaghan', lecture by Professor the Lord Morgan at Gresham College on 5 June 2007 (with video and audio files available for download)
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Notes
- ^ Page 1, Callghan: British Prime-Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ Page 11, Callaghan: British Prime-Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ Page 13, Callghan: British Prime-Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ Page 35, Callaghan: British Prime-Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ Page 36, Callaghan: British Prime-Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ Page 38, Callaghan: British Prime Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ Page 40, Callaghan: British Prime-Ministers of the 20th Century, Harry Conroy, Haus Publishing 2006
- ^ James Callaghan
- ^ BBC ON THIS DAY | 26 | 1968: Race discrimination law tightened
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1620500/bio, retrieved January 15, 2008
- ^ Guardian | Audrey Callaghan
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References
Books:
- Callaghan, James. Time and Chance. Collins, 1987.
- Callaghan, James. Challenges and Opportunities for British Foreign Policy. Fabian Society, 1975.
Biographies:
- Conroy, Harry. James Callaghan. Haus, 2006.
- Derbyshire, Dennis. Politics in Britain: From Callaghan to Thatcher (Political Spotlights). Chambers, 1990.
- Donoughue, Bernard. Prime Minister: Conduct of Policy Under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, 1974-79. Jonathan Cape, 1987.
- Donoughue, Bernard. The Heat of the Kitchen. Politico's Publishing, 2003.
- Healey, Denis. The Time of My Life. Michael Joseph, 1989.
- Jefferys, Kevin (ed). Leading Labour. I. B. Tauris, 1999.
- Morgan, Kenneth O. Callaghan: A Life. Oxford University Press, 1997.
- Rosen, Greg. Dictionary of Labour Biography. Politico's Publishing, 2001.
- Rosen, Greg. Old Labour to New. Politico's Publishing, 2005.
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See also
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