Labour - Denis Healey - Talking personally

An extract from 'Talking Personally' Presenter Denis Tuohy speaks to Labour MP and future Labour Peer Denis Healey - about his leadership battle for the Labour Party and any potential alliances with minority parties in order to oust the Conservative Government. 14/05/1984
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[@politicalphilosophy-thegre3894]

Great man.

[@politicalphilosophy-thegre3894]

Excellent interview, thanks.

[@Ampex196]

The best Prime Minister we never had!

[@stephenelkington4971]

Spot on sir !

[@whatamalike]

Nah that was tony benn. This twat went cap in hand to the IMF when he didn't need to!

[@christoland5419]

@@whatamalike Tony Benn was Maggie Thatcher's best recruiting sergeant.

[@JamesHenderson-wk4hd]

Healey was a racist war criminal who armed the apartheid regime in South Africa.

[@stevebbuk9557]

At the end of the interview Denis alludes to the possible reason why James Callaghan didn't call an election in the autumn of 1978, namely that his advisors told him he may well have had to form a coalition with the Liberals to stay in power.

[@JamesHenderson-wk4hd]

Polling by Labour showed it would lose.

[@stevebbuk9557]

@@JamesHenderson-wk4hd I stand by my original comment. Denis Healey is on record as saying if Labour had gone to the country in autumn 1978 they would have continued in power at the subsequent General Election as they would have had the benefit of North Sea oil revenues.

[@JamesHenderson-wk4hd]

@@stevebbuk9557 Labour had not won a GE since 1966, and was unelectable by 1976.

[@stevebbuk9557]

@@JamesHenderson-wk4hd But Labour won both General Elections of 1974. I speak as a Conservative voter, but Margaret Thatcher hadn't at the point we're discussing (autumn 1978) made a substantial impact-in fact the polls were level. The Winter of Discontent turned the tide for the Tories.

[@JamesHenderson-wk4hd]

@@stevebbuk9557 Labour lost in February 1974, and only "won" in October 1974 due to Scotland (like in 1964).
Callaghan did not call a GE in 1978 because private polling by Labour showed it would lose.

[@marymcgranaghan9918]

It’s great that you have uploaded these, thanks