The Thatcher Crisis Years

1980s politics blog from TV historian Tony McMahon

The 1981 riots presented the news media of the time with a huge challenge covering live events around the country that sprang up at a moment’s notice

Back in 1983, Thatcher went to the country for a fresh electoral mandate after a rocky first term as prime-minister. From 1979 to 1981, unemployment had skyrocketed and large parts of the manufacturing sector had collapsed. The summer of ’81 saw riots and interest rates were fearsomely high. But electoral salvation came in 1982 when …

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