This film is part of Free
Harold Wilson - Right of Reply - Coal Dispute
Labour Party leader Harold Wilson speaks to the nation on the coal dispute in response to PM Edward Heath.
Overview
Watch Harold Wilson's historic response to PM Edward Heath's TV broadcast of the previous evening. The coal dispute of 1972 resulted in the first official miners' strike since the General Strike of 1926, and led to power cuts and the notorious 'three-day week' which restricted electricity usage to three consecutive days in many commercial premises.
At the time of this broadcast the miners' strike had just been called off. The miners had accepted a pay offer of 21% - well over double the 7.9% they had been initially offered - making their wages among the highest of the working classes in the UK.
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