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Politics 64-70 (Liberal Reform) x (End of Capital Punishment (in 1950'…
Politics 64-70 (Liberal Reform) x
Context
Roy Jenkins
In a position to change society for 'presonal freedom
Labour Home Secretary under Wilson from 1965
End of 1960's some old taboos had broken down
tech
youth culture
some argue that changes from the top mearly refected changes that had already evident 'from below'
Some reforms were arguably ahead of their time
Private members bill
Labour didnt set out with a Liberalising agenda
WIlson and Brown were conserative
working-class MPs were suspicious of change
Laws on moral questions are usually free vote ie each memebr votes individually rarther than follwoing a parties stance
priate memebers bill allows backbench MP's to propose legislation
1960s saw alot of use of this method and Jenkins as Home Secretary enabled enough parliment time for the reforms to be passed
End of Capital Punishment
in 1950's the public was divided but the anti-hanging campaign got a boost from Ruth Ellis a young mother who murdered an unfaithful loer in 1955
1975 the Tories reduced the number of offences carrying the death peneltie
Labour bcak bench Sydney Silverman continued campaigning for total abolition
1965 on a free vote hanging was abolished for a trial period of 5 years and made permanent in 1969
Jenkins refused to authorise the beating of prisoners wich ceased in 1967
Jenkins brough in majority verdicts for th jury
The abolition of hanging did not reduce the number of murders or violent crimes as hoped
Divorce
Until 1960's diorce demanded eidence of adultary menaing only really affordable to the rich who hired private detectives
Diorce Reform Act 1969 allowed no fault divorce justirretrievable breakdown of a marriage
Could divorce if
lived apart for 2 years and both wanted a divorce
lived apart for 5 years and 1 wanted a divorce
Boom in divorces
fewer than 2/1000 in 1950 and mid 1970 10/10000.
female independance
Abortion
until 1967 abortion was illegal except on stictly medical grounds
go to a private clinic with fees or a backstreet abortion
100,000-200,000 illegal abortions per year
35000 women admitted to hospital with problems as a result of illegal abortions per year
1958-1960, 82 women died after illegal abortion
The Abortion Law Reform Assosiation
from 1945
support from the thalidomide disaster for abortions if foetus is deformed
1966 The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child set up to oppose
Liberal MP Daid Steel led the reform and Jenkins allowed and all-night commons sitting order to pass the bill
The Abortion Act
allowed legal termination in the first 28 weeks under medical supervision and signed by 2 doctors only justification needed was mental suffering not just the physical condition
Pro abortionists hopes the availability of better contraception and eductaion would lead to less abortions
flase 4/100 (35,000) in 1968 grew to 17.6 (141,000) in 1975
Homosexuals
up until 1960 men could be imprisoned for up to 2 yrs for homosexual acts
Conservative governement had rejected the Wolfenden reccommendation to decriminalise
Labour gov 1964 was divided on the issue
Leo Abse with Jenkins support used the private members bill topass 1967 Sexual Offenses Act
Act legalised Sexual acts if
both parteners consented
both over 21
had to be in private
Act was interpreted as in private meaning no one in the building
Education Reform
Comrehensive Schools
tripartite system
the secondary modern pupils were seen as failures and maj of grammer school students from an upper and mid class
Local Education Authorities (ELA's) established comprehensie schools
Each child could learn at their own pace and sit exams according to their own abilities in the subjects
1964 1/10 were at a comprehensive school
1965 Tony Crosland as minister of education accelerated the process
comprehensie schools were claimed to be grammar school for all
Most mid class and upper were unconvinced and sent their children to private or 'direct grant' ( scholarship) schools
Higher Education and Open Uni
Fears that britian was slipping behind in science = Robbins Commitee in 1961
found Britain lagged behind France Germany and US and that too many students followed the arts
Gov expanded higher eduction
Polytechnics repaced colleged of tech and focused on work or science
Nine Colleges for Advanced Tech became full universitys
'New' Universitys to be founded
1968 30 Polytechnics and 56 Uni and new institutions with new courses
Open Uni
offered high quality degree level Science and arts to people who didnt have the opportunity to attend campus
1963 proposed an experiment called University of the Air for radio and TV
After the 1964 election Wilson appointed Jennie Lee to see it through, of a working class background who could only attend uni theough bursary
1969 open Uni headquaters established in Milton Keynes
Mid 70's there had been enough applications for 1971 to be the year the students started
University ised Tv and radio as forms of distance learning , it attracted mature women and the disadvantaged , those who had previously seen themselves as education failures
1980 70,000 students and awarding more degrees than Oxford and Cambridge combined