29 August 1975 Today in 1975, Tony Benn, the secretary of state for industry, noted in his diary that he had received ‘special instructions from Harold Wilson about tomorrow’s IPU (Inter Parliamentary Union) Conference. The prime minister had issued a warning that ministers were not, under any circumstances, to be friendly towards the PLO (Palestine…
15 May 1975 Throughout 1975, Harold Wilson’s Labour government supplied Apartheid South Africa with ammunition, military spares and other critical equipment for their armed forces. Britain’s backing helped the South African army enforce internal repression and prevent anti-imperialist insurgencies across southern Africa, as the regime increasingly resorted to extreme means to pacify the region. In…
19 April 1975 Today in 1975, Tony Benn, secretary of state for industry, was astonished to discover that the Post Office did not wish to comply with his request to issue stamps commemorating the American Revolution and the bicentenary of the declaration of independence. Opening his red box, he found a note explaining that ‘this…
LORD PALMERSTON JUSTIFIES MILITARY PROTECTION FOR BRITAIN’S OPIUM TRADERS [ 9 April 1840 ] Today in 1840, Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, justifying Britain’s determination to defend its opium traders from any interference from Chinese officials, told parliament that it was not Britian’s responsibility to protect ‘the morals of the Chinese people who were disposed to…
