Abstract
In the 1970s Harold Wilson was a less presidential, but not a less presidentializing, premier than he had been in the sixties. But a combination of a more cautious approach on his part and a somewhat dispirited opposition in Whitehall, ensured that on this occasion constitutional controversy was more muted.
There would this time be no ‘presidential nonsense’.1
He was a consummate politician; and a politician has no business with principles and no business with being frank. Either would interfere with the conduct of his art, which consists not least in appearing to be principled and frank while being neither. Nevertheless Harold Wilson remains un-summarisable.2
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Notes
Harold Wilson, cit. Donoughue, Bernard, Prime Minister. The Conduct of Policy under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan (London: Cape, 1978) p. 47.
Powell, Enoch J., The Times 4 October, 1993, p. 35.
Benn, Tony, Against the Tide, Diaries 1973–76 (London: Arrow Books edn 1990) p. 570.
Cit. Hennessy, Peter, Whitehall (London: Fontana, 1990) p. 255.
Healey, Denis, The Time of My Life (London: Penguin, 1990) p. 388.
Wilson, Harold, Final Term: the Labour Government 1974–1976 (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Michael Joseph, 1979) p. 17.
Holmes, Martin, The Labour Government, 1974–79 (London: Macmillan, 1985) p. 41.
Wilson, Harold, The Governance of Britain (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Michael Joseph, 1976) p. 204.
Castle, Barbara, The Castle Diaries 1974–1976 (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1980) p. 440.
Benn, Tony, ‘Manifestos and Mandarins’ in Policy and Practice: the experience of government (London: RIPA, 1980) pp. 57–78, p. 71.
James, Simon, British Cabinet Government (London: Routledge, 1992), p. 228.
Mackintosh, John P., ‘Harold Wilson’ in British Prime Ministers in the Twentieth Century Vol.11 Churchill to Callaghan (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1978) p. 211.
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© 1997 Sue Pryce
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Pryce, S. (1997). Harold Wilson 1974–6: A Presidentializing Premier. In: Presidentializing the Premiership. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230379992_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230379992_6
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