ITN's 1983 election night show is on my channel if anyone's interested. Thanks to Flora for uploading this. It used to be on my channel a few years back but I deleted it.
@@johnking5174 ITN probably had the best technology in 1983, but the analysis on BBC was maybe slightly better. But not much difference. What I'd really like to get hold of is ITV's 1979 and 1974 election programmes.
@aja41•, I Have The BBC Election Coverage, BUT They Only Have 2.out of 3, Part's, I Am The First Person To Admit I Hated When Maggie Won The 1979, Vote, In March 1979, !!!!!!,. BUT I Am NOT Ashamed To Say I Got It Wrong,!!!!!,.
True and an age when politicians had a certain gravitas; whatever party. Except for Cyril Smith of course who put Jimmy Saville in the shade in more ways than one.
9:00 - The poll done by the BBC here was VERY accurate to the proper 1983 result. Thatcher won a majority of 144 seats, so they were nearly spot on with their prediction. Unlike in 1987 and 1992.
@@donthaveagoodusername5345 1987 came very close to being one of their worst. At the start of the night, the BBC forecasted that Thatcher would win with a majority of just 26. In reality she had a further landslide with a whopping 102 seat majority.
A Young Conservative quite unbelievable really considering how poor the exit polls were back then e.g. 1979 predicted a wide range of outcomes and 1987 predicted a very small Conservative majority at first... 1992 I needn’t say much more about!
@@josephdyson3737 It was even more accurate than in 2015, when the polling companies failed to get anyway near the results and even the exit poll still underestimated Cameron
The 1983 and 1987 general election nights on BBC One had a different style. The studio layout was a simple one, of just two main desk areas with a few screens. When you look at the 1979 and 1992 studio designs, they were enormous and huge compared to the 1980s elections.
At 5:05:21 they talk about the vote count in the Islington North seat. The labour candidate who won that seat was Jeremy Corbyn. For the next 32 yrs he would make a name for himself in his political party until his election as labour party leader in 2015. Then for the next four yrs he would cause controversy and headaches for labour members which finally resulted in a much bigger election defeat in 2019 for Labour than it suffered in 1983 which would end in his downfall as party leader and later his removal as a Labour member. Quite a tumultuous history would be waiting for Mr. Corbyn.
@chriswatson3464 I didn't say he was the main cause of labour party problems , but he was certainly one of the many problems in the party. But, you are right also in saying that there were other leaders in the party would caused problems too.
1983 was really the peak of Thatcherism. I must admit, even members of my family who were never Conservative party supporters voted for Thatcher in 1983, as they felt Labour under Michael Foot was a disaster for the country and the Lib/SDP alliance was weak as dish water.
I got a well paid job in 1983 which insulated me from the effects of Thatcher but "thanks" to her we have no coal mining industry and the entirety of our car manufacturing is foreign owned. Most of our utilities and train companies are foreign owned and she presided over/caused 3.25 million unemployed , the highest total since the depression. She destroyed the entire UK manufacturing base so now we sell pizza or run hotels. What do you think she did that was a plus for the country ?
@@lewisner Britain's Industry was Naturally declining, it's normal for an economy to go through a painful change like that. A similar process is happening in the US.
John King : Well, now it's 37 yrs later 2020. Do members of your family still feel that Labour is just as disastrous for the UK under Keir Starmer as it was under Corbyn and Foot???? Also what are their feelings about the LibDems or the SNP in 2020????
@@herondelatorre4023 Yes. Starmer is an arch Remainer and he was largely to blame for Labour's disastrous mess of a policy over Brexit which led to millions of Labour voters including myself concluding that we had no other choice but to vote Conservative. Not only has he kept the same same PLP of Blairite Pro EU MP's , he has suspended Corbyn and set himself against the Left. Labour as it is now will be unlikely to form a majority for the next 10-15 years.
@@lewisner Do you think Starmer's Labour MP colleagues might try to put forward a no confidence vote against him as party leader because of what he did to Corbyn????
Could someone please explain why there was so much commotion during Roy Jenkin’s speech? Around 2:22:00. Mix of Alliance enthusiasm and Labour heckling? Highly entertaining.
I suppose because he was regarded as a traitor to the Labour movement. Were the microphones deliberately tampered with, or would that be a conspiracy too far?
@@stevebbuk9557 Probably that’s going too far! But I see what you are saying. That would be sort of like the Howard Dean “scream” during the 2004 Iowa caucuses, during which the TV microphones made it sound like he was out of control when he was in reality just trying to be heard over a rowdy crowd.
I love the long gaps they had when they handed over to the regions for their opt outs, with London/South East having to wait slightly longer before their insert began. London/SE had no proper regional news team, so their election news was provided from BBC Television Centre in the main election studio, so a gap was required ensuring the other regions could opt out properly.
In this BBC elections studio in 1983 there were five men. They were Peter Snow, David Dimbleby, Robin Day, Michael Heseltine, and Neil Kinnock. Now 39 yrs later in 2022 four of those five men are still living. Snow, Dimbleby, Heseltine, and Kinnock are the four still alive but much older and all with white hair while Mr. Day passed away in 2000.
BBC Election 83 coverage ended at around 4.00am. However BBC 1 did not close down, they aired a film "Crooks Anonymous" until 5.25am, followed by Pages from Ceefax until Breakfast Time kicked off at 6.00am.
Yes. I was 17 and at College doing my A Levels, that night on TV I watched Hitchcock's 'North By Northwest' on ITV then watched the BBC coverage and I watched the film 'Crook's Anonymous'. I didn't go to College on the Friday.
What a thoroughly nasty and bitter crowd at Bristol East. Also shame on Benn for being so bitter and nasty to Sayeed, highly ungracious in defeat, shame as I usually liked Tony Benn as a man of decency and principle.
Benn was quite gracious about Syeed I’m his diary, but a shame his speech at the count was so pompous and full of self-importance. And yes, he had his toe-curlingly shrill fan club near the front of the hall that night!
@@mikemorgan7893 Fair play. Perhaps it is just an honorary nod for particular losing candidates and I guess she was a party leader. Perhaps lots of losing candidates get to speak but the cameras don't show it.
can anybody find the names the bbc uses for the regions throughout the video (for example at 32:20). I've tried flicking through to find them, the ones I've worked out are South West, London, South East, Midlands, North West, Wales and Scotland. I'd be very interested if anybody coudl tell me the names used by the BBC for the remaining regions.
@@davidbatthews3811 Isle of Wight is in a separate region on that map from Norfolk and even Kent more intriguing to me is that the southern part of Cumbria is lumped together with the North East
3:58:10 Conservative majority formalised, between 02:35 and 02:40 BST. Astonishingly fast compared to the 1997 and 2001 landslides (03:13 and 02:58 BST, respectively), though I'm not sure how much the fact both latter elections coincided with local elections counted "against" them
1979,2010, 2015 all had local council elections taking place on the same day 2024 could be the first time since 2015 if Rishi Sunak decides to go for May that local council elections are taking place on the same day as the General Election add to the mix City Region and London Mayoral elections and Police Commissioner Elections the logistics of counting votes FOR 4 different elections will be a nightmare if on the same day hence why Autumn/Winter 2024-25 will be favoured for the General Election
The reporter relaying the Slough result sounded emotionally devastated, absolutely heartbroken. Keep it together man, you're supposed to be neutral. The individual in the hall who shouted a threat at the SDP candidate at that count was an utter disgrace.
When you consider that Labour were dominant in Scotland in 1983 and won 40 to 50 seats there, rough guess. It shows how incredibly badly Labour did in England in 1983. Significantly worse than in 2019 under Corbyn in England. Labour did badly with a lot of suburban city areas back then, modern Labour does better in cities today even though they've lost a lot of smaller towns.
For every seat like Brighton Kemptown and Hove, once Tory strongholds, they’ve gained due to demographic changes and such they’ve lost tons of midlands, Essex/Estuary seats and Scottish seats to such an extent that I don’t see them ever winning 326 or more seats in the next 20-30 years.
It’s now mathematically easier for Labour to win an outright majority at a Westminster election with Scotland out of the Union than it is with Scotland in the Union. The difference is about 30 seats. Astonishing really.
@@pipoo1 without Scotland (if they become independent) Labour will never win again. The number of rural and semi suburban seats will always outnumber the city seats for at least the next 30-40 years. England has since 2005 been a majority Conservative country.
She was not the most beloved, are you mad? Her party won 42% of the vote, hardly a majority in 1983. She won a landslide, but not with more than 42% of the voting population. She won the landslide due to the stupid electoral system used in the UK.
Interesting to see the character of Tony Benn. The tory paid tribute to Benn and thanked him and wished him well but did Benn return the favour? Nope, not a chance in hell. In fact I think he was blaming the voters for not voting for him. Or at least that is how it came across.
You can privately congratulate someone. You also have to remember that he was figure of great stature and I think you must know yourself that he wasn't 'blaming the voters' .In fact, he thanked those who had fought to give those who voted him out , the right to vote. To do that is to recognise their voice is relevant and final so I think you assessment is ridiculous really.
@@al.b7520 Benn losing this vote was so ironic. Due to boundary changes in Bristol he realised that his existing seat was at risk. Therefore he stitched up one of his oldest colleagues-Labour's Chief Whip & Bristol South MP Michael Cocks-by getting him deselected! The constituents of Bristol South realised what Benn had done & chose Dawn Rollmeover for their next candidate as least worst option. As we know Benn was parachuted into a safe Socialist seat-Chesterfield-the very next year.
It was a drastic change by the BBC. Since 1970 they had been using a huge set in Studio TC1 at BBC Television Centre. However come 1983, that style went out of fashion and so they reduced the set, just plain desks and no multi-level being used. This was kept for 1987 election style too.
Angela Cooper : So 14 days later after your 13th birthday I myself turned 12 yrs old. However, at that time I really wasn't interested in hearing about elections or politics until a few years later when I turned 18 yrs old.
@@herondelatorre4023 I well remember at senior school learning about the political parties and my then MP Richard Shepherd. Premier Thatcher was resident in Downing Street until I was 20; I disagreed with the imposing of the Poll Tax!
@Angela Cooper Well as an American my political leader at that time was US President Ronald Reagan who became a political friend to Premier Thatcher and who led the US during the 1980's just as Thatcher led the UK government during the 1980's. When Reagan left office in Jan. 1989 I was 17 and when Thatcher left office in Nov. 1990 I was 19. Also in my country we don't have a poll tax anymore because it was banned in the mid 1960's.
David did have a long run. He was there for the election nights of 1950, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, Feb 1974, Oct 1974 and 1979 - BBC felt 10 elections was enough for him.
The BBC and ITN knew weeks in advance from the polls the conservatives were on for a huge win. Also, you mention BBC disappointment, would you consider ITN more right leaning back then? Certainly Alastair Burnet was a conservative supporter.
@@johnking5174 Burnet was slightly conservative but not very much. It's true the BBC seemed disappointed on this show, but in 1987 they seemed a lot happier.
@@ajs41 Not surprising, as Mrs Thatcher detested the BBC - she never understood public service broadcasting. Remember in 1985 she was the one who set up the Peacock Committee, to try and destroy the BBC as much as they could. However she was amazed at how in 1986 the report actually turned its fire on to ITV which I was amazed at myself. ITV receives no public money at all, but Thatcher chose to battle them instead.
Nothing compared to their dissapointment in 1992 when the Conservatives won Basildon and it became clear that the Tories might just win with a majority
Was it expected that Thatcher would get a majority on the scale that she did in this election (or that Labour would get as few seats as they did)? Just thinking back to 2019 when the Conservatives got the majority they did despite the polls up to the day all suggesting it would be lower.
the globalist world is against all kinds of conservatism, many polls here in Brazil are done just to influence certain stupid voters to vote for certain candidates who are in front or approaching only for the ego of having voted for the possible winner.
Not sure about your first point, although I see there are no on screen indents. Robin Day did appear on ITN election 1992 IIRC. This was probably his last election as I do not remember him appearing in 1997 and of course he would not appear on any subsequent elections.
I have been watching all the BBC Election broadcasts from 1955. Its a shame there was no mention of Bob Mckenzie the king of swing who died between 1979 and 1983, and also David Butler who had been a mainstay of election nights since 1950. David Dimbleby mentions Mckenzie at 1:45
@@davidbatthews3811 1979 was his last one as a member of the BBC election night team. He had been involved with every election night broadcast since 1950 ( which was the first television broadcast)
The Falklands war rescued the political career of Thatcher, and neoliberal economics was inflicted long term on Britain, with manufacturing, skilled jobs, capital and technology flying out of the country to the cheapest sources of production. America had the same under Reagan. They did so much harm.
4:22:42 = The first and only time that Norman Tebbit spoke sense, he was quite correct at the description of the political scene of June 1983 in Britain here.
The moral of this broadcast is to interview fewer Lib Dems (or their predecessors). Anyone watching this would think the main issue in 1983 was (yawn) proportional representation.
This was recorded from the BBC Parliament airing of the 1983 election coverage, meaning they aired the BBC London and the South East region, as until 1984, BBC London and South East didn't have their own dedicated regional news service, it was always provided by the BBC network presenters (until July 1983 usually the BBC Nationwide team).
David Steel's prediction of future politics about as accurate as his "go back to your constituencies and prepare for government" speech. The end of Labour as a competitor for government? - Cue Tony Blair.
No idea if you were around in 1981 when he made that speech but i was and believe me The alliance looked set for big things. The well known Tory General Galtieri helped Mrs Thatcher no end
@@dlamiss I was around in 1981. I was 18 years old and an active Labour member - still am. I remember the Alliance looked set for big things and The Falklands War helped Thatcher no end (despite the fact her government was disinvesting there and cutting back on the UK military presence for the two years prior to the Argentinian invasion!). However, it's very difficult for a third party to break the mould in UK politics., the Alliance failed in the '80's, UKIP failed in the 2010's. The Labour and Tory Parties always have the capacity to sort themselves out after a kicking from the electorate. Labour did gradually after 1983 and the Tories did, again gradually after 1997.
@@npe1 There is a great video on here Labour the wilderness years made in 1995 4 part BBC series and senior labour figures were grateful this election was held when it was as they reckoned a week later and the alliance would have gained more votes if not seats
@@npe1 I agree with all you say except, I don't think UKIP failed. That party was a vehicle for a referendum. There would never have been a referendum without UKIP let alone win it. It could be construed that as soon as the referendum was won, the job was done and they dissipated.
David Steel's prediction was hopeless, rather like him. Labour did eventually bounce back after 18 years to win power in 1997, unfortunately by ditching most of its socialist philosophy and with a closet Tory as leader. A slimy, self serving charlatan who conducted foreign policy on the basis of head voices.
--Peter Snow is here with amazing electronic gadgetry to analyze how we've been voting... --Oh, sorry, I used it to make the intro...was the election *today*?
Before the Falklands war that was going to happen. Labour had a 20% lead in the polls before the Falklands war it was an unpopular Tory government until the Falklands war happened and then this happened.
Ah, just a good old TV screen with a few fancy coloured bars to show projections. Not like now: "....And you can see the marmot changing colour as the red seats turn blue and vice versa, but watch the swinging acorn too, because if it reaches our virtual tree, then it means another five years of false promises and bullshit"
I’m a huge fan of these historic election shows, but you’ve got to admit, that without Bob McKenzie and David Butler, the BBC coverage became a bit of a dull dud. Sir Robin Day was always great, but it was refreshing to see the BBC back in the day that they could broadcast something without their Bolshevik bias showing through. It was also great seeing The great Maggie Thatcher, not only win, but give labour an almighty shellacking.
Well every broadcaster has to fresh up their election night coverage. Bob McKenzie's absence was of course down to death, as he died in October 1981. However David Butler's absence in 1983 onward was partly down to his working relationship with David Dimbleby, if you watch the 1979 election, the two David's were not exactly firm friends and warm with each other. I felt Dimbleby didn't like Butler's style.
Labour in 1983 was always going to lose. It was just by how much. They made the biggest mistake by choosing Michael Foot as leader in 1980. If they had have chosen Denis Healey in 1980, I feel Labour would have still lost, but not by the landslide that Thatcher had in 1983.
@@johnking5174 it was a little outdated for sure, but butler had a great working relationship with both Richard Dimbleby and Cliff Mitchelmore. I wonder what the beef was with Dimbleby Jnr?
@@holydiver73 Yes, when you watch Richard and Cliff, they had a more warmer relationship. Problem was, David never worked with David Butler until the 1979 election. Both Cliff and Richard had more experience of working with him. Richard of course was there from 1950 - 1964 until his sad passing in 1965. And then Cliff was at the helm from 1966 and 1970, and both men had worked with butler on other current affairs shows. David Dimbleby never did, he was always a reporter rather than a host. Also, David was younger. Remember Cliff and Richard were near in age to Butler.
Art Bezrukavenko keep him honest Thomas. When Tory government go bad wrong 1987 Thomas it had eggs in free market basket Mrs Thatcher it hold holes who told you Margaret Sweeney she legal secretary 1934 to 2006. She vote Labour party in 1997 UK general election. She knows How English Tories work in London England Thomas.
I remember that election very well. I delivered leaflets to blocks of flats in Ealing North for Labour where Tony Benn's son Hilary Benn was the candidate. I was given a list of flats to ignore because canvassing had revealed the occupants to be very anti-Labour. In all cases these (ex-council) flats had been bought by the occupants, had new oak/mahogany doors, sometimes a carriage lamp hanging outside (and in one case, a garden gnome on the landing). Labour lost in 1983 because 1) Thatcher bought the vote of many of the working class through the sale of council housing, 2) the SDP split the left vote allowing the tories to sneak victory in marginal seats. In 1987 a similar thing happened : the Lib Dems split the anti-Tory vote and Thatcher cynically conned the working class by selling them shares in the utility and transport companies that she privatised. The gullible idiots took the shares, sold them at a small profit and the City spivs then cleaned up.
it is clear that ANYONE who disagrees with 'John Taylor' is by definition a 'gullible idiot'. how DARE anyone hold a view different from John or wish to own their homes or have investments of their own!!!! who do these people think they are??? i am sure John would like the working classes to know their place!
Attitude like that shows why Labour is losing the working class. They were not "conned" or "bought off", they were given the opportunity to rise above their station and buy their own home for the first time and they took it. There is nothing wrong with that
Attributing Thatcher’s wins to the Liberals/SDP splitting the “anti-Labour” vote is a bizarre argument. No-one forced people to vote Liberal, and Labour candidates weren’t taken hostage to stop people voting for them. They were all on the ballot paper. People didn’t want to vote Labour in the 80s. That’s not the fault of the third party. And by the way, Tony Benn thought the SDP took more votes from the Tories than Labour (watch him on the Glasgow Hillhead by-election coverage).
Under Wilson and Callaghan we were achieving around a 1-2% growth rate every year. And today, we are still achieving a growth rate of 1-2% growth rate every year. We have also slipped down the league tables to being the 20th wealthiest country in the world by average wages, overtaken by much more equal countries such as Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands etc. So let's not hear any more about how the Tories have "achieved an economic miracle for Britain". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage
No, under Wilson/Callaghan we had 27% inflation, finanical chaos & endless strikes that brought the country to its knees. So let’s not hear any more (from you) about the golden age of Wilson & Callaghan.
Can’t stand how obsequious some people are about Benn. His “magnificent speech” is about the most pompous, self-indulgent speech ever made. He genuinely thought the whole election night revolved around his result!
What a contrast between Benn's and Portillo's oustings.. Portillo was dignified in 1997 , Benn was rude (talking whilst the victor was making his speech) then he made a ridiculous speech in 1983
No Benn was just plain rude and obnoxious, his conservative opponent who was victorious was dignified and gave Benn praise for having been the MP for over 30 years and thanked him. Benn couldn't even congratulate Syed! @@ysgol3
ITN's 1983 election night show is on my channel if anyone's interested. Thanks to Flora for uploading this. It used to be on my channel a few years back but I deleted it.
Hi Andrew, looking at both BBC and ITN, who do you think were the best for their 1983 election night coverage?
@@johnking5174 ITN probably had the best technology in 1983, but the analysis on BBC was maybe slightly better. But not much difference. What I'd really like to get hold of is ITV's 1979 and 1974 election programmes.
I definitely think Labour can turn this around
@aja41•,
I Have The BBC Election Coverage, BUT They Only Have 2.out of 3, Part's, I Am The First Person To Admit I Hated When Maggie Won The 1979, Vote, In March 1979, !!!!!!,. BUT I Am NOT Ashamed To Say I Got It Wrong,!!!!!,.
Dewey defats Truman 😃@@MrGoneTroppo
These old Election programmes are fascinating for British social history lovers such as me. Anyone else agree ?
True and an age when politicians had a certain gravitas; whatever party. Except for Cyril Smith of course who put Jimmy Saville in the shade in more ways than one.
Jawohl mein viewer
Yes I agree.
I love looking at these old election results from 1959 till 1992. It is a different world then.
Who else would be watching??
Never have I seen anything more '80s than the first 50 seconds of this video.
The opening to the 1987 Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship is even more 80s.
@@EuropeanQoheleth I had to look that up to see, and you're absolutely right. It's embarrassingly '80s!
OMG Yesssss!!! 🤩
The theme tune and graphics to the short lived replacement for nationwide Sixty minutes is very 80s
@@dlamiss the theme music is from Rick Wakeman’s Myths and Legends of King Arthur album.
9:00 - The poll done by the BBC here was VERY accurate to the proper 1983 result. Thatcher won a majority of 144 seats, so they were nearly spot on with their prediction. Unlike in 1987 and 1992.
1992 was their worst ever exit poll of I’m not mistaken.
@@donthaveagoodusername5345 1987 came very close to being one of their worst. At the start of the night, the BBC forecasted that Thatcher would win with a majority of just 26. In reality she had a further landslide with a whopping 102 seat majority.
Cyril smith proven to be a monster
I met him not long before this! 😳
BBC's favourite type of person^^
@davidbatthews3811 how fat was he?
They absolutely nailed the exit poll. Between Conservative and Labour, they only got 1 seat long
A Young Conservative quite unbelievable really considering how poor the exit polls were back then e.g. 1979 predicted a wide range of outcomes and 1987 predicted a very small Conservative majority at first... 1992 I needn’t say much more about!
@@josephdyson3737 It was even more accurate than in 2015, when the polling companies failed to get anyway near the results and even the exit poll still underestimated Cameron
There wasn't a proper exit poll until 1992 but yes they did get it right that time.
The 1983 and 1987 general election nights on BBC One had a different style. The studio layout was a simple one, of just two main desk areas with a few screens. When you look at the 1979 and 1992 studio designs, they were enormous and huge compared to the 1980s elections.
Always thought Michael Heseltine was a creep.
21:32 a young Peter Hitchens
Good spot
Must’ve been when he was still on the left I’ll assume. Although he gives Foot a really frosty look.
At 5:05:21 they talk about the vote count in the Islington North seat. The labour candidate who won that seat was Jeremy Corbyn. For the next 32 yrs he would make a name for himself in his political party until his election as labour party leader in 2015. Then for the next four yrs he would cause controversy and headaches for labour members which finally resulted in a much bigger election defeat in 2019 for Labour than it suffered in 1983 which would end in his downfall as party leader and later his removal as a Labour member. Quite a tumultuous history would be waiting for Mr. Corbyn.
In 2024 he contested as an independent and still held the Islington North seat.
He didn't cause headaches. I know he got things wrong but it was other people who caused most of the problems.
@chriswatson3464 I didn't say he was the main cause of labour party problems , but he was certainly one of the many problems in the party. But, you are right also in saying that there were other leaders in the party would caused problems too.
Did David Steel voice his own Spitting Image puppet?
I think Harry Enfield did.
@4:11:56 "The anti-censorship candidate is trying to shout the Prime Minister down" LOL
1983 was really the peak of Thatcherism. I must admit, even members of my family who were never Conservative party supporters voted for Thatcher in 1983, as they felt Labour under Michael Foot was a disaster for the country and the Lib/SDP alliance was weak as dish water.
I got a well paid job in 1983 which insulated me from the effects of Thatcher but "thanks" to her we have no coal mining industry and the entirety of our car manufacturing is foreign owned. Most of our utilities and train companies are foreign owned and she presided over/caused 3.25 million unemployed , the highest total since the depression. She destroyed the entire UK manufacturing base so now we sell pizza or run hotels. What do you think she did that was a plus for the country ?
@@lewisner Britain's Industry was Naturally declining, it's normal for an economy to go through a painful change like that. A similar process is happening in the US.
John King : Well, now it's 37 yrs later 2020. Do members of your family still feel that Labour is just as disastrous for the UK under Keir Starmer as it was under Corbyn and Foot???? Also what are their feelings about the LibDems or the SNP in 2020????
@@herondelatorre4023 Yes. Starmer is an arch Remainer and he was largely to blame for Labour's disastrous mess of a policy over Brexit which led to millions of Labour voters including myself concluding that we had no other choice but to vote Conservative. Not only has he kept the same same PLP of Blairite Pro EU MP's , he has suspended Corbyn and set himself against the Left. Labour as it is now will be unlikely to form a majority for the next 10-15 years.
@@lewisner Do you think Starmer's Labour MP colleagues might try to put forward a no confidence vote against him as party leader because of what he did to Corbyn????
Could someone please explain why there was so much commotion during Roy Jenkin’s speech? Around 2:22:00. Mix of Alliance enthusiasm and Labour heckling? Highly entertaining.
I suppose because he was regarded as a traitor to the Labour movement. Were the microphones deliberately tampered with, or would that be a conspiracy too far?
@@stevebbuk9557 Probably that’s going too far! But I see what you are saying. That would be sort of like the Howard Dean “scream” during the 2004 Iowa caucuses, during which the TV microphones made it sound like he was out of control when he was in reality just trying to be heard over a rowdy crowd.
That is actually quite normal for Glasgow? 🙄
Thanks I love the old elections
Cheers mate!
Ah Cyril Smith , always ready to lend a helping hand to young people.
Young boys I think you will find, seems he wasn't interested in little girls.
I was a boy in 1983 and met him a few weeks before this election.
I love the long gaps they had when they handed over to the regions for their opt outs, with London/South East having to wait slightly longer before their insert began. London/SE had no proper regional news team, so their election news was provided from BBC Television Centre in the main election studio, so a gap was required ensuring the other regions could opt out properly.
In this BBC elections studio in 1983 there were five men. They were Peter Snow, David Dimbleby, Robin Day, Michael Heseltine, and Neil Kinnock. Now 39 yrs later in 2022 four of those five men are still living. Snow, Dimbleby, Heseltine, and Kinnock are the four still alive but much older and all with white hair while Mr. Day passed away in 2000.
5:17:53 He hasn't yet told her about Sara Keays..
The announcer at the start is Michael Maine, who sadly passed away prematurely the following year.
People must have thought these graphics were the best and couldn't possibly get any better!
Beautiful clarity!
1:52:29 I've just killed Lord Gowrie: I googled him to see how he was doing only to find that he passed away a couple of weeks ago. RIP.
BBC Election 83 coverage ended at around 4.00am. However BBC 1 did not close down, they aired a film "Crooks Anonymous" until 5.25am, followed by Pages from Ceefax until Breakfast Time kicked off at 6.00am.
Yes. I was 17 and at College doing my A Levels, that night on TV I watched Hitchcock's 'North By Northwest' on ITV then watched the BBC coverage and I watched the film 'Crook's Anonymous'. I didn't go to College on the Friday.
What a thoroughly nasty and bitter crowd at Bristol East. Also shame on Benn for being so bitter and nasty to Sayeed, highly ungracious in defeat, shame as I usually liked Tony Benn as a man of decency and principle.
Benn was quite gracious about Syeed I’m his diary, but a shame his speech at the count was so pompous and full of self-importance.
And yes, he had his toe-curlingly shrill fan club near the front of the hall that night!
I'm sure losing candidates don't get to make speeches these days.
@@ro9202 you obviously didn’t hear Jo Swinsons losers speech in 2019
@@mikemorgan7893 Fair play. Perhaps it is just an honorary nod for particular losing candidates and I guess she was a party leader. Perhaps lots of losing candidates get to speak but the cameras don't show it.
@@ro9202 they show it if a notable person has lost.
can anybody find the names the bbc uses for the regions throughout the video (for example at 32:20). I've tried flicking through to find them, the ones I've worked out are South West, London, South East, Midlands, North West, Wales and Scotland. I'd be very interested if anybody coudl tell me the names used by the BBC for the remaining regions.
You only seem to have missed North East and Northern Ireland. They seem to include East in South East.
@@davidbatthews3811 Isle of Wight is in a separate region on that map from Norfolk and even Kent
more intriguing to me is that the southern part of Cumbria is lumped together with the North East
3:58:10 Conservative majority formalised, between 02:35 and 02:40 BST. Astonishingly fast compared to the 1997 and 2001 landslides (03:13 and 02:58 BST, respectively), though I'm not sure how much the fact both latter elections coincided with local elections counted "against" them
Than you Man
1979,2010, 2015 all had local council elections taking place on the same day 2024 could be the first time since 2015 if Rishi Sunak decides to go for May that local council elections are taking place on the same day as the General Election add to the mix City Region and London Mayoral elections and Police Commissioner Elections the logistics of counting votes FOR 4 different elections will be a nightmare if on the same day hence why Autumn/Winter 2024-25 will be favoured for the General Election
The reporter relaying the Slough result sounded emotionally devastated, absolutely heartbroken. Keep it together man, you're supposed to be neutral.
The individual in the hall who shouted a threat at the SDP candidate at that count was an utter disgrace.
When you consider that Labour were dominant in Scotland in 1983 and won 40 to 50 seats there, rough guess. It shows how incredibly badly Labour did in England in 1983. Significantly worse than in 2019 under Corbyn in England. Labour did badly with a lot of suburban city areas back then, modern Labour does better in cities today even though they've lost a lot of smaller towns.
For every seat like Brighton Kemptown and Hove, once Tory strongholds, they’ve gained due to demographic changes and such they’ve lost tons of midlands, Essex/Estuary seats and Scottish seats to such an extent that I don’t see them ever winning 326 or more seats in the next 20-30 years.
It’s now mathematically easier for Labour to win an outright majority at a Westminster election with Scotland out of the Union than it is with Scotland in the Union. The difference is about 30 seats. Astonishing really.
@@pipoo1 without Scotland (if they become independent) Labour will never win again. The number of rural and semi suburban seats will always outnumber the city seats for at least the next 30-40 years. England has since 2005 been a majority Conservative country.
@@wessexfox5197 correct..
@@wessexfox5197 I think England has always been a Tory majority country has it not?
40 years TODAY.
This is like a long episode of Spitting Image
Ann Widdecombe stood against David Owen, I didn't know that
This was I think, her second attempt at parliament, as she stood in Burnley in 1979.
Thatcher may have been the most beloved Prime Minister in British history. Either her or Churchill. Well done.
She was not the most beloved, are you mad? Her party won 42% of the vote, hardly a majority in 1983. She won a landslide, but not with more than 42% of the voting population. She won the landslide due to the stupid electoral system used in the UK.
If you said that purely to spark a flurry of replies and debate, you must be disappointed!!
Attlee*
Interesting to see the character of Tony Benn. The tory paid tribute to Benn and thanked him and wished him well but did Benn return the favour? Nope, not a chance in hell. In fact I think he was blaming the voters for not voting for him. Or at least that is how it came across.
You can privately congratulate someone. You also have to remember that he was figure of great stature and I think you must know yourself that he wasn't 'blaming the voters' .In fact, he thanked those who had fought to give those who voted him out , the right to vote. To do that is to recognise their voice is relevant and final so I think you assessment is ridiculous really.
@@al.b7520 Benn losing this vote was so ironic. Due to boundary changes in Bristol he realised that his existing seat was at risk. Therefore he stitched up one of his oldest colleagues-Labour's Chief Whip & Bristol South MP Michael Cocks-by getting him deselected! The constituents of Bristol South realised what Benn had done & chose Dawn Rollmeover for their next candidate as least worst option. As we know Benn was parachuted into a safe Socialist seat-Chesterfield-the very next year.
@@roddyteague6246 Your history is muddled. Read over it and then edit your reply so you can make your point.
like most hard left politicians are nasty people
@@roddyteague6246 Dawn Rollmeover!! Classic.
How fabulous is that set?
It was a drastic change by the BBC. Since 1970 they had been using a huge set in Studio TC1 at BBC Television Centre. However come 1983, that style went out of fashion and so they reduced the set, just plain desks and no multi-level being used. This was kept for 1987 election style too.
SMITH 'STRANGLED AT BIRTH' ROCHDALE.
Dick Taverne is still around today, at the age of 93.
@ajs41 : Now in 2024 , Taverne is 95 going on 96 in October and a member of the British House of Lords.
@@herondelatorre4023 Certainly is. One of my favourite retired politicians.
I well remember that day for another reason - my 13th birthday. Takes me back to adolescence!
Angela Cooper : So 14 days later after your 13th birthday I myself turned 12 yrs old. However, at that time I really wasn't interested in hearing about elections or politics until a few years later when I turned 18 yrs old.
@@herondelatorre4023 I well remember at senior school learning about the political parties and my then MP Richard Shepherd. Premier Thatcher was resident in Downing Street until I was 20; I disagreed with the imposing of the Poll Tax!
@Angela Cooper Well as an American my political leader at that time was US President Ronald Reagan who became a political friend to Premier Thatcher and who led the US during the 1980's just as Thatcher led the UK government during the 1980's. When Reagan left office in Jan. 1989 I was 17 and when Thatcher left office in Nov. 1990 I was 19. Also in my country we don't have a poll tax anymore because it was banned in the mid 1960's.
Not sure why David Butler was dumped for election coverage post '79
The BBC decided not to use academics in their results program
David did have a long run. He was there for the election nights of 1950, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1970, Feb 1974, Oct 1974 and 1979 - BBC felt 10 elections was enough for him.
The BBC's disappointment is palpable here.
The BBC and ITN knew weeks in advance from the polls the conservatives were on for a huge win. Also, you mention BBC disappointment, would you consider ITN more right leaning back then? Certainly Alastair Burnet was a conservative supporter.
@@johnking5174 Burnet was slightly conservative but not very much. It's true the BBC seemed disappointed on this show, but in 1987 they seemed a lot happier.
In 1987 they seemed pretty happy, by contrast.
@@ajs41 Not surprising, as Mrs Thatcher detested the BBC - she never understood public service broadcasting. Remember in 1985 she was the one who set up the Peacock Committee, to try and destroy the BBC as much as they could. However she was amazed at how in 1986 the report actually turned its fire on to ITV which I was amazed at myself. ITV receives no public money at all, but Thatcher chose to battle them instead.
Nothing compared to their dissapointment in 1992 when the Conservatives won Basildon and it became clear that the Tories might just win with a majority
Was it expected that Thatcher would get a majority on the scale that she did in this election (or that Labour would get as few seats as they did)?
Just thinking back to 2019 when the Conservatives got the majority they did despite the polls up to the day all suggesting it would be lower.
It was expected due to the Falklands War The Alliance vote splitting with Labour and Micheal Foots unpopularity
Thanks for explaining
the globalist world is against all kinds of conservatism, many polls here in Brazil are done just to influence certain stupid voters to vote for certain candidates who are in front or approaching only for the ego of having voted for the possible winner.
I'm glad they bloodied Benn's nose 03:01:00
I love the bit at 4:18.00 when David Dimbleby nearly wet himself after calling Margaret Thatcher "Mrs Finchley" !
Still not as good as the Mars bar moment four years later.
Is this the 2020 broadcast and was it 1992 when Robin Day did the ITN coverage
Not sure about your first point, although I see there are no on screen indents. Robin Day did appear on ITN election 1992 IIRC. This was probably his last election as I do not remember him appearing in 1997 and of course he would not appear on any subsequent elections.
I have been watching all the BBC Election broadcasts from 1955. Its a shame there was no mention of Bob Mckenzie the king of swing who died between 1979 and 1983, and also David Butler who had been a mainstay of election nights since 1950. David Dimbleby mentions Mckenzie at 1:45
IIRC David Butler did not cover the 1979 election, so 1983 was not the first election he did not cover since 1950? 🤔
@@davidbatthews3811 1979 was his last one as a member of the BBC election night team. He had been involved with every election night broadcast since 1950 ( which was the first television broadcast)
21:32 is that who I think it is?? With the stubble??!!
The Falklands war rescued the political career of Thatcher, and neoliberal economics was inflicted long term on Britain, with manufacturing, skilled jobs, capital and technology flying out of the country to the cheapest sources of production. America had the same under Reagan. They did so much harm.
Where did you find this?
Sometimes, during a long parliament recess, BBC Parliament reshows election nights.
4:22:42 = The first and only time that Norman Tebbit spoke sense, he was quite correct at the description of the political scene of June 1983 in Britain here.
Very true his comments... for then and 2019. Why the Labour Party doesn’t clock on to this I don’t understand.
@@lucastaylor2321 or even in 2022.
The moral of this broadcast is to interview fewer Lib Dems (or their predecessors). Anyone watching this would think the main issue in 1983 was (yawn) proportional representation.
Do you live in south east england & which county?
This was recorded from the BBC Parliament airing of the 1983 election coverage, meaning they aired the BBC London and the South East region, as until 1984, BBC London and South East didn't have their own dedicated regional news service, it was always provided by the BBC network presenters (until July 1983 usually the BBC Nationwide team).
David Steel's prediction of future politics about as accurate as his "go back to your constituencies and prepare for government" speech. The end of Labour as a competitor for government? - Cue Tony Blair.
No idea if you were around in 1981 when he made that speech but i was and believe me The alliance looked set for big things. The well known Tory General Galtieri helped Mrs Thatcher no end
@@dlamiss I was around in 1981. I was 18 years old and an active Labour member - still am. I remember the Alliance looked set for big things and The Falklands War helped Thatcher no end (despite the fact her government was disinvesting there and cutting back on the UK military presence for the two years prior to the Argentinian invasion!). However, it's very difficult for a third party to break the mould in UK politics., the Alliance failed in the '80's, UKIP failed in the 2010's. The Labour and Tory Parties always have the capacity to sort themselves out after a kicking from the electorate. Labour did gradually after 1983 and the Tories did, again gradually after 1997.
@@npe1 There is a great video on here Labour the wilderness years made in 1995 4 part BBC series and senior labour figures were grateful this election was held when it was as they reckoned a week later and the alliance would have gained more votes if not seats
@@npe1 I agree with all you say except, I don't think UKIP failed. That party was a vehicle for a referendum. There would never have been a referendum without UKIP let alone win it. It could be construed that as soon as the referendum was won, the job was done and they dissipated.
David Steel's prediction was hopeless, rather like him. Labour did eventually bounce back after 18 years to win power in 1997, unfortunately by ditching most of its socialist philosophy and with a closet Tory as leader. A slimy, self serving charlatan who conducted foreign policy on the basis of head voices.
Was Michael Foot too old?
4:02:00 Margaret Thatchers count
--Peter Snow is here with amazing electronic gadgetry to analyze how we've been voting...
--Oh, sorry, I used it to make the intro...was the election *today*?
3:00:33 a hilarious moment.
This election took place the year I was born 😂
I was 4 years old. Amazingly I can remember 1983 pretty well, especially watching episodes of Top of the Pops in the second half of the year.
The election took place on my 13th birthday, so memorable for that reason too. I remember it well, despite being five years away from voting age!
Woy Jenkins !
Woy of the Wadicals as Dennis Skinner once called him
0:16 that's roy Jenkins.
21:27 bearded Peter Hitchens being a twat - nothing's changed
Peter Snow's 1st GE night.
13:40 The Chief Mouser 🐈 but Esther as normal was embarrassing.
It was the victory in the Falklands in 1982 that got Maggie the 1983 Landslide.
Still a few fossils hanging onto their perch: Bill Rodgers, David Dimbleby, Dick Taverne, Roy Hattersley, Norman Tebbit.
Labor had a snowballs chance in Hades of winning.
Cyril Smith :/
I switched to Tory after this election. Labour were a joke.
11:50
Thought we might have seen Tebbit hitting Robin day with a baseball bat lol 😂
2:46:15 LIB/SDP ALLIANCE SUMMARY
I remember as 13 year old waking up hearing my socialist dad saying she has won by a landslide I am depressed 😂😝
Sorry, to say but she was the best leader of a party in the country.
The election took place on my 13th birthday, so I am the same age as you!
He actually thought Foot would win? What planet was he on?
Anthony King sounded like a Newfoundlander.
Finally somebody said it.
He may have been. I know he was born in Canada but not sure exactly where
Anyone else here cause they can't sleep.
Nice of state broadcaster to keep this but dump old Dr who
Shows how out of touch Labour were if they thought there was even the remotest chance of winning with Foot.
Before the Falklands war that was going to happen. Labour had a 20% lead in the polls before the Falklands war it was an unpopular Tory government until the Falklands war happened and then this happened.
@@thatweatherman4411 The last opinion poll before the Falklands War showed the three parties roughly neck and neck.
Michael Foot was a great man, and the fact that Britain liked that demon Thatcher better shows a lot about your country
its automatic gos right gos left
Was a bad idea for the Lib Dems (or the Alliance as they were in 1983 & 1987) to be split into 2. Kinda seemed pointless!
2:29:00 “All chiefs and no Indians?”
4:11:00 Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! In! In! In!
Celina Scott... gorgeous hey?
The anti censorship candidate @ 4hr 12 min. Trying to shout down Margaret Thatcher's acceptance speech 🤣
Yes. Blatant hypocrisy. Good luck with trying to shout Maggie down! 👍😂
4:18:01
Ah, just a good old TV screen with a few fancy coloured bars to show projections.
Not like now: "....And you can see the marmot changing colour as the red seats turn blue and vice versa, but watch the swinging acorn too, because if it reaches our virtual tree, then it means another five years of false promises and bullshit"
3:19:03 proportional representation
I think Thatcher might pull this out....lol
no, no....Foot will do it
5:22:46
Michael Foot disliked this :-)
Probably through a medium
Serves the Labour Party right though - putting a buffoon like Foot in charge instead of Tony Benn.
good old Tonty
They could well have done even worse with Benn who was massively unpopular outside a small bubble of supporters. And at least Foot kept his seat.
@@stevebaker6149 Benn was massively popular all over the country but not in the media bubble.
Not so sure about that, so we will have to agree to disagree. Diolch yn fawr.
@@stevebaker6149 Yes, diolch hefyd. All the best!
I’m a huge fan of these historic election shows, but you’ve got to admit, that without Bob McKenzie and David Butler, the BBC coverage became a bit of a dull dud. Sir Robin Day was always great, but it was refreshing to see the BBC back in the day that they could broadcast something without their Bolshevik bias showing through. It was also great seeing The great Maggie Thatcher, not only win, but give labour an almighty shellacking.
Well every broadcaster has to fresh up their election night coverage. Bob McKenzie's absence was of course down to death, as he died in October 1981. However David Butler's absence in 1983 onward was partly down to his working relationship with David Dimbleby, if you watch the 1979 election, the two David's were not exactly firm friends and warm with each other. I felt Dimbleby didn't like Butler's style.
Labour in 1983 was always going to lose. It was just by how much. They made the biggest mistake by choosing Michael Foot as leader in 1980. If they had have chosen Denis Healey in 1980, I feel Labour would have still lost, but not by the landslide that Thatcher had in 1983.
@@johnking5174 it was a little outdated for sure, but butler had a great working relationship with both Richard Dimbleby and Cliff Mitchelmore. I wonder what the beef was with Dimbleby Jnr?
@@johnking5174 yes, I agree, as Soon as Michael Foot became leader, Labour were on the back foot (no pun intended), from the start.
@@holydiver73 Yes, when you watch Richard and Cliff, they had a more warmer relationship. Problem was, David never worked with David Butler until the 1979 election. Both Cliff and Richard had more experience of working with him. Richard of course was there from 1950 - 1964 until his sad passing in 1965. And then Cliff was at the helm from 1966 and 1970, and both men had worked with butler on other current affairs shows. David Dimbleby never did, he was always a reporter rather than a host. Also, David was younger. Remember Cliff and Richard were near in age to Butler.
Terrible terrible times. Even worse than now.
great times, great times. the 1980s were the best
@@marcokite The 1990s were better
Maggie’s in the mud.
So is socialism
Art Bezrukavenko keep him honest Thomas. When Tory government go bad wrong 1987 Thomas it had eggs in free market basket Mrs Thatcher it hold holes who told you Margaret Sweeney she legal secretary 1934 to 2006. She vote Labour party in 1997 UK general election. She knows How English Tories work in London England Thomas.
I remember that election very well. I delivered leaflets to blocks of flats in Ealing North for Labour where Tony Benn's son Hilary Benn was the candidate. I was given a list of flats to ignore because canvassing had revealed the occupants to be very anti-Labour. In all cases these (ex-council) flats had been bought by the occupants, had new oak/mahogany doors, sometimes a carriage lamp hanging outside (and in one case, a garden gnome on the landing). Labour lost in 1983 because 1) Thatcher bought the vote of many of the working class through the sale of council housing, 2) the SDP split the left vote allowing the tories to sneak victory in marginal seats. In 1987 a similar thing happened : the Lib Dems split the anti-Tory vote and Thatcher cynically conned the working class by selling them shares in the utility and transport companies that she privatised. The gullible idiots took the shares, sold them at a small profit and the City spivs then cleaned up.
it is clear that ANYONE who disagrees with 'John Taylor' is by definition a 'gullible idiot'. how DARE anyone hold a view different from John or wish to own their homes or have investments of their own!!!! who do these people think they are??? i am sure John would like the working classes to know their place!
Attitude like that shows why Labour is losing the working class. They were not "conned" or "bought off", they were given the opportunity to rise above their station and buy their own home for the first time and they took it. There is nothing wrong with that
Attributing Thatcher’s wins to the Liberals/SDP splitting the “anti-Labour” vote is a bizarre argument. No-one forced people to vote Liberal, and Labour candidates weren’t taken hostage to stop people voting for them. They were all on the ballot paper.
People didn’t want to vote Labour in the 80s. That’s not the fault of the third party.
And by the way, Tony Benn thought the SDP took more votes from the Tories than Labour (watch him on the Glasgow Hillhead by-election coverage).
@@BigJim1690Look at how much a dingy flat costs in London or the South East and tell us we have not been conned? 🤔
Shirley Williams. What an awful woman.
Under Wilson and Callaghan we were achieving around a 1-2% growth rate every year. And today, we are still achieving a growth rate of 1-2% growth rate every year. We have also slipped down the league tables to being the 20th wealthiest country in the world by average wages, overtaken by much more equal countries such as Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands etc.
So let's not hear any more about how the Tories have "achieved an economic miracle for Britain".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage
Our rate of growth increased by 2-3% so it did increase, along with less strikes, more patriotism and pride in the UK.
No, under Wilson/Callaghan we had 27% inflation, finanical chaos & endless strikes that brought the country to its knees.
So let’s not hear any more (from you) about the golden age of Wilson & Callaghan.
To see at 3 hrs the wonderful Tony Benn defeated by that Tory nonentity - just awful. And what a magnificent speech he made.
Can’t stand how obsequious some people are about Benn.
His “magnificent speech” is about the most pompous, self-indulgent speech ever made. He genuinely thought the whole election night revolved around his result!
@@andrewrobinson8305 LOL I can't stand how some people can't stand others' opinions so much that they get ridiculous about them!
What a contrast between Benn's and Portillo's oustings.. Portillo was dignified in 1997 , Benn was rude (talking whilst the victor was making his speech) then he made a ridiculous speech in 1983
@@KevinBradshaw1972 One person's ridiculousness is another person's excellence.
That's how it crumbles, cookie wise.
No Benn was just plain rude and obnoxious, his conservative opponent who was victorious was dignified and gave Benn praise for having been the MP for over 30 years and thanked him.
Benn couldn't even congratulate Syed! @@ysgol3
Cyril Fecking Smith.