To What Extent Was The Turning Points In The Watershed Events Of 1979

1979 witnessed many pivotal moments, most notably the election of the first female British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. In relation to the topic of race relations during the Thatcher and her Conservative government’s time in office, it could be argued that 1979 was not a turning point in modern British history. A turning point can be defined as a time in which a decisive and largely significant change takes place. Thus, it is more appropriate to argue that although 1979 was not a turning point with regards to race relations under the Conservative government, it did witness preceding events that ultimately contributed to the watershed events of 1981. This essay intends use primary source analysis to prove that it was rather 1981 that acted

The leaflet principally addresses the institutional racism faced by black people in Britain, while also criticising the unjustified and unfair treatment of black people by the police. For example, it explicitly states that the police have ‘not been “protecting” [them] but keeping [them] in their] place’, suggesting that the police are oppressing and subjugating the black community. It appears that the leaflet is written not only for the black community, but also for those that are in opposition to the actions of the police towards them. It must also be noted that the document also includes a notice at the end, inviting readers to picket the Scarman enquiry. As suggested by the name of the organisation that issued this leaflet, it is fair to claim that the People against Police Occupation held grievances against the police which undoubtedly influenced their views on police behaviour to a large

This is further supported by the Nationality Act 1981, which was passed in January 1983 and transformed the concepts of nationality and citizenship; these initial conceptions played a role in encouraging the institutional racism faced by many black Britons, and suggested that Britain should remain white. Randell Hansen does very well in noting that, as shown by the Nationality Act 1981, ‘political parties…had to acknowledge the needs of ethnic minorities, even if they [preferred] to ignore them’. This could suggest that the riots of 1981 which occurred in areas around London, Liverpool and Birmingham among others forced Thatcher’s government to pass this act, despite the apprehension. Thatcher’s comment on the 1981 riots, where she states that ‘[no] one must condone the violence, the disgraceful events…they were criminal and should not have occurred’, do not explicitly label the ‘criminal’ suggesting that she may have understood the extent of brutality inflicted by the police on the protesters. However,