ABSTRACT
There are three discrete justifications for another book on the Labour Governments of 1964-1970, thereby adding to those by Ponting (1989, 1990) and Coopey, Fielding and Tiratsoo (1993). First, the latter half of the 1960s was a singularly eventful one in British politics, for this period encompassed a plethora of economic, political and social developments and difficulties which either necessitated or partly arose from governmental activity. Not only are the issues and problems of this particular period of intrinsic importance and interest to students of post-war British politics, but they also serve to reveal many of the conundrums and constraints which confront contemporary British governments in attempting to devise appropriate policies to address them. In this regard, the 1964-1970 Labour Governments were often either inhibited from pursuing particular policies, or, alternatively, obliged to respond in specific ways, owing to a combination of exogenous crises, domestic circumstances, pressure from organised interests, intra-party dissent over specific measures, and tensions within the Cabinet. It was a fascinating period in recent British political history.
