Research of British Politics through a nostalgic lens

GATHERING IDEAS, IMAGES AND FOOTAGE FOR POLITICAL NOSTALGIA

 So I started with the short timeline:

 Theresa May. Conservative, 2016- asap
David Cameron. Conservative, 2010 - 2016
Gordon Brown. Labour, 2007 - 2010.
Tony Blair. Labour, 1997 - 2007. 
John Major. Conservative, 1990 - 1997. 
Margaret Thatcher. Conservative, 1979 - 1990. 
James Callaghan. Labour, 1976 - 1979. 
Harold Wilson. Labour, 1974 - 1976. ...
Edward Heath. Conservative, 1970 - 1974

 In terms of visuals to represent this we could go from tinting video clips from red-blue in the pattern of the conservative/labour governments.

 I found some quality moments in this video "funny house of commons moments": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bhpXhxP-WU. especially Gordon Brown's stutter at 2:55. Its not great quality but its a good starting point, I am sure we could find better.

Bits of Clips I have found in my research:

"I find myself rearranging my points of view
    There isn't much I could do
      Despite my fear it helps to
        Share my nostalgia with you"



        historical points of reference that we could draw on in British politics since the 1950s, I have included the ones which I feel have been most culturally impactful and could be convey the theme of nostalgia in some ways:




      1. (basically the 50s) 18 April 1949- The Republic of Ireland Act (1948) came into force on Easter Monday, April 1949, ending vestigial British authority in Eire. Under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, the British crown had retained some authority in the Irish Free State, although this was limited by the 1937 constitution. The 1948 Act repealed the External Relations Act and took Eire out of the Commonwealth.

        2.
      2. 8 June 1949 George Orwell's novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is published. Orwell's novel was a bleak political account of the future, in which big government had created a destructive totalitarianism which denied both human values and the truth. The novel made a major impact - such that it contributed the phrase 'Big Brother' to the language - and was seen as an attack on the Soviet Union.

        3.
      3. 5 April 1955 Winston Churchill retires as prime minister

        4.
      4. 22 September 1955 Commercial television starts with the first ITV broadcast. 

        5.
      5. 30 July 1966 England win the football World Cup: England defeated West Germany in the World Cup final, which was held at Wembley and watched by 93,000 people in the stadium and 400 million people around the world on television. Geoff Hurst became the first - and thusfar only - player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final when he powered home his third goal in the final moments of extra time, giving England a decisive 4-2 victory.

        6.
      6. 1967 Abortion and homosexuality are legalised: A number of Acts of Parliament in this period reflected the changing social climate. As well as the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which legalised homosexuality between men over 21, and the 1967 Abortion Act which legalised abortion under certain conditions, there was also the 1969 Divorce Reform Act and the 1970 Equal Pay Act.

        7.
      7. 1979-1990 :important to include some sort of reference of nostalgic footage of Margaret Thatcher, the worker's strikes and the violence in Ireland, privatisation!!! big events over this period.

        8.
      8. 31 August 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in Paris [maybe the reference to this in the rapid footage could be first an image of a commemorative plate as one form of nostalgia and then some sort of conspiracy meme second image quite quickly to show how big politicised events are interpreted/ nostalgicised(?) by different generations?]

        9.
      9. 2000 turn of the millenuim, and "relief that the 'millennium bug', which had been predicted to cause global computer meltdown, failed to materialise." ??? Lol. 2001-2003 major events and references to "the war on terror" of course that might be worth looking into. I may do a blog post on Nostalgia and Terror. Stay tuned.

        10.
      10. 2008 global financial crisis, 2010 David Cameron/nick Clegg coalition, (we have to make some sort of pig joke if this gets included, maybe even using a clip from black mirror?) and 2016 B R E X I T nostalgia and nationalism imagery.


        11. Im going to keep collecting but here is a start!
        love and light, sorry I have been lazy and ill this week,

        Posted by Kat

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