What Was The 'Winter Of Discontent'?

The so-called 'Winter of Discontent' ~ the phrase comes from Shakespeare's Richard III ~ was the period in British history between late 1978 and early 1979. It was characterised by a large number of workers' strikes, particularly in the public sector, which had been provoked by Labour Prime Minister Jim Callaghan's policy of attempting to enforce wage restraint at a time of high inflation.

The images of rubbish uncollected and corpses unburied made a deep impression on the British public and helped precipitate the fall of the Labour government in 1979, following a vote of no confidence in parliament, and the subsequent rise to power of a Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher.

Political folk memories of the 'Winter of Discontent' still play a significant part in British political discourse, being referenced frequently whenever strikes bring significant disruption, or when the Labour party ~ the party traditionally associated with the trade unions ~ appears too indulgent of trade union concerns.