Skip to main content
Strikes at home and war abroad: 1973 meets 2023
A proxy war raged in Vietnam between the West and East, while strikers took on a Tory government — JOHN ELLISON considers the similarities
YEAR OF UNREST: Union marchers on the mass May Day demo, 1973

IF a comparison between today’s political issues and developments and those of just half a century ago seems a peculiar historical exercise, the fact remains that the early months of 1973 and those of the present year have features in common.

This year, of course, we have been witnessing rapid price inflation and much industrial action affecting the railways, health service, schools, universities, Royal Mail, civil servants and more — against a background of Conservative harsh austerity rule for the past 13 years.

As 1973 began, a Conservative government had been in place since June 1970, with dour Edward Heath at the Downing Street helm. Inflation was then rising rapidly too. On January 6 the Morning Star’s headline was “Steak for rich — scrag for pensioners.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
LEGENDS: A Maquis detachment in La Tresorerie hamlet near Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, September 14 1944, pic: Donald I Grant, Department of National Defence/CC
VE Day / 8 May 2025
8 May 2025

JOHN ELLISON recalls the momentous role of the French resistance during WWII

THE STRUGGLE NEVER STOPPED: Mikis Theodorakis and Liesbeth L
Features / 15 November 2024
15 November 2024
JOHN ELLISON looks back to the 1974 general election in Greece which freed the people from the oppressive military junta
Harold Wilson arrives in Downing St, 1974
Features / 31 July 2024
31 July 2024
JOHN ELLISON looks back at the Wilson government’s early months, detailing how left-wing manifesto commitments were diluted, and the challenges faced by Tony Benn in implementing socialist policies
An injured Palestinian boy is carried from the ground follow
Features / 11 January 2024
11 January 2024
Robert Fisk and John Pilger knew that the legacy of the aggression of the US and its allies against the Middle East was crucial to understanding that crimes like the war on Gaza will only lead to more violence, writes JOHN ELLISON
Similar stories
Ho declaration webpic.jpg
Features / 30 April 2025
30 April 2025

KYRIL WHITTAKER looks at what guides Vietnam 50 years after reunification
 

Hanoi – Amsterdam High School, awarded the 2nd degree Labo
Features / 5 April 2025
5 April 2025
LOGAN WILLIAMS believes there are lessons to be learned from Vietnam’s education system whose excellence is recognised internationally
A TELLING REPOSTE: ‘Macron, life is not an Excel spreadshe
Book Review / 30 May 2024
30 May 2024
RON JACOBS recommends an evocative novel that explores the time that Ho Chi Minh spent in Paris