Unions had especially important influence in framing the Labour Party's policy. Union leaders could deploy the votes (in elections to decide Labour policy) of all of their members who paid the political levy, as they wished. What is this system called?

The world of employment and industrial relations was a volatile one between 1951 and 1979. Britain was heavily unionised during the period, and trade unions accordingly wielded considerable power. By the 1960s, however, relations between unions and governments deteriorated - even between the unions and their traditional allies, the Labour party. When a new Tory administration emerged in 1979, this tension was likely to come to a head.