RNI and the 1970 General Election - Paul Rowley

Surprise election results are nothing new. In 1970, the Conservatives rallied a majority of 30 even though most opinion polls predicted a very different result, and bristling Ted Heath duly replaced the raincoat of Harold Wilson at Number Ten.

It was a noteworthy election as the voting age was lowered to 18 for the first time, and spotty youths hurried to the ballot box on the way to the pub.

For radio, if was significant too. This new Government was to announce it would introduce commercial radio, as it did with the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972. It was also an election where one radio station was to break the rules - and openly rally support for a party. Having been jammed by the British government, the pirate Radio Northsea International, anchored just off the coast, vented its frustration by urging voters to turn Right. Its impact was compounded by the tactical adoption of the fond 'Radio Caroline' brand, a name which elicited painful memories of the role Harold Wilson had seemingly played in taking away their favourite pirate music stations three years previously.

Whether or not the station did play an appreciable role in this political surprise is a matter for debate, as explored brilliantly in this documentary by Paul Rowley.