The Brink

Liverpool in the 1980s

Published: 10 February 2020 at 02:00 UTC

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Episode notes

In this episode, Julia Rampen travels back to 1980s Liverpool, where the Militant-controlled council is poised to clash with Margaret Thatcher.

By 1980, a city once known for its millionaires is almost unrecognisable.

The docks lie empty. Hundreds of factories have closed, taking thousands and thousands of jobs with them. One in four workers is unemployed.

Margaret Thatcher's cutting money to local government is hitting Liverpool the hardest.

Julia speaks to those who remember the desperate days in the city, where houses became slums, and the government prepares for managed decline.

Presented and produced by Julia Rampen

Edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin