I cannot remember whether I had a bet on the 1970 General Election but if I did I certainly did not foresee the extraordinary victory of Edward Heath’s Conservative party. Everybody had written him off and Harold Wilson, it is said, had not even put in place the most rudimentary of removal plans in case he had to get out of Number 10.

Whenever people talk about election certainties I always think of Heath’s achievement.

His term in office was dominated by Britain joining the EEC, the oil crisis of 1973 and his fight with the National Union of Miners which eventually was his undoing.

I have chosen the excellent Heath on a skate board picture because it gives a flavour of the time and the humour in the man. This comes from the excellent http://www.statesmanorskatesman.co.uk/ site which is a great resource of images of politicians doing extraordinary things.

Mike Smithson