1948: The New Social Services and the Citizen
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On the eve of the introduction of the new Social Service schemes, Prime Minister Clement Attlee explains how he believes they will benefit the country. He describes the aims of the four new schemes, the National Insurance Act, Industrial Injuries Act, National Assistance and the National Health Service, and states his belief that they will improve the country's health and happiness.
Mr Attlee was a famously quiet and unassuming man; in fact Winston Churchill said he was "a modest man who has a good deal to be modest about". However, modern commentators see him as one of this country's most effective and efficient prime ministers. In 2006, he and Margaret Thatcher were jointly ranked as the greatest prime ministers of the 20th century in BBC History Magazine.
This clip was originally broadcast 4 July 1948.
