| ACAS | Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service |
| ACP | Advisory Committee on Policy |
| AEU | Amalgamated Engineering Union |
| CBI | Confederation of British Industry |
| CPRS | Central Policy Review Staff |
| CPS | Centre for Policy Studies |
| DTI | Department of Trade and Industry |
| ECSC | European Coal and Steel Community |
| EEC | European Economic Community |
| EFTA | European Free Trade Area |
| EMU | European Monetary Union |
| ERM | Exchange Rate Mechanism |
| FCO | Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
| HAC | Honourable Artillery Company |
| IRA | Irish Republican Army |
| JCR | Junior Common Room |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organisation |
| NCB | National Coal Board |
| NEDC | National Economic Development Council |
| NIBMAR | No Independence Before Majority African Rule |
| NIRC | National Industrial Relations Court |
| NUM | National Union of Mineworkers |
| NUR | National Union of Railwaymen |
| OUCA | Oxford University Conservative Association |
| PEST | Political, Economic and Social Toryism |
| pps | Parliamentary Private Secretary |
| RPM | Resale Price Maintenance |
| RUC | Royal Ulster Constabulary |
| SDLP | Social and Democratic Labour Party |
| SDP | Social Democratic Party |
| SET | Selective Employment Tax |
| TGWU | Transport and General Workers’ Union |
| TUC | Trades Union Congress |
| UCS | Upper Clyde Shipbuilders |
| UDI | Unilateral Declaration of Independence |
| UNCTAD | United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |
| VAT | Value Added Tax |
