Now, like many in the Labour movement I grew up with the idea that Ramsey McDonald, the first Labour Prime Minister was a traitor, who split the Party in 1931, and went into a National Government with the Tories and Liberals.
And if that were not enough he then went on to call a General Election which resulted in the decimation of the Parliamentary Labour Party and left him leading a National Government of 550 MPs of which 470 were Conservatives.*
So deep was the sense of betrayal that trade union banners carrying the faces of Keir Hardie and Ramsey McDonald had McDonald’s eyes cut out, and as late as the 1960s, when his name was mentioned at ward meetings I attended, older Party members didn’t disguise their hatred of the man.
So, I listened with interest to Tuesday's edition of Great Lives on Radio 4, which explored the life and career of Ramsey Mac.**
The broad outline of that life I knew, but the programme filled in gaps, and raised a number of interesting points from the comment of Michael Foot that MacDonald “was a spellbinding public speaker [who] went wrong” , to the observation that many leaders of the Party have at some point been accused of betraying the Party, by one group or another.
And while the programme didn’t change my opinion that he did betray the Party, there was much in his early career that deserves to be acknowledged as progressive.
So one to listen to.
Ramsay Macdonald, Labour's first Prime Minister, chosen by Shaun Ley.
“In 1931 Ramsay MacDonald went to see the king in order to resign. George V persuaded him to stay, and a story of party betrayal began. Broadcaster Shaun Ley and journalist Anne Perkins pick though events that have a contemporary ring as the political class of the thirties struggled to cope with fast moving events. MacDonald's own story and background is remarkable too - illegitimate son, born in Lossiemouth in Scotland, he is remembered as one of the early founding fathers of the Labour party, and a man who bravely spoke out against the First World War.
The presenter is Mathew Parris, the producer in Bristol is Miles Warde”.
Picture; Labour Party banner, 1980, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
*At the General Election, Labour lost 235 MPs, including Arthur Henderson who had been leader of the Party. The new parliament consisted of 470 Tory MPs, 52 Labour and 35 National Liberals, the Tories gained 55% of the popular vote, with Labour on 6.5% and the National Liberals on 3.7% with a swing to the Tories of 16.9%,
**Ramsay Macdonald, Labour's first Prime Minister, chosen by Shaun Ley. First Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007ww4
So deep was the sense of betrayal that trade union banners carrying the faces of Keir Hardie and Ramsey McDonald had McDonald’s eyes cut out, and as late as the 1960s, when his name was mentioned at ward meetings I attended, older Party members didn’t disguise their hatred of the man.
So, I listened with interest to Tuesday's edition of Great Lives on Radio 4, which explored the life and career of Ramsey Mac.**
The broad outline of that life I knew, but the programme filled in gaps, and raised a number of interesting points from the comment of Michael Foot that MacDonald “was a spellbinding public speaker [who] went wrong” , to the observation that many leaders of the Party have at some point been accused of betraying the Party, by one group or another.
And while the programme didn’t change my opinion that he did betray the Party, there was much in his early career that deserves to be acknowledged as progressive.
So one to listen to.
Ramsay Macdonald, Labour's first Prime Minister, chosen by Shaun Ley.
“In 1931 Ramsay MacDonald went to see the king in order to resign. George V persuaded him to stay, and a story of party betrayal began. Broadcaster Shaun Ley and journalist Anne Perkins pick though events that have a contemporary ring as the political class of the thirties struggled to cope with fast moving events. MacDonald's own story and background is remarkable too - illegitimate son, born in Lossiemouth in Scotland, he is remembered as one of the early founding fathers of the Labour party, and a man who bravely spoke out against the First World War.
The presenter is Mathew Parris, the producer in Bristol is Miles Warde”.
Picture; Labour Party banner, 1980, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
*At the General Election, Labour lost 235 MPs, including Arthur Henderson who had been leader of the Party. The new parliament consisted of 470 Tory MPs, 52 Labour and 35 National Liberals, the Tories gained 55% of the popular vote, with Labour on 6.5% and the National Liberals on 3.7% with a swing to the Tories of 16.9%,
**Ramsay Macdonald, Labour's first Prime Minister, chosen by Shaun Ley. First Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007ww4
Very interesting post I suspect Nick Clegg didnt learn the lesson of this history Maybe Ramsay was also of the opinion that he couls assuage the worst excesses of Tory policies
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