Liberal Leaderships As the Liberal Democrats enter their second leadership context, Robert Ingham looks at contests of the past.

As Liberal Democrats consider who will lead their draw in turn, while the others discussed his suit- ability. At least one of the MPs who was well party into the next century, it is worth looking back qualified for the office, Hopkin Morris, refused at the ways in which Liberal Party leaders were to allow his name to be considered in this man- ner. But at least the selection was made, and on selected and elected in the post-war period. The  August they were able to announce that Clem- Liberal Party had four post- leaders – Clement ent Davies had been chosen Chairman. Davies, , and Davies’ position was thus reminiscent of Sir – and each emerged in a different way. Donald MacLean, who chaired the Liberal Par- liamentary Party during the  Parliament, while being overshadowed by Lloyd George, out of the party but Prime Minister, and H. H. Asquith, out of Parliament but still regarded as Sir Archibald Sinclair’s unexpected defeat in the leader of the Wee Frees. Unlike Asquith, how-  general election left the Liberal Party be- ever, Sinclair was not able to regain his place reft of leadership in the House of Commons. in the House of Commons. Davies was re- Sinclair’s rapid return to the House was widely elected as Chairman in  and then again in expected in Liberal circles, particularly because  and . Gandar Dower’s refusal to re- Gandar Dower, the Tory victor in Caithness & sign his seat in  seemed to establish Davies Sutherland, had promised to resign his seat on as the fully-fledged Liberal leader, and his po- the defeat of Japan. Consequently, a chairman sition was enhanced by the failure of an at- of the Liberal MPs for just one session of Par- tempt to replace him with Megan Lloyd liament was sought. George in . Davies’ own view was that his Roy Douglas describes the appointment of  later ‘re-elections’ were token confirmations of Clement Davies in the following way: the  decision. Sir Archibald Sinclair and some of his closest associates met to discuss the question. Sinclair and Sir Percy Harris [Liberal Chief Whip prior Jo Grimond to his defeat in ] first approached Gwilym Two interpretations of Jo Grimond’s ascension Lloyd George, but he refused, largely because to the Liberal leadership have been offered. he could not afford the incidental expenses Douglas contends that: which the office would entail. He was also offered – and also refused – the Chairman- The retirement of from the ship of the Liberal National Party about the Conservative leadership, and of Clement Attlee same time. When the new House met, he was from the Labour leadership, led to a certain offered a place on the Opposition front bench movement for the replacement of Clement by Winston Churchill. Gwilym Lloyd George Davies by a younger Chairman of the Liberal replied that he would only sit as a Liberal. MPs. This movement was not perceptible to Churchill’s reply was characteristic: ‘And what the rank-and-file of the party, who were well the hell else should you sit as?’ But Liberals satisfied, but was noticeable among some of the soon came to the conclusion that he was ef- more senior members. At the  Assembly, fectively supporting the Conservatives. to the real sorrow of many delegates, Clement Thus the selection of the Chairman was left Davies resigned his office … The choice of a to the Liberal MPs, without the benefit of the successor was predetermined. One of the five advice of senior members of the party. The re- remaining Liberal MPs, Sir Rhys Hopkin Mor- maining MPs knew little of each other’s capa- ris, was Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, bilities, and several of them had not even met which debarred him from active party work. before the election. They adopted the remark- Two others, Donald Wade and Arthur Holt, able expedient of asking each member to with- could not hope to hold their seats if the Con-

journal of liberal democrat history 23: summer 1999 3 servatives chose to oppose them, Davies’ and Grimond’s selections. all expressed their disquiet before the and dependence of this kind would On this occasion, the Liberal MPs Thorpe ballot. This led to pressure be highly embarrassing for the Lib- decided to hold a ballot amongst for a change to the system by which eral Party. A fourth MP, Roderic themselves. Controversially, the elec- Liberal leaders would be elected in Bowen, was too busy with his le- tion was scheduled for the day fol- future. The contest between David gal practice. This only left one man: lowing Grimond’s formal resigna- Steel and John Pardoe following Jo Grimond, the Chief Whip. On     November  he was there- tion, January , decided by a Thorpe’s resignation in was set- fore elected Chairman of the Lib- vote of eight to four. tled by a weighted one-member eral MPs. Thorpe won six votes, to three one-vote system, the most extensive for Hooson and three for Lubbock. ballot then held for the leadership Douglas is surely right in describing Wainwright had not allowed his of a national party. Some , Lib- Grimond as the only viable alterna- name to go forward for the election. eral members expressed their pref- tive leader to Davies, but understates Although the ballot was secret, the erences at constituency level, with the extent to which the party rank- details were leaked to those votes being converted into ‘na- and-file were aware of, and supported, and published on  January . tional votes’ by a complicated moves to replace Davies. Grimond Thorpe was backed by his fellow weighting system. This generated a  had starred at the Assembly, West Country MPs, Peter Bessell and national result of , ‘votes’ for when Davies had been too ill to at- John Pardoe, as well as by David Steel and , ‘votes’ for Pardoe. tend. Speculation was rife in news- Steel, Jo Grimond and James The SDP went further in adopt- papers, including the Guardian and Davidson. Lubbock was backed by ing a straightforward one-member News Chronicle, in the run-up to the Michael Winstanley and Richard one-vote system. The same system  Assembly, that Davies would Wainwright; Hooson by Alistair was used in the Liberal Democrats soon resign. Grimond received a tu- Mackenzie and Russell Johnston. in  and again this year. multuous response by the Assembly, Beaumont recounts that this im- Robert Ingham is a historical writer. making a self-deprecating speech on passe was not resolved by a consid- a motion about automation that he eration of the second preferences Notes: stood ‘not as the Great White Hope expressed for Lubbock and Hooson,  R. Douglas, History of the Liberal Party of the Liberal Party, but as the Great as all transferred to each other. Fol- – (Sidgwick and Jackson, ),  White Hope of Kingston & Surbiton lowing a meeting of the three can- p. .  J. S. Rasmussen, The Liberal Party: a study Liberal Association’. The Guardian didates, Lubbock and Hooson with- reported after the Assembly that ‘del- of retrenchment and revival (Constable, drew their candidatures, and Thorpe ), pp. –. egates to the made was elected unanimously.  Douglas, p. . it unmistakably clear today that Mr.  Rasmussen, The Liberal Party, pp. –; Joseph Grimond was their candidate Jo Grimond largely backs the Rasmussen for the position of leader-elect of the David Steel account in his Memoirs (Heinneman,    Liberal Party … he left the Assembly ), pp. – . Many Liberals outside the House of  Liberal Democrat History Group Newsletter as crown prince’. Party leaders, in- Commons were annoyed that the  (June ). cluding , had indi-  leadership election had taken  The Journal would be grateful if any cated that Davies’ tenure as leadership place with such little time allowed reader could give a more detailed descrip- was drawing to a close. It was in this tion of the voting system employed in for consultation of the wider party.  atmosphere that Davies tendered his and the negotiations which pre- The Young Liberals, Liberal council- ceded its adoption – neither seems to have resignation, in the closing speech to lors, and some regional federations been the subject of academic study, as yet. the Assembly.

Jeremy Thorpe Read about Liberal leaders in: Following the  election, Jo The Dictionary of Liberal Biography Grimond indicated that he would £25.00 (plus £2.50 P & P for postal or telephone orders) from: resign as Liberal leader. There were eleven possible candidates to replace Monday – Friday 9.00am – 6.30pm him, of whom Jeremy Thorpe, Ri- Saturday 10.00am – 6.00pm chard Wainwright, Emlyn Hooson Sunday 11.00am – 5.00pm and Eric Lubbock were the main contenders. Tim Beaumont’s recol- 8 Artillery Row, Westminster, London SW1P 1RZ lections of the manoeuvrings within Tel: 0171 828 0010 Fax: 0171 828 8111 the party prior to Thorpe’s election email: politico’[email protected] web: http://www.politicos.co.uk are probably characteristic of the ne- gotiations which preceded both Britain’s Premier Political Bookstore

4 journal of liberal democrat history 23: summer 1999 fairs. The chapter is littered with ex- amples of occasions where high- A Liberal Democrat History Group Fringe Meeting minded Liberal principles con- flicted with the everyday reality of 1974 Remembered world affairs. In many ways, Grey was the epitome of this contradic- The two elections of 1974 formed the peak of the tion. The fundamental objective of second post-war Liberal revival, giving the party six mil- liberalism in foreign affairs was the lion votes but no more than fourteen MPs. A wide range negation of a balance of power, for of participants in the campaigns – including Tim this implied that nations were in- herently hostile to one another and Beaumont, Viv Bingham, , Sir Cyril Smith, it limited freedom of manoeuvra- Paul Tyler MP and Richard Wainwright – share their bility. Yet the threat of Germany recollections of the elections of twenty-five years ago. forced Grey to make overtures to France and Russia, thereby accept- 8.00pm, Sunday 19 September ing the notion of a balance of power. The outbreak of war in  Committee Room, Majestic Hotel, Harrogate seemed to be yet another nail in the coffin for liberalism. There is little ambiguity in the Notes: seem to me desirable, are such as may impression that Bernstein wants his  P. F. Clarke, Lancashire and the New Liber- secure the public from falling into readers to go away with. The final alism (: Cambridge Univer- error, by being led to believe that  sentence could not be clearer: ‘If sity Press, ). partners who have only a limited re- class-based politics were coming, so  M. Pugh, ‘Yorkshire and the New Lib- eralism’, Journal of Modern History , sponsibility, are liable to the whole was the decline of the Liberal Party D. extent of their property. For this pur- – not imminently, perhaps, but even- poses, it would probably be expedi- tually and inevitably.’ The question ent, that, the names of the limited was, how much longer would tradi- Mill on Limited Liability partners, with the amount for which tional liberal issues continue to ap- each was responsible, should be re- peal to the electorate? There were Partnerships corded in a register, accessible to all  already signs by that the work- persons; and it might also be re- continued from page  ing classes no longer placed their corded, whether the whole, or if not, faith in that Gladstonian relic known The only regulations on the sub- what portion of the amount, had as the Liberal Party. ject of limited partnerships which been paid up. If these particulars were made generally accessible, concerns in which there were limited partners History Group Publications would present in some respects a Following the success of the Dictionary of Liberal Biography, the History greater security to the public than Group will be publishing more books in association with Politico’s – and private firms now afford; since there readers of the Journal of Liberal Democrat History are invited to help. are at present no means of ascertain- ing what portion of the funds with The Dictionary of Liberal Quotations is scheduled for September 1999, part which a firm carries on business may of a set of three political quotations books. consist of borrowed capital. Great Liberal Speeches, intended for publication during 2000. This book will No one, I think, can consistently include the full texts of around thirty famous speeches by Liberal politicians, condemn these partnerships without with commentaries. being prepared to maintain that it is desirable that no one should carry An Oral History of Twentieth-Century Liberalism. A thematic study of the on business with borrowed capital; Liberal Party and liberalism, drawing upon interviews with Liberal activists in other words, that the profit of and politicians, as well as autobiographical sources. business should be wholly monopo- Dictionary of Liberal Biography, 2nd edition, provisionally scheduled for lised by those who had had time to 2002 or 2003 – but we would like to hear ideas now for the inclusion of accumulate, or the good fortune to major figures omitted from the first edition. inherit capital; a proposition, in the Please write with ideas, on these and on any other potential books, to present state of commerce and in- Duncan Brack, Flat 9, 6 Hopton Road, London SW16 2EQ; dustry, evidently absurd. [email protected]. (signed) J. S. Mill

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