Liberal history news winter 2010–11

Liberal history news is a new regular feature in the This was the title of his new Community politics forty Journal (except in special themed 700-page biography of Lloyd years on issues), reporting news of meet- George launched at the National t the Eastbourne Lib- ings, conferences, commemora- Liberal Club in London just eral Assembly in 1970, tions, dinners or any other events, a week earlier and published Acommunity politics was together with anything else of by Little, Brown. Mr Andrew officially endorsed as an integral contemporary interest to our Green, Librarian of the NLW, part of the strategy of the Liberal readers. Contributions are very took the chair at the lecture, and Party. Graham Lippiatt reports welcome; please keep them rea- the vote of thanks was delivered on a discussion on the topic held sonably concise, and accompany by Dr J. Graham Jones, Head of at the West Midlands regional them, if possible, with photos. the Welsh Political Archive at conference. Email to the Editor on journal@ the Library. The theoretical foundation liberalhistory.org.uk This is the first substantial of community politics was that single-volume biography of Lloyd Liberals should assist people to George to be published since take and use power in their own Roy Hattersley lectures at Peter Rowland’s mammoth tome communities. The practical appli- Aberystwyth saw the light of day in 1975, and it cation was that Liberals would he Drwm at the National has been generally well received. produce community newsletters, Library of Wales was packed During the course of his research report back on political activity, Ton the evening of Thursday and reading for the biography, work with individuals and com- 23 September 2010 when Lord the author had already spent a munity groups, collect petitions (Roy) Hattersley delivered a pub- period at the NLW in January and find out what people wanted lic lecture on the theme ‘Lloyd 2009 making widespread use in their locality through surveys George: the Great Outsider’. of the extensive Lloyd George and ‘grumble sheets’. This soon J. Graham Jones reports. archives and other relevant source led to success in local government materials in the custody of the elections, pioneered by activists Library. He had also quarried the like Sir Trevor Jones (‘Jones the Lloyd George Papers deposited at Vote’) in Liverpool, and laid the the Parliamentary Archive at the foundations for a revival of Lib- House of Lords. eral fortunes in the aftermath of Lord Hattersley spoke fluently the poor performance of the 1970 without recourse to notes for general election. about forty minutes to an obvi- In 1980, The Theory and Practice ously enthralled audience which of Community Politics, written by clearly warmed to the speaker as Bernard Greaves and Gordon he eagerly related many captivat- Lishman, was published as an ing anecdotes about Lloyd George Association of Liberal Coun- and his family. His political career cillors campaign booklet. The and complex personal and fam- document made the philosophical ily life were well covered. Many principles on which community pertinent questions were asked at politics was based more widely the end, and several copies of the understood and became a Liberal book were then purchased in the handbook for local government Library shop. campaigning. The biography will be While community politics reviewed, by Tomy Greaves, in has been the jewel in the Liberal a future edition of the Journal of crown since 1970 it is always Liberal History. worthwhile revisiting the givens

4 Journal of Liberal History 69 Winter 2010–11 liberal history news in politics and to do so, a fringe Lord Rothermere, the owner A paper ‘that as Michael Foot put it, and was at discussion meeting was organised of the Daily Mail, and Laurence the forefront of the battle against at the West Midlands Liberal Cadbury, owner of the News shouldn’t fascism at home and abroad. Democrats regional conference Chronicle, expressed ‘regret’ at By 1960, though, the paper on 20 November at Church Stret- the passing of the paper (along have died’, was clearly one of the weaker ton in Shropshire. The meeting with the Star, its London evening players in Fleet Street. But despite examined the background to the sister), reported the Mail. But in the words speculation about its future, the adoption of the community poli- ‘mounting costs and continued eventual demise of the Chronicle tics strategy and considered some losses’ had made it ‘impossible’ of the Ency- (and the Star) still came as a bolt of the present-day challenges to for the Chronicle to continue as ‘a from the blue, resulting in 3,500 community politics as a distinc- separate entity’, it claimed, before clopaedia of staff (including 300 journalists) tively Liberal approach. It was adding that Cadbury believed the the British being thrown out of work. There delivered in morning and after- two papers had ‘much in common was also anger among staff that noon sessions, chaired by Graham in the integrity of their reporting Press, met a Cadbury had sold out to the Daily Lippiatt, Secretary of the Liberal and honesty of their outlook’. Mail of all papers – the two were Democrat History Group, and Few were taken in by the sug- sad and sorry chalk and cheese politically. was addressed by Gordon Lish- ary words and ‘the brutal way Fifty years on, it still beggars man, joint author of The Theory in which it was done to death end, while belief that a newspaper with a and Practice of Community Politics remains one of the darkest chap- circulation of around 1.2 mil- and the person who both drafted ters in Fleet Street’s murky his- the Liberal lion – selling more than today’s the original motion at Eastbourne tory,’ says Derek Jameson, the Times, Guardian and Independent and summed up in the debate former Fleet Street editor. Just Party was combined – could disappear over- there. The full break-out rooms about every national carried an night. So who was to blame for its seemed to enjoy the mixture of obituary. The Guardian said: ‘To deprived of demise? debate and nostalgia. write dispassionately about the Within days of Cadbury sell- death of friends is not easy.’ Even its last cheer- ing the News Chron to Rother- the Conservative-supporting mere for £2m, news emerged of Who killed the News Chronicle? Daily Express was magnanimous, leader in the other possible suitors, including ifty years ago after the declaring: ‘Last night a fine news- Sir Christopher Chancellor, famous Liberal News paper died. Families grew up popular press chairman of Odhams (which FChronicle disappeared, York with the paper: it was their voice. owned the Daily Herald), and Membery reports on its fate. Now that voice is stilled.’ Lord Beaverbrook. But by then it Few national newspapers can Some titles were particularly was too late. The leading Liberal, have met so sad and sudden an critical about the News Chron’s Jeremy Thorpe, complained that end as the News Chronicle, which choice of ‘saviour’. The Daily Mir- at no time prior to the ‘merger’ ‘died’ fifty years ago, disappear- ror called it ‘a shotgun romance – had party leaders been told that ing overnight despite boasting a nuptial ceremony between Like the paper was likely to close. If it a circulation of over a million and Unlike, with Dis-like as the had, he claimed, ‘the necessary – more than many of today’s best man.’ But it was too late, and money would have been raised’ nationals. Jo Grimond, the Liberal Party to save a paper which he and his On the morning of October leader, could only say hopefully: colleagues believed was ‘vital’ to 17, 1960 – ‘Black Monday’ as ‘I trust that the Daily Mail will the Liberal interest. it would become known – the maintain the high standards and Some have argued that the newspaper, Liberal at heart to the liberal outlook associated for so News Chron was killed off by end, appeared as normal. The long with the newspaper.’ the print unions and overstaff- paper had been losing circulation, The Liberal–leaning, if some- ing. Others blame the manage- and there was speculation about times Labour-supporting (it ment. The truth is that for all the its future. But staff turning up at backed Labour in 1945, 1950 and Cadbury family’s support over the its offices in Bouverie Street (off 1951 but called for a big Liberal years, by 1960 Laurence Cadbury Fleet Street) that day were sent vote in 1955 and 1959) News Chron seems to have lost the will to keep out on assignment as usual. As had an illustrious past. It was cre- it alive, ignoring every circula- darkness fell, though, fears for ated in 1930 out of the merger of tion-boosting suggestion. ‘He its future were brutally realised two Liberal-supporting papers, was never committed to the News when it was announced that the the Daily News (1846) – first edi- Chron in the way that an earlier paper had been ‘merged’ with tor: Charles Dickens – and the generation of Cadburys had the rival Daily Mail in a move Daily Chronicle (1855). The Daily been,’ said one former staffer. But that sent shock waves throughout News had been bought by George whether the Chron’s demise was Fleet Street and beyond. Cadbury (the Quaker choco- murder or suicide, the result was The following day the paper’s late–maker) in 1901 to campaign fatal – and a paper ‘that shouldn’t loyal readers were left wonder- for pensions and against sweated have died’, in the words of the ing what had happened when labour. Inheriting the Daily Encyclopaedia of the British Press, it failed to appear; the Mail’s News’ radicalism, the Chron made met a sad and sorry end, while new-look masthead made its its name in the 1930s when it the Liberal Party was deprived of fate clear, stating ‘Incorporat- assembled ‘one of the finest staffs its last cheerleader in the popular ing the News Chronicle’. Both known to modern journalism’, press.

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