Eric Lubbock and the Orpington Moment by Michael Meadowcroft
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ERIC LUBBOCK AND THE ORPingTON MOMENT by Michael Meadowcroft he death of Eric, Lord The declaration coalesced around ‘Progressive Inde- 53 per cent at the by-election. Sec- Avebury, on 14 February of the result at pendent’ candidates who achieved ond, it was the Liberals, a party T2016, at the age of 87, ended Orpington; left, significant increases in the anti- with just six MPs at the time, who the direct link with a remarkable Peter Goldman, government vote, suggested that won, rather than Labour, the offi- moment in political history. Eric, centre, Eric the electorate was disillusioned cial opposition (Labour in fact lost even though he had been ‘Avebury’ Lubbock with appeasement. Individual by- 10 per cent of its 1959 vote). Third, for forty-five years, was always bet- elections post-Orpington did not Orpington was a solid and tradi- ter known, particularly by Liberals, have the same immediate effect, but tional Tory fief which that party as ‘Lubbock’. Dick Taverne’s March 1973 victory believed it could regard as a seat it From time to time, by demon- in Lincoln as ‘Democratic Labour’ would never lose and whose elec- strating vividly the public mood, indicated the latent support for the tors could therefore be permanently by-elections have had a politi- political position taken up a decade relied upon to send whichever can- cal importance well beyond their later by the SDP, just as the by-elec- didate the party chose. This atti- immediate notoriety. The New- tions in Warrington, Crosby and tude proved fatal. port by-election of October 1922 Glasgow Hillhead in 1981 and 1982 The embedded traditionalism of brought down Lloyd George’s breathed life into that latter cause, the constituency was epitomised by coalition government and precipi- albeit only temporarily. its long-serving Member Sir Wal- tated an immediate general elec- Orpington, on 14 March 1962, dron Smithers, a typical ‘knight of tion; the East Fulham by-election was a remarkable and highly influ- the shires’, who represented Orp- of October 1933 saw a Labour gain ential by-election.1 It was a contrib- ington from 1924 until his death in on a huge swing and is often put utory cause of Harold MacMillan’s 1954, in effect following his father forward as demonstrating a pacific ‘night of the long knives’ four who had been the MP from 1918 mood amongst the voters and months later, when he sacked seven to 1922. On Sir Waldron’s death in thus delaying rearmament; and members of his Cabinet. There 1955 a local lawyer, Donald Sum- the Oxford and Bridgwater by- were a number of reasons for its ner, was easily returned at the by- elections of October and Novem- contemporary impact. First, was election (with no Liberal candidate). ber 1938 respectively, soon after the scale of the switch of votes – the Sumner sat until October 1961 the Munich settlement, in which Liberals went from third place and when he was appointed a County opposition to Neville Chamber- 21 per cent at the previous general Court Judge. Fatally, the Conserva- lain’s Conservative government election, in 1959, to first place and tives left the seat vacant for four Journal of Liberal History 90 Spring 2016 29 ERIC LUBBOCK And THE ORPingTON MOMENT months – a decision exploited by had always been very shrewd and The by-elec- The Liberal Party had agreed the Liberal Party who declared it as pragmatic and had chosen local to second its Local Government a typically arrogant decision from election candidates on the basis of tion was an Officer, Pratap Chitnis, to Orping- a party which believed it owned who was likely to win, rather than ton to act as agent. I arrived at HQ the seat. who had seniority, and the same immense in February 1962 as his assistant, It was also a mistake to believe considerations were applied to the whereupon he decamped forthwith that the demographic makeup of by-election, with the selection of psychologi- to Orpington and never returned the constituency was the same as Eric Lubbock. As it happened, the to his old job! Pratap was a superb in Sir Waldron Smithers’ heyday. delay in calling the by-election was cal and elec- organiser and had built on the With the increase in commut- now helpful to the Liberals in ena- excellent local voluntary organi- ing and the arrival of a new young bling Eric to get up to speed and toral boost sation with a highly professional professional class it had gradually refocusing the organisation for a to the party. team, bringing in three full-time become a much more mixed com- rather different campaign. agents: Michael Key from North munity. One aspect of this which Eric Lubbock had exactly the The national Dorset, Dennis Minnis from Bir- helped in the media coverage was right background: he was by pro- mingham and Noel Penstone from that many journalists had bought fession an engineer and had historic opinion polls Torrington. Excellent profession- homes in the district because there Liberal and even aristocratic con- ally designed literature poured into were trains from Waterloo, Char- nections. This was a mixture that for a brief the constituency and party workers ing Cross and London Bridge appealed to both the new profes- arrived in their hundreds to ensure almost up to midnight. This newer sionals and the older Kentish folk. moment that all the delivering and canvass- type of resident was tailor-made He had only been a member of the ing was completed on time. On for the Grimond-led Liberal Party Liberal Party for three years and showed the the afternoon of the eve-of-poll whose opinion poll rating had had been elected almost immedi- the Daily Mail called Pratap and almost trebled, from 6 per cent to ately for his home village of Downe Liberals top informed him that an opinion poll 16 per cent, in the three years from – electorally a tiny ward with only would be appearing in the follow- March 1959 to March 1962, and the one councillor. Although deter- and at the ing morning’s paper showing the influx of sharp, bright younger mined to carry out all the promo- Liberals narrowly ahead. Pratap men and women into the party tional tasks that are part and parcel local elec- immediately ordered 9,000 cop- provided a professional and ambi- of being a candidate, he was rather ies and these were delivered on the tious set of officers and candidates, shy and far from being the capable tions two council estates and given out to underpinned by a number of older and shrewd politician that he later commuters as they arrived to catch and more experienced organisers. became. Eric was never a charis- months later, their morning trains at local sta- The local party had gone down matic speaker and in 1962 he was Liberal candi- tions. The cost of the campaign the route of fighting, and winning, hesitant rather than articulate. The was immense, and Pratap told me council seats and the Conservatives decision was made by the party dates around that he overspent the legal limit by should have been alarmed by the managers to keep Eric off all three- three times! The opinion poll and fact that at the May 1961 Orpington party television programmes and the country the flood of Liberal workers on the Urban District Council elections – a variety of excuses were used to doorstep ensured a major tactical the last before the by-election – the explain this. It had no noticeable gained seats vote away from Labour. It was this Liberals had topped the aggregate effect on the result. that gave Eric Lubbock his huge vote (on a turnout around half that The decision to keep Eric away never before majority as opposed to a comfort- of parliamentary elections.) from debating directly with the able win. Liberal Party headquarters had other candidates was also deter- won, often The by-election was an immense planned closely with the constitu- mined by the fact that the Con- psychological and electoral boost ency party and were determined to servatives had selected precisely the with minimal to the party. The national opinion import its best agents and to ensure wrong kind of candidate. Believ- polls for a brief moment showed the all necessary finance was available. ing that the electors of Orpington effort. Liberals top and at the local elec- There was, however, an immediate would vote for any Conservative tions two months later, Liberal can- and delicate problem. The adopted candidate they had chosen a Central didates around the country gained candidate was Jack Galloway. He Office high flyer, Peter Goldman. A seats never before won, often with was an excellent speaker and cam- brilliant intellectual and writer, he minimal effort. Later parliamen- paigner and had polled relatively had no local connections and came tary by-elections, however, were well at the 1959 election, but he was over as rather cold and remote. For not in seats with sufficient organi- not only known as a womaniser but instance, he didn’t knock on doors sational or representational basis – the rumours had it – he had con- but sat in a large car which cruised to enable another startling success tracted a bigamous marriage. The along a street whilst his canvassers – although in the light of later tech- press were on to the story and on asked voters whether they would niques which, for instance, ena- one occasion two reporters burst like to come out and meet Mr bled Sutton & Cheam to be gained into Jack’s hotel bedroom and he Goldman! It is possible that, quite in December 1972, some of them fled via the window.