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Birmingham: Birthplace of Radical Liberalism

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Birmingham: Birthplace of Radical Liberalism Liberal Heritage Cllr Paul Tilsley continues the Journal’s series in which well-known Liberal Democrats take a look at the Liberal heritage of their home town. birMinghaM: birtHpLace of raDicaL LiberaLisM irmingham has a long biography is included in this issue of The Joseph a House of Commons Committee and distinguished his- the Journal. An even more recognis- Chamberlain that the intention was to improve tory of Liberalism – able Birmingham Liberal is Joseph Memorial the health of Birmingham people, from the municipal Chamberlain, who was first elected Clock Tower, not to make a profit. Chamberlain pioneer and national to the City Council for St Paul’s University of also established a municipal gas Bstatesman Joseph Chamberlain, to Ward in 1869 and was the town’s Birmingham supply company, which made a the formation of the National Lib- mayor between 1873 and 1876. He profit of £34,000 in its first year of eral Federation and historic events entered parliament in June 1876 and operation. He promoted the devel- such as David Lloyd George flee- was an innovative political thinker opment of libraries, swimming ing the town hall dressed as a police and organiser who gave the Liberal pools and schools, and a number constable. Indeed, in my view, Bir- Party a radical agenda of constitu- of new parks were opened to cater mingham has a good claim to be tional and social reforms. for the recreational needs of the considered the birthplace of com- Chamberlain’s greatest achieve- city’s inhabitants. In short, he was a munity politics, and now, for the ment in the town was undoubtedly radical and great Liberal who made first time in generations, Liberal the municipalisation of essential Birmingham ’the best governed Democrats are part of the Progres- public services which, without city in the world’. sive Partnership which currently question, improved the living However, Chamberlain believed controls the city council. Birming- conditions and life chances of Bir- strongly in the Union of Great Brit- ham therefore can be seen to have a mingham’s people. The city’s water ain and Ireland and did not support Liberal tradition that runs from the supply was considered a danger to Gladstone’s policy of Irish home 1832 Reform Act, which gave it sep- public health – half the population rule. In 1886, Chamberlain formed arate representation in the House of was dependent on well water, much the Liberal Unionists, who entered Commons, to the current day. of which was polluted by sewage. into alliance with and then merged Recognising the rising death rate with the Conservatives (hence the from contagious diseases in the term Conservative and Union- Chamberlain city, in 1876 Chamberlain forcibly ist). The Liberal Unionist defection Many famous Liberals hailed purchased Birmingham’s water- broke the Liberal party, which later from Birmingham, or represented works for £1,350,000 and created led to much antagonism between the city in Parliament, or both; the Birmingham Corporation David Lloyd George and the Cham- they include John Bright, whose Water Department, explaining to berlain family. Journal of Liberal History 70 Spring 2011 19 birMinghaM: birtHpLace of raDicaL LiberaLisM Left: Highbury An 85-year wait for a Liberal Hall, home MP and a 30-year wait for a of Joseph Liberal councillor Chamberlain. Unfortunately, Liberals in Birming- below: cartoon ham have only secured two MPs in of Lloyd George recent history – Wallace Lawler in dressed as a 1969 and John Hemming in 2005. policeman, You have to go back to 1885 to find escaping from the last previous Liberal MP, Tho- Birmingham mas Cook, who was elected to serve Town Hall. as the member for the Birmingham East constituency. Wallace Lawler was a pioneer of community politics who won the Ladywood by-election of 1969 but lost the seat in the 1970 general election to his Labour rival from the by-election, Doris Fisher. He was first elected as a city councillor in 1962 for the Newtown Ward and Chamberlain’s first home in Edg- development of political organi- was initially the only Liberal coun- baston was known as the ‘smokery sation following the 1867 Reform cillor on the city council – the last and talkery’. His second home, Act. It could occasionally be a Highbury Hall in Moseley, was thorn in the side of the party lead- refurbished in the 1980s follow- ership, who did not consider its ing its use as a home for the elderly. decisions binding on them. Bin- The refurbished Highbury Hall is gley Hall therefore can be con- open to the public on certain days. sidered the first home of Liberal The building is well worth a visit Assemblies. It was demolished (if open) when visiting Birming- in the 1980s and replaced by the ham, as his library/study is still in International Conference Centre, its original state. For more informa- where Liberal Democrat confer- tion see www.birmingham.gov.uk/ ences are, once again, now held. highbury. PC Lloyd George Creation of the National One of the most notorious political Liberal Federation events to take place in Birmingham The Liberal Party as a democratic was at the Town Hall in 1901 when body was created in Birmingham David Lloyd George came to make in 1877 at the inaugural conference a speech against the Boer War. The of the National Liberal Federation mood of the crowd outside was at Bingley Hall. The objective of ugly, and the audience would not the new federation was to promote let him speak. Violence erupted Liberalism by encouraging the for- and Lloyd George had to be smug- mation of new associations and the gled out of the Town Hall dressed strengthening and democratising as a policeman. It was Chamberlain of existing local Liberal parties. and the Liberal Unionists who were The conference was chaired by responsible for organising the hos- Joseph Chamberlain and addressed tile crowd. by William Gladstone, who had The Library of Birmingham in resigned as Liberal Party leader Centenary Square has copies of the two years earlier, but who was to front page of the Birmingham Dis- return as prime minister in 1880 patch of 19 December 1901, which and lead the party for a further reports on the aftermath of the fourteen years. near riot. They also have a post- The federation was a repre- card which was produced depict- sentative body of local Liberal ing Lloyd George dressed as PC 87. associations, providing a forum This card is in perfect condition, for democratic debate and pol- unlike the one on display at the icy making. Before this the Lib- Lloyd George museum in Llanys- eral party existed primarily as a tumdwy. I understand that these parliamentary body and a series are available to view at the Library, of local organisations. The fed- provided that advance arrange- eration’s creation was part of the ments are made. 20 Journal of Liberal History 70 Spring 2011 birMinghaM: birtHpLace of raDicaL LiberaLisM previous Liberal to be elected to the 10 May 1962: that the art of community politics One of the former inner-city Birmingham council had been in Cllr Wallace was developed and first practiced in Liberal councillors, Bill Doyle – 1939. His local council success was Lawler being Birmingham by Wallace. Twenty who was an young activist during followed by Liberals gaining coun- congratulated years after Wallace Lawler’s election the Lawler years – was selected to cil seats in the adjoining wards of by Sidney Caro to the council, I can recall David fight the Yardley ward, which he Aston and Dudeston during the late (President, Penhaligon at a Liberal Assembly won at the first attempt in 1984. 1960s and early 1970s. Birmingham urging would-be councillors to Liberals, by then standing under Lawler gained his council and Liberals) on use Wallace’s campaigning tech- the Alliance banner and then as Lib- parliamentary seat by tackling com- his election to niques with the following advice: ‘if eral Democrats, started to develop munity problems and issues. He also Birmingham City you’ve got something to say put it a power base in Yardley. Lib Dems championed the underprivileged Council, the first on a piece of paper and push it thor- won the three Yardley seats, fol- and took up their concerns over Liberal councillor ough someone’s letterbox’. Wallace lowed by the three seats in Sheldon housing, homelessness, and social for twenty-five Lawler’s approach paid great divi- and Acocks Green; eventually, as a upheaval. His campaigns included years dends not only in Birmingham but result of this community campaign- an 80,000-signature petition to the throughout the country. ing, the parliamentary seat fell to prime minister complaining about John Hemming in 2005. the increase in electricity prices. He Citywide, Liberal Democrats also arranged a protest demonstra- The seventies and beyond have controlled the council in a pro- tion of Birmingham pensioners, Although they continued to hold gressive partnership with the Con- who travelled to London to hand in council seats in Aston, Newtown servatives since 2004, and currently letters at 10 Downing Street. Wal- & Duddeston, Liberals only gained the Liberal Democrat group has lace Lawler not only recognised two further wards in the 1960s and thirty-one members. We have come that community campaigning was ’70s: All Saints and Rotton Park. a long way since 1962, and I am still important but saw that it was an These five wards were all within the here having first been elected in excellent way to engage people and inner city. With the redrawing of 1968 during the Wallace Lawler era. secure the election of additional ward boundaries in the early 1980s, Liberal councillors.
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