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24/Autumn 1999 ‘A Sad Business’ The Resignation of Clement Davies Geoffrey Sell examines the end of Clement Davies’ leadership in 1956. For much of Clement Davies’ leadership the Liberal chose to follow the Simonites and join the Na- tional Liberals in . It was not until Party was battling for survival. It was his fate to be that he rejoined the Liberal Party. party leader at the lowest moment in its history. The Both Attlee and Churchill retired from the party that had once seemed a natural vehicle of leadership of their parties in . Would Davies, aged seventy-two and leader of the Lib- government was close to extinction, commanding eral Party since , follow suit? Certainly the support of little more than two per cent of the amongst many leading activists there was a electorate and securing the return of only three MPs strong belief that there was need for change. It ‘was plain that the Young Turks and their friends to Westminster without the benefit of local pacts. among the Old Guard had lost faith in Clem- ent Davies, whose oratory had become even Unlike or , the Liberal Party adopted more emotional and rambling. Grimond, be- a narrow-front strategy for the elections of came clearly the best chance of change.’ and . Just and candidates respec- tively were fielded, and this helps to account, in part, for the low Liberal poll. In only fifteen Grimond constituencies in Great Britain at the gen- eral election did Labour and Conservative can- Jo Grimond had been Chief Whip since , didates not occupy the first two positions in and had married into the Liberal establishment, the poll. The pattern of party competition was to Asquith’s granddaughter, giving him his pass- that of a stable and balanced duopoly. In local port into Liberal politics. His mother-in-law, Lady Violet Bonham Carter, was ‘the formida- government the party was equally weak. Only .% of councillors elected in were Lib- ble high priestess of Liberalism.’ She took a eral. Moreover, the party was adrift on policy. proprietorial interest in the Liberal Party and Its progressive clothes had been stolen by La- the political hopes that she had once enter- bour in the post-war years, and those who re- tained for herself were transferred to Grimond. jected socialism found an attractive option in He was assisted by the lack of a credible alter- a Tory party influenced by Liberal ideas and native candidate. Of the six-man parliamen- led by moderates like Eden and Macmillan. tary party, two — Arthur Holt and Donald Surrender, however, was not countenanced. Wade — were clearly in Parliament only as After his successful election victory in , result of tacit Liberal/Conservative pacts in Churchill offered Davies the Ministry of Edu- Bolton and Huddersfield respectively. Roderic cation. The offer was refused, but to many ob- Bowen of Cardigan was not particularly ener- servers it looked like a brave gesture from a getic, and Sir Rhys Hopkin Morris was the Deputy Speaker. politically dying man. Davies believed that however ‘small are our numbers we have a task The comments made at the January to perform, and that cannot be performed if meeting of the National Executive can be seen we sink our independence and see the party as a criticism of Davies’ leadership. Edwin gradually welded into the structure of another Malindine claimed that ‘in the space of the party.’ At the Assembly, the Party Presi- last twenty or thirty years, the Liberal Party dent described Davies ‘as the leader of a party, had had setback after setback. Despite this, which after fighting three political Dunkirks, bands of Liberals were still working hard in the face of all defeats … above all, Liberal refuses to lie down.’ Nevertheless, his leader- ship had been a controversial one. His political workers need inspiration.’ H. Graham White, career was chequered, for although elected as a former Liberal MP, felt that: ‘more leader- Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire in , he ship of almost a spiritual kind, with a new 14 journal of liberal democrat history 24: autumn 1999 and vigorous statement of policy, small number of rural and seaside .%. Six MPs were returned, al- was required.’ constituencies, the party was benefit- lowing a degree of credibility that Although his Welsh oratory in- ing from electoral disenchantment would have been impossible to re- spired the rank and file at rallies and with the Eden government. This tain had their numbers been reduced at the annual Liberal Assembly, found expression at the Torquay by- to only two or three. Above all, the Clement Davies relied on generali- election in December , when Liberal Party had survived. ties about Liberal philosophy, and the Liberal share of the vote in- The perception that Liberal for- could be rather woolly about cur- creased from % to %. North tunes were on the increase put heart rent issues. For some Liberals, how- West Liberals were told that this was into its officers. Geoffrey Acland ever, such as former Oxford Univer- ‘a clear indication of political upturn wrote to Sir Andrew McFadyean in sity student David Penwarden, … The Liberal Party is on the march March that: ‘the result of the Davies displayed considerable pas- again, the old crusading spirit is be- election had surprised him far sion. He was good on issues such as ing recaptured.’ At Hereford two more than even those of and Africa and Europe. Penwarden recalls months later, Labour was pushed . Everything indicated to me that Davies would: ‘cry and break into third place and the Liberal can- that we could do nothing more than into tears when delivering a speech. didate secured % of the vote. say we went down and deep down He had a great rapport with stu- There was also evidence from the fighting. Although the need had al- dents.’ Former Young Liberal Betty General Election that the Lib- ways been there, now he felt for the Corn was also an admirer. Davies’ erals were beginning to attract a first time for many years we may ‘integrity shone through, one felt ‘floating’ or protest vote, those wa- succeed.’ very loyal to him.’ During the lat- vering in support or those wishing In some constituencies there ter part of his leadership, there was a to protest against the existing gov- were distinct signs of improvement. resurgence of support for the Lib- ernment without switching their al- Blackpool Liberals were informed at eral Party at both Oxford and Cam- legiance to the other major party. their Annual General Meeting that: bridge universities, each of which Thus in Bristol North-East two- ‘Membership was on the upgrade had Liberal Clubs with memberships thirds of a sample of Liberal voters and the financial position healthier of over a thousand. at this election had not voted Lib- than for many years. Wards never Davies did not pretend to be a eral before. The election better organised. Nationally the party manager and was not very marked a turning point in the Lib- party is gaining ground especially good at devising a positive pro- eral Party’s history. It was the first among the younger folk.’ gramme for the party. He was election since in which the rightly described as ‘a radical evan- party improved on its previous per- gelist’ by temperament rather than formance. The tide had been Pressure for change a party boss, disliking rigid party or- stemmed. There were few real set- Nevertheless, despite these indica- ganisation and conventions. Davies backs and many minor successes. The tions that the party had began to was thought intellectually flabby by Liberal share of the vote per candi- emerge from the electoral abyss, it the party hierarchy, including Lady date rose slightly from .% to was clear that some prominent Lib- Violet Bonham Carter and Philip Fothergill; Lady Violet’s daughter, Laura Grimond, thought that Clement Davies with the President of the Liberal Party, Sir Arthur Comyns Carr, in 1959. Davies was faintly ridiculous. David Steel commented that dur- ing Davies’ leadership, ‘all the Lib- eral Party was was the left-over of a once great party. It didn’t seem to have any relevance to modern po- litical thought. Revival Despite these criticisms, the final year of Davies’ leadership saw the begin- nings of a Liberal revival which was to blossom under his successor. This had little to do with Davies, who was suffering from ill health. He had been forced to miss the Assem- bly and convalesce in Majorca. In a journal of liberal democrat history 24: autumn 1999 15 erals wanted a leadership change. Grimond’s closest colleague, recalled declaring: ‘it’s getting too much for These included Major-General Grey, being rung up and written to dur- me.’ When she learned that he in- the Party Treasurer, and Philip ing the final months of Davies’s lead- tended to make an announcement Fothergill, Party Vice-President, who ership by party activists. Richard the next day, she rang Grimond to concluded that the election results Moore, than a leader writer on the tell him. He replied that: ‘Clem hasn’t of and had been more News Chronicle, told Holt that un- said a word to me.’ disastrous than those of and less Davies went there would be a In a moving speech, Davies took . This was because only a small demonstration at the Assembly by his leave and was warmly and number of constituencies, where the the Young Liberals. The parliamen- lengthily cheered. This may have Liberals appeared to have a reason- tary party were, however, reluctant been because ‘gratitude for past serv- able chance of victory, were con- to act, as they did not want to cre- ices and relief at his decision to step tested.
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