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In the Life-History of a Great Political Party There Are Five

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In the Life-History of a Great Political Party There Are Five PREFACE In the life-history of a great political party there are five natural divisions or chapters : the first deals with its origin ; the second, with the period between organization and advent to power ; the third, with its experiences while in power; the fourth with its experiences while in opposition ; the fifth, with the causes and circumstances of its dissolution. A. D. MORSE, Parties and Party Leaders, p. 25. THIS is a study of the structure and problems of the Labour Party from 1931 through 1937, a period of six years as His Majesty's Opposition in Parliament. The origin and growth of the Party have been sketched briefly in the introductory chapter. Primarily, how- ever, I have been concerned with examining the Labour organization and its record since the General Election of 1931. Americans of progressive leanings long have admired the British Labour Party rather overcreduously. Like many of my countrymen I have been curious about this Party which vaulted from a humble beginning to national office within a single generation. As a student of American Parties I was anxious to observe a major Party machine built without those twin evils of our politics, the spoils system and financing by the wealthy. ix X PREFACE When the opportunity to investigate the Labour Party did come, I decided at the outset not to attempt any definitive history of the Party, but to confine my work to inventorying its resources and tracing its trends over a limited period. My study has been restricted further by personal inclinations—I am more interested in practical politics than in theoretical considerations. Therefore this book contains much on the structural, action side, but little on policies and tactics. A foreigner, I approached this project with obvious disadvantages : my acquaintance with the subject had to be acquired over a brief period ; the risks of getting misinformation and of misinterpreting data were ever present. On the other hand, without claiming to be a " man from Mars", an overseas investigator may enjoy certain advantages of detachment and objectivity; he receives fresh impressions and may be able to evaluate his findings in the light of comparative materials. My wife and I moved to England for the year 1935-6. We set up housekeeping in London, joined the London Co-operative Society, and steeped ourselves in Labour lore. During the General Election campaign, we visited two dozen constituencies in different parts of the country. We interviewed Labour's opponents ranging from a Cabinet Minister in Downing Street to a Communist lady in Merthyr Tydfil. We stalked PREFACE xi Labour leaders in constituency and Parliament. We haunted London County Hall, Glasgow City Chambers and numerous town halls in search of data on Labour in local government. We reviewed with care the wealth of writings on the Labour Party, in books, periodicals, pamphlets, and leaflets. It is impossible here to thank all the people who have aided in assembling the material for this work. I am obliged to the Labour Party staff, especially to G. R. Shepherd, H. S. Lindsay, W. W. Henderson, G. Grant McKenzie, and A. Luckhurst Scott. Parliamentary Party leaders to whom I am indebted include C. R. Attlee, George Lansbury, Hugh Dalton, Sir Stafford Cripps, and others. In the field of local government, I wish to acknowledge the aid of I. G. Gibbon, P. J. Dollan, Edward Cruse, George Archibald, and D. H. Daines. Among local Labour Party officials, H. Weate, J. P. Connolly, and H. E. Rogers were most helpful. A. E. Waterson, N. Smith, W. H. Green, and W. Harnwell assisted with information on Co-operative political activities. To Fenner Brockway, Dr C. K. Cullen, Malcolm MacDonald, and Richard Law I owe thanks for explaining the position of various groups opposing Labour. Sir Walter Citrine kindly supplied data on the political interests of the Trade Unions. In the British academic world, I am grateful for the advice of Herman Finer, Harold J. Laski, E. F. M. Durbin, and xii PREFACE Hugh Gaitskell. Professors Samuel C. May of the University of California and Marshall E. Dimock of the University of Chicago provided valuable suggestions and introductions. I am especially indebted to Professors P. Orman Ray and J. C. Aikin of the University of California, who guided this study from its inception. My wife, Jane Snyder McHenry, has been my partner in every phase of the collection of materials and the writing, but she declines to be listed in her rightful place as co-author. DEAN E. MCHENRY. State College, Pennsylvania. January ist, 1938. .
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