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Liberal History News Winter 2009–10

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Liberal History News Winter 2009–10 LIberaL HIstory NeWs winter 2009–10 Liberal History News is a new regular feature in the Journal, reporting news of meet- ings, conferences, commemora- tions, dinners or any other event, together with anything else of contemporary interest to our readers. Contributions are very welcome; please keep them rea- sonably concise, and accompany them, if possible, with photos. Email to the Editor on journal@ liberalhistory.org.uk. John Bright remembered in Birmingham n 23 October 2009, a statue to John Bright MP Owas unveiled inside Bir- Unveiling of working men at a time when Martin Mullaney, Birmingham’s mingham Museum and Art Gal- Bright’s statue; only a limited number of men Liberal Democrat Cabinet mem- lery. The statue, an exact replica from left: Cllr (and no women) had the vote; ber for Culture, at the statue of which stands in the Westmin- Martin Mullaney, Bright wanted all men to have the unveiling. Bright was admired ster Parliament, was first unveiled Stephanie vote because only in this way did by President Abraham Lincoln, in Birmingham in 1888 but it was Hightower, Cllr he feel that government would who described him as ‘the friend taken down about forty years ago Ernie Hendricks be responsive to the needs and of our country, and of freedom for cleaning and never put back. wishes of the people. The result everywhere’. Bright was highly Birmingham Liberal Democrat was the Reform Act of 1867, influential in preventing Britain councillor Ernie Hendricks found passed by Disraeli’s government, from supporting the Confederacy out about the statue and worked which gave the vote to skilled in the American Civil War, even with Museum and Art Gallery working men in the towns. though Britain had strong com- staff to ensure its restoration ready Bright was MP for Durham mercial interests in breaking the for the 200th anniversary of the and Manchester before becom- Northern blockade of the South birth of John Bright in 2011. It has ing Liberal MP for Birmingham to obtain cotton supplies. been replaced in its original posi- from 1858 until his death in 1889. Bright’s letters to US Senator tion at the top of the Museum’s He fell out with Manchester fol- Charles Sumner were regularly main stairs. lowing his attacks on Britain’s read to Lincoln throughout John Bright was a Quaker, a involvement in the Crimean War. the war, and through this cor- great Victorian moralist and ora- He was briefly a minister under respondence Bright has been tor. He is best remembered for his Gladstone, the first ever Quaker identified as a key influence on part in the campaign against the to sit in the Cabinet, but he did Lincoln’s decision to free the Corn Laws, leading up to their not believe in Irish Home Rule slaves. When Lincoln was assas- repeal in 1846. The Corn Laws and like that other great Birming- sinated, a newspaper article about artificially inflated the price of ham Liberal, Joseph Chamber- the presidency written by Bright bread, which the poor could ill lain, he fought Gladstone in 1886 was found on his body. One of afford, and repeal immediately as a Liberal Unionist. the two paintings in Lincoln’s improved the standard of living It was Bright’s connections study was a portrait of Bright. for ordinary people. with the United States which Today, just inside the main Bright also campaigned were to feature most heavily entrance of the White House is to extend the vote to skilled in the speech delivered by Cllr a bust of John Bright, which was 4 Journal of Liberal History 65 Winter 2009–10 liberaL history NeWs found by Jackie Kennedy in the One hundred years of 1960s in the basement and put Pickering Liberal Club back on display. n August 1909, crowds gath- Given this background, it was ered to celebrate the opening therefore only appropriate that Iof the Liberal Club in Pick- Stephanie Hightower, the presi- ering in the Thirsk & Malton dent of USA Track and Field, the constituency in North Yorkshire. national governing body for ath- In the absence of a Liberal MP letics in America, helped unveil for Pickering itself, the Club was Bright’s statue in Birmingham. opened by John Edward Ellis, The US team for the 2012 Olym- the MP for the Nottinghamshire pics has announced it will train in constituency of Rushcliffe. Ellis Birmingham ahead of the Games had Yorkshire connections: he and Ms Hightower said she was had served his apprenticeship at pleased to be associated with a firm of Leeds engineers, his Bright’s connections to America. wife came from Scarborough and was a member of the Yorkshire Quaker Rowntree dynasty, and John Stuart Mill conference, Ellis also owned a country estate November 2009 at Wrea Head, Scalby.1 s advertised in the last Over the following hundred issue of the Journal, on 14 years, Pickering Liberal Club ANovember 2009, the Lib- managed to withstand the politi- eral Democrat History Group, the cal and economic forces which London School of Economics and saw the Liberal Party decline and the British Liberal Political Stud- hundreds of Liberal Clubs all over ies Group co-hosted a one-day the country go out of business. In symposium to celebrate the 150th 1931, David Lloyd George visited anniversary of the publication of the Club and addressed a huge John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty. crowd outside. But Pickering An audience of about fifty never boasted a Liberal MP until heard and discussed a series of 1986, when Elizabeth Shields won Top: David Lloyd after a local benefactor, John papers covering different aspects the Ryedale by-election2 and the George speaks at Frank, gave two cottages to the of Mill’s life and significance, Club was visited by the then Lib- Pickering. 1 May Liberal Party for the creation of a both to Liberal history and to eral leader David Steel as part of 1931. headquarters and it was probably politics more broadly. Partici- the by-election campaign. at the location in Pickering where pants were also able to visit the The Club has been housed in Below: Thirsk & the cattle market was held genera- archive of papers left by Mill and the present imposing building, Malton Liberal tions ago. The fact that Smiddy is his wife Harriet Taylor and held overlooking Smiddy Hill, since Democrat a derivative of Smithy suggests it at the LSE. Victorian times and is still the celebrations, was also near the spot where farm We are currently planning to headquarters of Ryedale Liberal August 2009. horses were shod. publish at least some of the papers Democrats. The original Club is From left: Cllr For many years, the Liberal from the symposium – suitably described as having been located Jane De Wend Democrats used the building as redrafted to reflect the discus- in Hall Garth but may have occu- Fenton, former a social club, but today it is the sions – in a future special issue of pied the same site as the present MP Elizabeth home of a weekly flea market and the Journal. Victorian building. It was built Shields, Lib Dem party offices, while the remain- PPC Cllr Howard der has been converted into two Keal, Cllr Stephen flats. The centenary on Saturday Jenson. (Photo 15 August 2009 was celebrated credit: The Press, with champagne and strawber- York.) ries. Guests of honour included Elizabeth Shields, Cllr Howard Keal (the present Lib Dem PPC for Thirsk & Malton) and Keith Snowden, great-grandson of Councillor John Snowden, who laid the foundation-stone of the club in 1908. A ceremonial silver key to the building, itself kept under lock and key off the premises, still forms part of the Club archive.3 Some of the 1 Alan R Griffin, ‘John Edward organisers of the Ellis’, Oxford Dictionary of National Mill symposium Biography online, OUP 2004–09. Journal of Liberal History 65 Winter 2009–10 5 liberaL history NeWs 2 Elizabeth Shields, A Year to Remem- Palmerston archives The net price is £2.85 million ber (Liberal Democrat Publications, ssue 64 of the Journal of Liberal and the University is undertak- Dorchester, 1995). History (autumn 2009) car- ing a major fund-raising cam- 3 Gazette and Herald, Malton, 12 Iried an article on the archives paign to assure the future of this August 2009. of third Viscount Palmerston at immensely important collection. the University of Southampton The University is publicising the Library. Lord Palmerston’s papers, sale and the fund-raising cam- Baron de Forest dinner, along with those of second Vis- paign as widely as possible and Southport count Melbourne and the seventh would very much appreciate any his year, 2010, sees the Earl of Shaftesbury – all of which support readers of the Journal centenary anniversary of form part of the Broadlands can give. Further information Tthe 1910 general election Archives – have now been put on the situation can be found at and Southport Liberal Democrats up for sale by the Trustees of the http://www.southampton.ac.uk/ are celebrating the event with Broadlands Archives. The col- archives/Broadlands/index.html. the Baron de Forest dinner at the lection has been offered to the Royal Clifton Hotel. University, with the expectation As well as a splendid dinner, that if the negotiations fail the Gladstone lecture given at the local political historian and material may well be broken up Liverpool popular after-dinner speaker and sold at auction. n 27 October 2009, David Michael Braham will be tell- Beyond the Palmerston mate- Alton (Lord Alton of ing the story of the Southport rial and its links to Liberalism, the OLiverpool) delivered a Division election campaign in archive contains a whole range Roscoe Lecture at Liverpool John which the Liberal candidate was of materials of the first rank – Moores University on ‘Glad- the Baron de Forest.
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