63 Egan Radical Action

Radical ActioN AND thE LIBEral PartY DUriNG thE SEcoND World War Radical Action was Unlike Common uring the Sec- ond World War, an influential pressure Wealth, Radical the main politi- group within the Action did not break cal parties agreed Liberal Party during free from the existing to suspend the Dnormal contest for seats in Par- the Second World party structure, but liament and on local councils. Well observed at first, the truce War. It questioned remained within increasingly came under chal- the necessity for the the Liberal Party. It lenge from independents of vari- ous hues and the newly created wartime electoral played a major role Common Wealth Party. Radical truce, campaigned in preserving the Action – originally known as the Liberal Action Group – was enthusiastically independence of the formed by Liberals who wished in support of the party after 1945 and to break the truce. Supported by a number of party activists, Beveridge Report, in arguing for social including a number of sitting and urged the MPs and ‘rising stars’, Radical liberalism at a time Action also campaigned success- party leadership to when economic fully to keep the Liberals out of a post-war coalition. The group fight the post-war liberals were in the had a significant influence on general election as an ascendant. Mark Egan the Liberal Party’s attitude to the 1 Conservative Party and helped independent entity. tells its story. ensure the party’s survival as an 4 Journal of Liberal History 63 Summer 2009 Radical ActioN AND thE LIBEral PartY DUriNG thE SEcoND World War independent entity in the post- July 1941, following the failure Johnson was a rebel who war era. of the Liberal Assembly even to stood against the ‘social climate Radical Action was also a debate a motion calling for the of prestige, family, tradition, manifestation of the ideological end of the party truce then in subservience, moral cowardice dispute within the party which operation in both national and and anything which militated was not finally resolved until the local politics. The moving force against political independence’.3 era of Jo Grimond’s leadership behind the group was Donald He had stood as an independent after 1956. The Liberal Party of Johnson, then prospective Lib- candidate at Liverpool Waver- the 1940s was predominantly eral parliamentary candidate for tree in a by-election in February concerned with free trade, sound Bewdley, who had persuaded 1935, criticising both major par- money and ‘ownership for all’, the Bewdley Liberal Associa- ties for their attitudes towards all right-wing themes, particu- tion to sponsor the resolution the international situation. He larly in the context of the politi- opposing the truce. The resolu- out-polled the Liberal candi- cal debate of the time. Radical Radical tion was opposed by the leader- date in Liverpool but came third Action organised conferences at ship of the party, placed last on and was persuaded that he had which different visions of Brit- Action played the Assembly agenda and was to join a political party in order ain’s economic and social devel- a major role not reached before the Assem- to gain a wider hearing for his opment could be discussed and bly concluded. A small group point of view. He had family it campaigned vigorously in in preserving of mostly young attendees of ties with the Liberal Party and favour of the Beveridge Report. the Assembly met to discuss he respected their clear support the inde- what had happened and agreed for the League of Nations and pendence to form a group ‘whose com- for rearmament. Consequently, Formation mon aim will be to activate he accepted an invitation to The Liberal Action Group of the party and energise the Liberal Party become Bury’s prospective Lib- (LAG), the precursor of Radi- both as regards policy and eral parliamentary candidate cal Action, was formed on 19 after 1945. organisation’.2 in August 1935. Johnson was to Journal of Liberal History 63 Summer 2009 5 radical actioN AND thE liBEral partY DUriNG thE SEcoND world war remain a Liberal Party member The Liberal a set of radical policies for the membership conditions were for eight years (he later become a post-war era aimed at preventing discussed. The group had a Conservative MP) and through- Action Group the rise of fascism in the UK, but secretarial board, comprising out that period he raged against originally found that as a lone voice he was Johnson, J. A. Paton Walker and the sloth and inactivity which he unable to promote his scheme Frank Rodgers. Johnson appears felt characterised the leadership comprised effectively. Johnson’s ideas were to have been the most active of of the party, at both national and set out in a memorandum he these, circulating his own papers local levels. a small sent to the Director General of on the ‘Rights of Man’, interna- Two factors influenced John- the Ministry of Information, tional affairs and the economic son’s decision to form the LAG. number of Sir Walter Monckton, and the outlook. At the November First, Johnson contrasted the mostly young Liberal leader, Sir Archibald meeting a standing committee lethargy of the Liberal organi- Sinclair, and which he later was formed, to deal with day- sation with the enthusiasm Liberal expanded into a book, Safer than to-day problems. Honor Bal- with which he felt the elector- a Known Way. Sinclair expressed four, one of the founding staff of ate would receive a progressive candidates. no interest in Johnson’s ideas and Picture Post and later to become political programme. John- Johnson began to make contact an eminent journalist with Time son resigned his candidature with other Liberals who felt sim- and Life magazines, was made at Bury, after polling a disap- ilarly that the Liberal hierarchy secretary. This committee, later pointing third in the 1935 elec- ought to be more receptive to known as the group’s executive tion, because he felt that the new thinking. committee, met at the Park Lane local Liberals did not relish his offices of Everett Jones, a promi- energetic approach to the role. nent member of the group. He was later involved with the Membership and Johnson’s leadership of the Oxford Liberal Association and organisation LAG ended in September 1942, urged Ivor Davies to fight the The Liberal Action Group origi- after the group failed to back a 1938 Oxford by-election even nally comprised a small number motion to the Liberal Assembly after the party leadership had of mostly young Liberal candi- which again urged the abandon- advised the local Liberals to dates. Two MPs were involved ment of the electoral truce (of back the left-wing independent, from the start – George Grey which more below). However, A. D. Lindsay. He was unim- and Sir Richard Acland – but the group continued to expand pressed by the state of the Lib- neither played a major role. and on 8 September 1942 Lance- eral Association at Bewdley, but Acland had already established lot Spicer was elected chairman. polled 36 per cent of the vote his own New Liberal Economic Wilfrid Roberts, MP for North in a by-election there in 1937 Policy Committee which was Cumberland, had originally and this, combined with other devoted to the principle of com- been approached to fill this new by-election results at the time, mon ownership and opposed to position. His pro-Republican persuaded him that the party the ‘Unrestricted Profit Motive’. stance during the Spanish Civil did have a future if it was better Acland was rapidly disengag- War had marked him out as left- organised and embraced a more ing from the Liberal Party and leaning but his close involve- radical programme. Between in September 1942 formed his ment with the Liberal Party June 1937 and July 1939 the Lib- own party, Common Wealth. Organisation precluded, in his eral Party contested 12 of the Johnson and Acland remained view, acceptance of the post.6 45 by-elections held and polled in touch, however, and Johnson Spicer was the chairman of a an average 36.2 per cent of the sent Acland some of the LAG’s paper company and the son of vote, although only four of these policy resolutions. During 1942, Sir Albert Spicer, a Liberal MP contests were three-cornered. Acland told Johnson, ‘I feel the before 1918. He had joined the In 1940, independent challeng- gap between us is closing’4 – but LAG at the start and Johnson ers to Conservative seats at by- it never did. said of him, ‘no other tiger had elections polled an average of The original LAG mem- growled more fiercely at the very 22.2 per cent between them; in bership was just 27, but by the mention of ‘action’ than had 1941 their average poll was 31.7 first formal meeting of the Lancelot Spicer’.7 It was agreed at per cent. These results suggested group, a two-day conference this time to increase the group’s that the Liberal Party could still at the National Liberal Club membership to 100 and to con- attract anti-Conservative votes, in November 1941, member- sider the possibility of employ- in certain circumstances, and ship had risen to 50. This was ing a full-time secretary. Funds that it might be profitable for described as a ‘bare number on could not be found for this in the party to challenge the war- account of the group distribu- 1942, so two honorary secre- time truce. tion through the country’.5 A tarial assistants were engaged. Secondly, at the outset of the five-shilling subscription fee In August 1944 Wilfrid Roberts war, Johnson began formulating was proposed, and associate asked Spicer whether the group 6 Journal of Liberal History 63 Summer 2009 radical actioN AND thE liBEral partY DUriNG thE SEcoND world war was taking on a full-time organ- those claimed as members were Noel Pemberton-Billing stood iser, but nothing came of this active participants.

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