For the study of Liberal, SDP and Issue 73 / Winter 2011–12 / £6.00 Liberal Democrat history Journal of LiberalHI ST O R Y Taxing the land Roy Douglas The Lloyd George land taxes David Dutton Liberal National leader Charles Kerr, Lord Teviot Nancy LoPatin-Lummis The Liberal electoral agent in the post-Reform-Act era Graham Lippiatt The King of Showland Pat Collins, Liberal MP for Walsall, 1922–24 Mark Pack Peace, Reform and Liberation Launch of History Group’s new book Liberal Democrat History Group 2 Journal of Liberal History 73 Winter 2011–12 Journal of Liberal History Issue 73: Winter 2011–12 The Journal of Liberal History is published quarterly by the Liberal Democrat History Group. ISSN 1479-9642 The Lloyd George land taxes 4 Editor: Duncan Brack Roy Douglas looks at the history of the land taxes introduced by Lloyd George Deputy Editor: Tom Kiehl in the 1909 People’s Budget. Assistant Editor: Siobhan Vitelli Biographies Editor: Robert Ingham Reviews Editor: Dr Eugenio Biagini Liberal National leader 14 Contributing Editors: Graham Lippiatt, Tony Little, David Dutton examines the life and career of Charles Kerr, Lord Teviot. York Membery The Liberal electoral agent in the post-Reform- 20 Patrons Dr Eugenio Biagini; Professor Michael Freeden; Act era Professor John Vincent Nancy LoPatin-Lummis analyses the activities of the Liberal electoral agents in the period after the Great Reform Act. Editorial Board Dr Malcolm Baines; Dr Roy Douglas; Dr Barry Doyle; The King of Showland 28 Dr David Dutton; Prof. David Gowland; Prof. Richard The unusual career of the entertainment entrepreneur and Liberal MP for Grayson; Dr Michael Hart; Peter Hellyer; Dr Alison Walsall, 1922–24, Pat Collins; by Graham Lippiatt. Holmes; Dr J. Graham Jones; Dr Tudor Jones; Tony Little; Prof. Ian Machin; Dr Mark Pack; Dr Ian Packer; Dr John Powell; Ed Randall; Jaime Reynolds; Dr Andrew Liberal history quiz 2011 35 Russell; Dr Iain Sharpe The questions (answers in the next issue). Editorial/Correspondence Reports 36 Contributions to the Journal – letters, articles, and Forgotten heroes for a governing party, with Matt Cole, Navnit Dholakia, book reviews – are invited. The Journal is a refereed publication; all articles submitted will be reviewed. Floella Benjamin and Mark Pack; report by David Cloke. Peace, Reform and Contributions should be sent to: Liberation, with Julian Glover, Paddy Ashdown and Shirley Williams; report by Mark Pack. Duncan Brack (Editor) 54 Midmoor Road, London SW12 0EN email: [email protected] Letters to the Editor 41 All articles copyright © Journal of Liberal History. 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The Cover design concept: Lynne Featherstone Group organises discussion meetings and produces the Journal of Liberal History and other Published by the Liberal Democrat History Group, occasional publications. c/o 54 Midmoor Road, London SW12 0EN For more information, including historical commentaries, details of publications, back issues Printed by Kall-Kwik, of the Journal, and archive and other research sources, see our website at: 18 Colville Road, London W3 8BL www.liberalhistory.org.uk. January 2012 Chair: Tony Little Honorary President: Lord Wallace of Saltaire Journal of Liberal History 73 Winter 2011–12 3 THE LLOYD GEORGE LAND TAXES Why did the land taxes which Lloyd George introduced in his 1909 budget cause such a tremendous fuss? They represented a very small addition to the general tax burden, for they were designed to raise just £½ million in the ensuing fiscal year. Even by 1909 values, and in the context of early twentieth- century budgets, this was not much: about 0.3 per cent of the proposed taxation. Yet the Chancellor’s proposal to introduce land taxes, and a general land valuation which was essential to make them work properly, precipitated a huge constitutional crisis and enormous public excitement. Roy Douglas tells the story. 4 Journal of Liberal History 73 Winter 2011–12 THE LLOYD GEORGE LAND TAXES hat excitement can only times give assistance in money or held by nearly all the leading propa- be understood in the con- kind to the ‘deserving poor’. They gandists who set socialism on its feet text of earlier events. In all were seen increasingly as mere in Great Britain between 1886 and parts of the United King- receivers of rent. 1900’, wrote Sir Robert Ensor in dom, ‘land’ already had Agricultural labourers, the his volume in the Oxford History Tstrong overtones, which resonated worst treated of all major occupa- of England series.1 He might have with many people. There had been tion groups, were leaving the coun- added that George’s influence on many occasions, well within liv- try. A Royal Commission was told Liberals was every bit as strong. ing memory, when public attention in 1881 that 700,000 farm workers Henry George confronted the had been focused on matters which and their families had emigrated paradox that the enormous techno- related to land and land rights. In the in the previous nine years, and the logical developments of the previ- early 1880s, Irish peasants had con- process continued thereafter. Many ous century or so had not destroyed ducted a savage ‘land war’ against workers in the towns and mines poverty. He saw the root of poverty oppressive landlords, and, for the were beginning to wonder whether and social injustice – urban as well as remainder of the decade, troubles their own, often deplorable condi- rural – in the prevailing system of centring on Irish land constantly tions were also somehow related to land ownership. Here he was using attracted attention throughout the the land problem. They, too, had the word ‘land’ not in its legal sense British Isles. During the same dec- no share in the very valuable landed but in its economic sense, to mean ade, a less terrible, but still some- property of the United Kingdom. more or less the same as ‘natural times violent, ‘land war’ broke out Many of these experiences, in resources’. No human being has cre- in the Hebrides. This did not attract various parts of the British Isles, ated ‘land’, yet life is only possible much attention in England, but the involved some kind of conflict through access to ‘land’. Some peo- Scottish newspapers featured it as between owners of land and people ple owned a great deal of land and major news day after day. A good who did not own land. While the others owned none at all. Landless many residents in Scottish towns ownership of most kinds of prop- people were therefore compelled to were of recent Hebridean extrac- erty bore some relation to the useful pay a ransom to those who owned tion and viewed these matters with activities of the owner or his recent land, and that was what caused pov- great interest. Wales also seemed to predecessors, the ownership of erty. In a modem society there is no be on the verge of a ‘land war’, and it land usually did not. Perhaps some way of dividing land so that every- was in that connection that a young remote ancestor had performed a body gets a fair share; but what can solicitor named David Lloyd George service (not necessarily a credit- be done is to ensure that everybody first attracted press attention in 1886. able one) to a sovereign in the dis- gets a fair share of the value of land. From the 1880s onwards, English tant past; perhaps the land had been As we will note, some of George’s agriculture was profoundly affected taken by force; perhaps it had been critics described him as a ‘socialist’; by a dramatic fall in prices, first of awarded by a compliant legislature, but this is quite inaccurate. George grain and later of meat, as a result of without reference to the interests of himself was explicit on the point. cheap imports. The overwhelming A Liberal leaflet other people; perhaps, notably in ‘The antagonism of interests is not majority of farmers were tenants in prepared for Scotland, a chieftain who once had between labour and capital, as is pop- those days. A great many of them the January both rights and duties had gradu- ularly believed, but is really between were driven out of business, but 1910 election; ally assumed the powers of absolute labour and capital on the one side and landlords were forced to reduce the the peer is ownership.