The journal of the Conservative History Group | Autumn 2003 | £7.50 Conservative History Journal ADRIAN BRETTLE ENDLESS OPPOSITION: LESSONS FOR THE PARTY MARK COALTER ANDREW BONAR LAW: CHRISTOPHER PINCHER POLITICS AND LEADERSHIP WALTER ELLIOT: A CONSERVATIVE LIFE STEPHEN BARBER ECONOMIC FAILURE AND THE SIMON JENKINS 1995 LEADERSHIP CRISIS LESSONS FROM HISTORY FOR TODAY’S CONSERVATIVES CURZON and the Russians Helen Szamuely on a great Conservative Foreign Secretary Plus: Obituary of Lord Blake of Braydeston from John Charmley, Mark Versaillon on Promoting Civic Conciousness, Mark Garnett reviews E. H. H. Green’s Ideologies of Conservatism, Keith Simpson reviews The Macmillan Diaries and much more Contents Conservative History Journal The Conservative History Journal is published twice Contents yearly by the Conservative History Group ISSN 1479+8026 Welcome to the Conservative History Journal 1 Joint Editors: John Barnes and Iain Dale Iain Dale Advertisements About the Conservative History Group 2 To advertise in the next issue call Iain Dale on 07768 254690 Lord Blake of Braydeston, 1916–2003 3 John Charmley Editorial/Correspondence Contributions to the Journal – letters, articles and The Men Behind the Throne 4 book reviews are invited. The Journal is a refereed Julia Fea publication; all articles submitted will be reviewed and publication is not guaranteed. Contributions Lessons From History 7 should be emailed or posted to the addresses below. Simon Jenkins All articles remain copyright © their authors Endless Opposition 9 Subscriptions/Membership Adrian Brettle An annual subscription to the Conservative History Group costs £15. Copies of the Journal are included No Change, No Chance 12 in the membership fee. Stephen Barber The Conservative History Group Promoting Civic Consciousness 16 Chairman Keith Simpson MP Mark Versaillon Vice Chairman John Charmley Director Iain Dale Andrew Bonar Law 18 Treasurer John Strafford Mark Coalter Secretary Martin Ball Membership Peter Just Lord Curzon on Russia and the Russians 23 Journal John Barnes Helen Szamuely Committee Walter Elliot: A Conservative Life 26 Lord Norton of Louth Christopher Pincher Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville Simon Burns MP Book Reviews Michael Trend MP The Diaries of Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby, 29 Julie Kirkbride MP between 1878 and 1893 Mark Garnett reviewed by John Chamley Daniel Finkelstein Christina Dykes The Macmillan Diaries: The Cabinet Years 1950–1957 30 Simon Gordon reviewed by Keith Simpson Mark Garnett Deborah Kenyon+Roberts Ideologies of Conservatism by E. H. H. Green 31 William Rhind reviewed by Mark Garnett Jonathan Collett Ian Pendlington Conservative History Group PO Box 42119 London SW8 1WJ Telephone: 07768 254690 Email: [email protected] Website: www.conservativehistory.org.uk www.conservativehistory.org.uk Welcome to the Conservative History Journal from Iain Dale his is the second edition of our Journal and we shall be Group, under the chairmanship of Lord delighted if it receives a fraction of the praise which the Norton of Louth, to take this project inaugural edition received. Our Group goes from strength to forward. The book will be published in strength. Since the last edition came out we have held a joint 2005 and contain biographies of more meeting with our friends in the Liberal Democrat History than 300 figures in Conservative polit- TGroup on the Fall of the Lloyd George Coalition. Next year we hope to ical history and thought. hold a joint meeting with the LibDems and the newly formed Labour Finally, I would like to pay a per- History Group on the Fall of the Chamberlain Government. In less than a sonal tribute to Lord Blake, who year, our membership has grown to a level the LibDems have taken a sadly died a few days before this decade to match. Following the Party conference we expect to have close issue went to press. Every member on 500 members. The fact that more than half of the Conservative of the CHG will have read at least Parliamentary Party has joined the Group is an indication of the level of one of Blake's books and we mourn interest in our activities. In November we shall hold our first annual din- his passing. John Charmley has writ- ner and we are delighted to have secured Lord Salisbury as our guest of ten an obituary for this issue but we will be paying proper tribute to honour. Gillian Shephard will introduce his talk on the Cecils and the Robert Blake in next Spring's issue. Also in the next issue will be the Conservative Party. Tickets are already selling fast so do book soon. Next first part of a two part article by Dr Caroline Jackson MEP on the March we will be holding a two day conference at Knowsley Hall, the first British MEPs. ancestral home of the Derbys on the theme of Conservative Foreign Policy I do hope you enjoy the articles that appear in the following pages. in the 19th Century. We will send out details to members in the next cou- If you have any ideas for articles in future issues please do let me ple of months. We shall also be starting work on compiling the Dictionary know. of Conservative Biography. The CHG Committee has formed a Steering IAIN DALE Conservative History Group annual dinner Guest Speaker Lord Salisbury (the former Viscount Cranborne) “The Cecils and the Conservative Party” 10 November 2003 Commonwealth Club, Northumberland Avenue, London, SW1 7.30 for 8pm Tickets £50 to members, £60 to non-members Email [email protected] or send a cheque mad payable to the Conservative History Group to Iain Dale,Politico’s 8 Artillery Row, London SW1P 1RZ Conservative History Journal | issue 2 | Autumn 2003 | 1 The Conservative History Group Future Events October 7th, 9.30am–11am March 2004 Douglas Hurd: My Life in Politics Conservative Foreign Policy in the 19th Century Spanish Hall, Winter Gardens, Blackpool Conservative Party Two day residential conference at Knowsley Hall Conference Fringe Event May 2004 November 10th Annual Lecture Annual Dinner, Commonwealth Club, London Guest Speaker: Lord Salisbury, who will speak on “The Cecils and June 2004 the Conservative Party”, introduced by Rt Hon Gillian Shephard MP The History of the Conservative Whips Office Guest Speaker: Tim Renton (Lord Renton of Mount Harry) November, date tbc Memories of Denis Thatcher July 2004 Guest Speaker Carol Thatcher. This meeting will be followed by the The Fall of the Chamberlain Government AGM and election of a new committee Joint meeting with the Liberal Democrat and Labour History Groups January 2004 June/July 2004 Visit to the Party's Archives at the Bodleian Library, Oxford Visit to the Churchill and Thatcher archives, Cambridge Membership As the Conservative Party regroups after two general election defeats, learning from history is perhaps more vital than ever, We formed the Conservative History Group in the Autumn of 2002 to promote the discussion and debate of all aspects of Conservative history. We have organised a wide-ranging programme of speaker meetings in our first year and with the bi-annual publication of the Conservative History Journal, we hope to provide a forum for serious and indepth articles on Conservative history, biographies of leading and more obscure Conservative figures, as well as book reviews and profiles. In only nine months we have attracted several hundred paid up members, including more than 80 MPs and Peers. For an annual subscription of only £15 you will receive invites to all our events as well as complimentary copies of the Conservative History Journal twice a year. We very much hope you will want to join us and become part of one of the Conservative Party's most vibrant discussion groups. Please fill in and return the form below if you would like to join the Conservative History Group Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Email ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Send your details with your subscription of £15 to Conservative History Group, PO Box 42119, London SW8 1WJ Or you can join online at www.politicos.co.uk 2 | Conservative History Journal | issue 2 | Autumn 2003 Lord Blake of Braydeston, 1916–2003 John Charmley remembers a great Conservative historian he passing of did not think he was much of is hard to recollect how dar- Lord Blake a Conservative. Edward Heath ing Blake was. In an era deserves, and remained an admired, if much where deference towards will receive, misunderstood figure. On politicians was still common, greater notice in Mrs. Thatcher he was he produces a Disraeli shorn Tthis journal, but this issue admirably judicious, but her of the legend: a speculating cannot pass without it being brand of conservatism was libertine whose main aim in noted. Other obituaries give not his. His contribution to politics was to rise to the top the details of his extremely the history of the Party went of the greasy pole; but such distinguished career as an beyond that. He was on the is Blake's mastery of his sub- academic and a public figure, editorial board of the the ject that the reader can still but for readers of this journal multi-volume history of the admire the great charlatan. it is as the historian of the Party, which he lived long Moreover,