AFTER THE BATTLE IN ENGLAND
P., HERBERT MORRISON, M.
After the Battle in England By Herbert Morrison, M.P. header of the London Go. CmMtH • The following article is a —tor ami wxptWuy oummmry of the reeulte of the parliamentary Hortien id...
...y^LM knows it What wo hjH the next three to *p#9H umlai 1 the ceontry flfl ran the shew...
...5,869,351 General Election, 1931: Non-Labor ~—.--- 15,006,743 Leber ...___________ 6,649,880 . 1 —'¦—Non-Labor maj...
...Better stiH...
...Garvin, aeiJB sound...
...We have not won ssJTriant Labor .voters from the middle...
...There is much to be said for it...
...My condolences to the defeated...
...But amJB more Ministerial seats tkejM are held by very slender'fl which any considerable ckosa feeling towards the CshasfH future would wipe out...
...play his part— he must be encouraged and helped to dp so...
...But I am sure that all of us have a lot to learn about the psychology of the electorate nationally...
...vJB Sound, Mr...
...fHROUGROUT the General Election campaign I refused 40 grve the newspapers forecasts ¦of the resahs...
...t never put the Labor wins higher than 200 to 240 seats, and I: kept that to myself...
...Yes, all of us, whether in or ottt of Parliament, have got a big job in front of us...
...Big jobs are inspiring jobs...
...In 1929 there was an army of them...
...However!—We shall have agood fighting Parliamentary Labor Party to discbarge the functions of the official Opposition...
...frfta* Caaormddmetrkm hay fa •my on that pom touchee H»matety the problem*, confronting 8e$iatt*U in A&erie* in their took of building \ area* -movement in thio.i+itntry...
...Very few of the Labor M.P.'s of the new Parliament will be minority members gthat is, elected only by plurality* votes in throe-cornered V tcXor m the recent eiectu»i at Seahjttn Harbor, tchen he defeated J. Ham*a„ MacDonald by 38.000 to 17,000...
...The majority of allcomers against Labor is 3,.*t3»,4eS teas jm 1935 than ia 1931...
...But I had been asked to .appeal not only for canvassers, but for literature distributors...
...In the national voting figures there is a good deal of encouragement, although we must noA-use them to create illusions...
...Some we shall get in at by-elections...
...The 1929 vote ia not enough...
...The sole test of byelection candidates should be competence, energy and public spirit —not money...
...it may mean thoughtfumess, and thougaafulness is good...
...One's best course is ?R> get On «th the job, work hard, and lfea,^r^he counting fo the resatrnr "ftr s*fiy case, this has been'one of, the most unpredictable elections' I have experienced...
...For a number,, of reasons, I could not see a majority...
...That was particularly so when we had succeeded in maintaining--the essential unity of the Party and found that our people were in good fighting form...
...But don't let that depress you: in some 'ways Keir Hardie had a bigger job in front of him—and he stuck it...
...Was ear appeal wide eBoogav and const rawtieoly concrete eneogh ami oaastraiHt m> eoncrete enenghr I have put a query against this as sometbing to think: shoot, -ami I may return to it in a future article...
...this time the number of Liberal candidates was smaller, their vote would be weaker, and in the other areas much of what remains ef the Liberal 'vote would senilis or go Tory...
...Noisy enthusiasm at meetings may be a good sign, but I am never sure about it...
...It took «s 29 years to get a majority on the I. on dsn County Council...
...You may win despite no canvassing in a strong area, but not because of no canvassing...
...1 Do not misunderstand...
...I am not complaining about q u i e t n ess...
...My meetings were big in all parte of Sbe country...
...We ought to have done better...
...I told the enthusiasts (regular customers at meetings, I gathered) that they ought not -to be seen at another Labor meeting, but should report tor service at a Labor committee room...
...In those circumstances the enthusiasm almost frightened me...
...and JM from the poll in tbe-mmfl there was no real fight §B ter this time, and that.9 tional Government was .ml enjoy a tame walk-ovog^H "Nothing of the kinojS slifrht shift in the votfesgj have reduced the huge mm ranks to half the towerhS dominance they ageteS Nearly all the abnormal M ties of 1931 are, of counta^K reduced...
...That we should have to gain about 260 seats for a mere majority...
...There is only one sound way to look at the figures...
...3. It Is the fash of nobody in ^particular, bet since 1931 we have A Critical Commentary on the Recent Parliamentary Election —Victory Within Grasp of the Labor Party—Some Lessons for Socialists in America—Constructive Element in Socialist Propaganda and Action Most Essential...
...A good canvass and' a good pull-out on polling day would have won victory...
...contests...
...IB * LIVE UP TO IT...
...The Later vote lamped Well above 1931 and nearly to 19291 (The 1929^ vote incldes the J.L.P., which Is calculated separately in 1935...
...His defeat is a big loss, to us...
...1935: Noh-LsW 13£36>17« Labor aZT----.....M1U» Non-Labor maj...
...So keep smiling...
...a Labor Government with real power needs six or seven million more Labor votes than 1929 gave us...
...The •sine in 1931...
...we should hare been weH ahead of that...
...CmMtH • The following article is a —tor ami wxptWuy oummmry of the reeulte of the parliamentary Hortien id England lost month...
...Bat when it caste it was reaL That meant palmare, willsewer, thoaght and Idealism en the part of London Labor, moil twenty years age the London problem looked much worse tame the amtamsel 0*0 dees today...
...That altogether apart from the quality of the votes...
...Writ*** by one of the outstanding leader* of the Britieh Labor Party, who may be called upon in...
...At this election the Liberal aartrfl and Toryism gamed^^H the Liberals- sickness «2 Bat bow, for all prpj pasta, there are only fj| —Tory sad Laker...
...Look at the "certainties" we have failed to win...
...From the ranks of the Parliamentary Party will be missed men and women we hoped to have with us...
...Among them these: '1...
...Wild enthusiasm...
...That was inevitaH it is wholesome...
...And quietness may mean anything...
...v No point in hiding -it: Most of ips hoped "to win more seats—-not a majority _ Mot a bigger Labor ' opposition than will he the case...
...To a great extent it has the fortunes of the Party at the next election in its hands...
...There are too many of them for my liking...
...Trlere is no point ajj'It...
...LABOR IS ON THI ¦ OF VICTORY...
...the majority against -Labor m 939,644 lees in 1935 than in 1939 par peek year...
...I want them to be as near as may be practical-minded Socialist votes, rather than mere votes of discontent...
...8^57,113 Genera] JBartisn...
...I remember that Coventry meeting on Sunday week...
...IT IS UP fh' TO WIN THE VICTOBTS IS WITHIN OUR GRAM SHALL NEED BRAINS, 1% MENT, WILL-POWER AIM TIENCE...
...not yet evolved a clear leadership t these who are ."coming up" are not yet saaTirionffy well-known throaghoat the country...
...Philip - Baker did well at she poll, but not well enough...
...WE CAN M LOSE THE VICTORY WfARE CARELESS IN OUR 11 AND IF WE FAIL TO MA SOCIALISM THE CONSTR TIVE DOCTRINE THAT 1 APPEAL TO THIN EH PEOPLE...
...Largely because the Liberal Party is dying...
...2. There were a large number of minority Labor victories in 1929...
...Put ths votes of all our opponents together— "from the Tories to -the Csmmnnist£—and then compare them "with ¦ the Labor - Party vote.' Well.- here ate the totals for 1929, 1931, and 1985— General Mortise., 1939: Non-Labor -____'J-— 14,8o8£63 Labor__________"-— 8^389,618 Non-Labor maj...
...The good mcc who are not-"*Well-known must be made well-known...
...In last Sunday's "Twm~ L. fJaryrn saw the **«djfl crowing over us, he iSH ; There has been *¦ tfU * change in the chazsgB results thronghout^fhrnlvl are carefully 111 iiMiiitmM seen how urgently reonhjH were the final warnings'o Ministerial side against djB fidence, ostathy...
...and the British electorate Ikes to knew the kind of people who are going to govern it, ami to trust them...
...Those minority seats were not real Labor seats...
...We must not get excited with joy about getting back to where we were six years ago...
...votes to the Labor total we find a total of 8,453,986, as compared to 8,389,512 in 1929, hitherto Labor peak year, a gain of 64,474.—E<L] But have no illusions...
...Bat in most cases there was an undercurrent Of quietness about them...
...V*e must not believe merely what weS want to believe...
...There\ is much hope in them—provided we are willing to learn the lessons r have indicated, and have the JUurage to act on what we iearn...
...the near future to head a Labor government, the article present* elamrly too approach of the Britieh Labor Pmrty to the area* took before n•hut of organizing the Britieh maun behind a Socialist program...
...4. Oor so-called "Left" had loft setae bloomers en . record m "heave** speeches . its writings, tWe country m not coin* to veto jpSp m *§* mEmS " -5...
...Not only must every Labor M.P...
...And we must cheefnUy say the price of nuking pottticai history and a new political orientation: In 1936, Labor seats in relation to Labor votes compare badly with 1929...
...They were keen...
...Those constituencies were not yet really won for Labor and Socialism...
...Time will salvo this...
...3 EVERY ONE OF V% Mat RESPONSIBILITY...
...See now the OsO Lab at vote feU u (MauV with 1031 add 1920...
...that takes doing unless the pendulum is simply swinging with yoa—and it wasn't: it was only moving...
...Adding the 139,517 I.L.P...
...5,020,70*7 Opsin re...
...J| If we succeed, wo *hhm\\M we dent we afl| that's all there is to It...
...It has to convince the country that Labor is ready and able to govern...
...Packed...
...The more, difficulties, the more inter* esting they are...
Vol. 18 • December 1935 • No. 70
