National Labour Organisation - Policy and Publicity

Policy and Publicity

While National Labour could not advocate any policy in opposition to the National Government, its members did propound policy suggestions and argue in support of Government policy. A pamphlet called "On the Home Front" published in April 1934, outlined the National Labour argument in support of the National Government's domestic policy; it argued that the agricultural policy followed by the Government had "the characteristic Conservative policy of a tariff" as well as "the characteristic Socialist State organisation of industry", and therefore showed what the Government "owes to the traditional doctrines of not one, but all, Parties in the State". The pamphlet asserted that returning to the old party system would mean weak government, and that it was weak government which had led other European countries to dictatorship. Looking back on the politics of the 1930s in a 1964 article, Professor Arthur Marwick regarded National Labour's significance as being "a central point around which people who desired political agreement could cohere". He noted that National Labour could attract to collectivist Socialism some who were put off by the resolutely working class character of the Labour Party, and cited Harold Nicolson as a case in point.

In April 1935, a volume of essays by five leading National Labour politicians was published under the title "Towards a National Policy: being a National Labour Contribution"; MacDonald contributed a preface in which he argued that the Labour opposition "is as little guided by Socialist opinion and inspired by the fine human spirit of our British Socialism as any other political party of pure expediency striving for a majority". Lord Elton argued that trade unions should not affiliate to the Labour Party because they could achieve more by bargaining for support when not tied to one political party.