Neath by-election, 1945
Encyclopedia
The Neath by-election, 1945, was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency of Neath
in South Wales
.
Neath was considered a safe seat
for the Labour Party
and had been held by William Jenkins
since the 1922 UK general election. No other candidate had stood in seat at the last general election. Jenkins died on 8 December 1944, but as World War II
was still underway, the process of calling a by-election was slow, and the date was ultimately set as 15 May 1945.
. Williams was a member of Pontardawe
Rural District Council, and the Executive Council of the South Wales Miners' Federation
. He had been part of a miners' delegation to the Soviet Union
and was known for his opposition to Welsh nationalism
. Williams was supported by Will Lawther
, President of the National Union of Mineworkers, which sponsored his candidature.
There was a truce between the major parties: Labour, the Conservative Party
, the Liberal Party
and the National Liberal Party
. The Communist Party of Great Britain
(CPGB), which had considerable strength in South Wales, was not a signatory to the pact, but had undertaken not to contest seats held by the major parties. As a result, the only opposition in by-elections came from independent
s, minor parties and occasional unofficial party candidates aligned with major parties.
Plaid Cymru
stood Wynne Samuel, its South Wales organiser. The party's main strengths were in North Wales, and he was not expected to be a strong contender, but the party hoped this would launch a new strategy of winning over industrial workers in the south of the nation.
The Trotskyist Revolutionary Communist Party
(RCP) stood Jock Haston
, its General Secretary. This was the first time any Trotskyist organisation had stood a candidate in a British Parliamentary election. The party had only been established the previous year, and Trotskyism had not previously had a base in South Wales.
The RCP had been leading supporters of strikes by coal miners which had occurred in the area in 1944, for which efforts some of its members had been imprisoned. Several local miners' lodges had supported their defence, and the RCP had sent a prominent member, John Lawrence
, as a full-time organiser for the area, recruiting some activists in Merthyr Tydfil
, Llanelli
and Swansea
.
The party stood on a revolutionary
internationalist
platform, declaring "Our candidate will fight on a platform of uncompromising hostility to the imperialist war, for the breaking of the Coalition, for the overthrow of the Churchill Government and for Labour to take power on a Socialist platform." Their main slogan was "Break the Coalition, Labour to Power".
with the Conservatives and Labour after the war.
After repeated requests from the RCP, the CPGB agreed to hold a debate in Neath, putting up Alun Thomas, leader of the Communist Party in West Wales, against Haston. The meeting attracted about 1,500 voters, who heard Thomas claim that "In Russia they defeated fascism because they shot all the Trotskyists and the Fifth column scum, and if we had our way, these people on this platform would be shot."
The local Independent Labour Party
was small, and was split as to how to respond to the election. Two of their local activists campaigned for and subsequently joined the RCP.
In the final week of the campaign, the war in Europe was concluded and VE Day was held, overshadowing the by-election. Although it was apparent that Labour would not agree to continue the coalition and would compel Churchill to call a general election, the Western Mail called on all Conservative and Liberal supporters to vote for Williams.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency of Neath
Neath (UK Parliament constituency)
Neath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election and one Assembly Member by the first past the post system of election.- The Constituency of Neath :The constituency...
in South Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Neath was considered a safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and had been held by William Jenkins
William Jenkins (British politician)
Sir William Jenkins was a British Labour politician and trade union leader.Jenkins was the son of a coal miner and attended Glyncorrwg National School before taking up work on the railways at the age of 11½...
since the 1922 UK general election. No other candidate had stood in seat at the last general election. Jenkins died on 8 December 1944, but as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was still underway, the process of calling a by-election was slow, and the date was ultimately set as 15 May 1945.
Candidates
The Labour Party expected to easily hold the seat, and stood local miner D. J. WilliamsD. J. Williams (politician)
David James Williams was a British miner and checkweighman who became a Labour Party Member of Parliament .-Coal mining career:...
. Williams was a member of Pontardawe
Pontardawe
Pontardawe is a town of some 5,000 inhabitants in the Swansea Valley in south Wales...
Rural District Council, and the Executive Council of the South Wales Miners' Federation
South Wales Miners' Federation
The South Wales Miners' Federation , nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for miners in South Wales.The union was founded on 24 October 1898, following the defeat of the South Wales miners' strike of 1898...
. He had been part of a miners' delegation to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and was known for his opposition to Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
. Williams was supported by Will Lawther
Will Lawther
Sir William "Will" Lawther was a politician and trade union leader in the United Kingdom.Lawther was President of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain . He was the Labour Member of Parliament for the Barnard Castle constituency from 1929–1931.- External links :* - nationalarchives.gov.uk...
, President of the National Union of Mineworkers, which sponsored his candidature.
There was a truce between the major parties: Labour, the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
. The Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
(CPGB), which had considerable strength in South Wales, was not a signatory to the pact, but had undertaken not to contest seats held by the major parties. As a result, the only opposition in by-elections came from independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
s, minor parties and occasional unofficial party candidates aligned with major parties.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
stood Wynne Samuel, its South Wales organiser. The party's main strengths were in North Wales, and he was not expected to be a strong contender, but the party hoped this would launch a new strategy of winning over industrial workers in the south of the nation.
The Trotskyist Revolutionary Communist Party
Revolutionary Communist Party (UK, 1944)
The Revolutionary Communist Party was a British Trotskyist group, formed in 1944 and active until 1949, which published the newspaper Socialist Appeal, a theoretical journal Workers International News and an entrist paper for its Labour Party work The Militant .- Collapse of the RSL and founding of...
(RCP) stood Jock Haston
Jock Haston
James "Jock" Ritchie Haston was a Trotskyist politician and General Secretary of the Revolutionary Communist Party in Great Britain.-Early years:...
, its General Secretary. This was the first time any Trotskyist organisation had stood a candidate in a British Parliamentary election. The party had only been established the previous year, and Trotskyism had not previously had a base in South Wales.
The RCP had been leading supporters of strikes by coal miners which had occurred in the area in 1944, for which efforts some of its members had been imprisoned. Several local miners' lodges had supported their defence, and the RCP had sent a prominent member, John Lawrence
John Lawrence (political activist)
John Gordon Michael Lawrence was a leading far left activitist in a wide variety of groups in Britain.-Early life:...
, as a full-time organiser for the area, recruiting some activists in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
and Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
The party stood on a revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
internationalist
Internationalist
Internationalist may refer to:* Internationalism , a movement to increase cooperation across national borders* Internationalist, socialists opposed to World War I* The Internationalist Review, an e-journal founded in Maastricht...
platform, declaring "Our candidate will fight on a platform of uncompromising hostility to the imperialist war, for the breaking of the Coalition, for the overthrow of the Churchill Government and for Labour to take power on a Socialist platform." Their main slogan was "Break the Coalition, Labour to Power".
Campaign
The Communist Party offered its full support to the Labour candidate and campaigned against the RCP, using the slogan "A Vote for Haston is a Vote for Hitler". Williams repudiated the Communist support, opposing its policy of a popular frontPopular front
A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal forces as well as socialist and communist groups...
with the Conservatives and Labour after the war.
After repeated requests from the RCP, the CPGB agreed to hold a debate in Neath, putting up Alun Thomas, leader of the Communist Party in West Wales, against Haston. The meeting attracted about 1,500 voters, who heard Thomas claim that "In Russia they defeated fascism because they shot all the Trotskyists and the Fifth column scum, and if we had our way, these people on this platform would be shot."
The local Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
was small, and was split as to how to respond to the election. Two of their local activists campaigned for and subsequently joined the RCP.
In the final week of the campaign, the war in Europe was concluded and VE Day was held, overshadowing the by-election. Although it was apparent that Labour would not agree to continue the coalition and would compel Churchill to call a general election, the Western Mail called on all Conservative and Liberal supporters to vote for Williams.